There’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard. It was built in Long Beach, California, in 1927 to provide a safe passage to the beach for pedestrians and was closed to the public in 1967. As Lana Del Rey compares herself to this tunnel on the title track of her ninth album, she asks, with a melancholic certainty, when her “handmade beauty” will be “sealed up by two man-made walls.” “When’s it gonna be my turn?” she sings, asking not if, but when. Still, in the same way her poetry often comes across as an omen, someone who sees what you’ll learn from a heartbreak before the heartbreak comes, she already knows the answer.

On her ninth album, she has accepted that her beauty is soon to be like the mosaic ceilings and hand painted tiles in the titular tunnel. No longer the siren she was at 20, she is closed off to those who don’t wish to walk through her to get to the beauty on the other side. With her youth and relevancy under attack, her response is the opposite of a battle cry. Instead, she greets this form of death without a plea to survive, but a chuckle, a laugh in the face of critics who expect her to keep holding onto her cultural grasp and vibrance. On “A&W,” she asks “do you really think I give a damn what I do after years of just hearing them talking?” This time, everyone knows the answer. 

As if she has the tunnel to herself, her lyrics roll off her tongue like the most personal journal entries, taking on a Mark Kozelek-esc approach to her ruminations that often favors scattered details over her traditional poetic one-liners. She places ramblings over fluffy beds of piano and strings, and sometimes trap beats, on “A&W,” “Peppers,” “Fishtail”, and “Taco Truck & VB,” and allows the audience to connect the emotive dots between narrative details.

The full 77 minutes features less instrumental variation than lyrical prowess, which she has a lot of. There are points where the instrumentation, washed out in reverb, sounds itself like it was recorded in a tunnel. The atmosphere rarely fades, but slowly grows stale, and the listener is asked to dig through the surface monotony to take Lana’s messages to heart. Although there is much to be said, by the time “Let The Light In” starts, the simple sounds of an acoustic guitar and Father John Misty’s voice is a much needed break of habit.

Still, it is the clearest mirror Lana has held in front of her, whether it takes the form of the stream-of-consciousness “Fingertips,” or the self-destructive, multi-phased “A&W.” Here, nothing is off the table. “Taco Truck & VB,” which closes the record on a sample of “Norman Fucking Rockwell” standout “Venice Bitch,” opens with a request for someone to pass her vape. “Margaret,” a collaboration with Jack Antonof’s, who produced much of the record, Bleachers, ends with an invitation to a party on December 18th. “If you want some basic bitch, go to the Beverly Center and find her,” she sings on “Sweet.” Her calm cracks on “Candy Necklace,” singing eerily about her recklessness with a man she is infatuated with. The six and a half minute “Kintsugi,” which has one of the most stunning refrains on the project, is the most verbose Lana song ever, and it’s strikingly revealing..

Though the ramblings yield many highs, the best song is at the beginning. “The Grants,” named after her family, contains one of her strongest melodies ever, and the sentimental refrain and familial references make it her first undeniable tear-jerker. She uses it to remind listeners that all the heartbreak and happiness thread throughout the 77 minute record are part of the same “beautiful life.”

And that’s the essential message of the album: all of the stunning and all the forgettable, all the tasteful and tacky, all the irreverent and all the dead-serious, is part of the same Lana. She is letting loose for herself and the fans who won’t forget her when her beauty fades. Every moment of self-indulgence adds to the reflection this record creates, making the collection of songs feel like a character portrait. As she observes on “Kintsugi,” the charm is often in its cracks, which are quickly recognized but easily forgiven.

There are several ways to honor dead celebrities. Though usually done by reminiscing on their accomplishments and legacy, it is also important to honor their hardships by shedding light on their experiences. While it is possible to be respectful of one’s trauma while still allowing them to maintain their survivor’s autonomy post-partum, Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” does the opposite for Marilyn Monroe. 

       “Blonde” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and came to theaters and Netflix in the following weeks. This conveys the message that Monroe suffered immensely in the process of her stardom and carries the assumption that it is doing her a service by shedding this light. However, this assumption poses two problems, the first being that none of her depicted trauma  is necessarily real. Based on a fictional biography of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, “Blonde” is a fictional adaptation before it can dare call itself a biopic. Therefore, this is no presentation of Monroe’s story, but rather a usage of her image for the sake of entertainment.

   The second problem is even if the depicted abuse was real, it assumes Monroe would have appreciated her portrayal in an extremely vulnerable light. Ana de Armas’ portrayal is uncanny in her appearance and breathtaking in its range of emotion. However, the only one who should sign on to portrayals and retellings of their private life and the abuse they may have endured is the person who went through it themselves. It is both ignorant and exploitative to assume that Monroe would have liked to air her trauma on a worldwide stage. In a sense, “Blonde” is hardly more respectful to her than those who this film shows as Hollywood elites who didn’t treat Jean like a human capable of making her own decisions with her body and her image.

     Even ignoring its ethical dilemmas,“Blonde” is ultimately blinded by its vision, or, maybe more accurately, lack thereof. What brings it down is its overindulgence and lack of narrative or artistic focus. While it could be argued that its scattered storytelling and shifting styles enhances the way Jean may have felt as she gradually lost her grip on herself and her loved ones, it ultimately makes for a script that does not allow the viewer to form an attachment with Jean. It seems Dominik felt the solution to this problem was to write a film so heavy-handed in its symbolism and one-dimensional in its suffering that it distracts from the actual storyline.

     What should have been an intimate experience about a woman once branded “America’s Sweetheart” felt like periodic check-in with an old acquaintance. Even for such a long film to present the extent of Jean’s suffering at the range it is trying, and failing, to capture, it would have had to be either longer and more comprehensive or take an entirely different, more standard approach stylistically. While several scenes are capable of garnering an emotional response, it is often more effective for its content and subject matter than its writing. For this reason, de Armas is its saving grace, as she gives the film everything Dominik’s script couldn’t: genuine pain, complexity, and depth. 

        By the end, all that’s felt is that you’ve watched a woman suffer, and the source of her suffering was hand delivered and over-explained, begging the question on why it’s two hours and 46 minutes were spent delivering this same description, instead of properly exploring Jean and her psyche.

In the last few years, many rock fans have enjoyed the rapid rise of the Orange County-based Dayseeker, a four-piece metalcore act that has been making a name for themselves through their explosive blends of metalcore and various genres of pop.

After the meteoric rise of their 2019 album “Sleeptalk,” the band is back with two singles, “Without Me” and “Neon Grave,” to tease their upcoming album “Dark Sun,” an eleven-track record in which the band dives into more personal topics than fans might be used to. 

“That half of this album is written about my father’s passing and how it felt like the sun burned out the day that he died, hence the title,” says frontman Rory Rodriguez. 

“I wrote about my daughter, about love and relationships. I’d like to think there’s a little bit of everything in here for our listeners to enjoy this newer, grown-up version of Dayseeker.”

This “grown-up” version of Dayseeker comes in part due to the shift in the band’s sound that came about during the writing of “Sleeptalk,” where the band decided to incorporate more influences from synthpop and electropop. 

“We were still writing mostly metalcore style music, and we took a step back and realized none of us even listen to that genre anymore and it felt a little forced,” Rodriguez says, “but we didn’t want to abandon our roots at the time. When writing Sleeptalk, though, we saw a chance to just write an album we would want to write and hoped fans would be receptive and they really seemed to love it!”

Impressively, this middle ground comes at no compromise to what makes the two genres work. Their songs are as catchy as they are ferocious, and textured as they are raw. But the sound they elegantly stepped into on “Sleeptalk” did not come without its pressures. According to Rodriguez, following it up was “scary.” 

“This music scene is incredible, but there are some listeners who are very critical of every move you make as a band.” 

Still, the band is looking at their new material with optimism, saying “I have faith though that if you liked ‘Sleeptalk,’ you should enjoy ‘Dark Sun.’”

On Sunday, September 4th, the band is taking their current tour to The Red Flag on Locust Street, a local hub for punk and metal shows in the St. Louis area. 

“We’ve definitely played St. Louis many times in the past,” Rodriguez says. “[There is] somewhat of a reputation for theft of musical equipment with other bands we know who have toured through there, but it’s always been a blast for us! Great crowds, great food, really cool city overall.” 

Judging from the quality of their latest singles, this show is a must-see for metal fans in the area.

“Dark Sun” comes out on November 4th, coinciding with a tour with Bad Omens.

COVID-19 has been a long ride, one where it often seems the closer we get to the end, the more time we realize we have left. Thankfully, the more time spent in this never-ending descent into collective lunacy means the closer we get to vaccinations, and some SLU students haven’t had to wait so long.

One of those students is Ashley Keller, a sophomore studying nursing who received the Pfizer vaccine in January and completed her second dose in mid-February. Aside from a slight arm soreness (an experience everyone interviewed reported), Keller says the main response she had to this vaccine was an emotional one. “I was very excited and happy as well as slightly nervous. It is just exciting and nerve wracking to be one of the first to receive this vaccine and knowing that we are on the way back to normalcy.”

This “normalcy” Keller is alluding to could be sooner than we think, as Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted that April will be an “open season” for vaccinations, meaning that any adult will be able to get vaccinated. Helen Ratcliff, a freshman studying communication sciences and disorders and Spanish, received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine after working at a summer camp for people with disabilities. She is optimistic. “Vaccine rollout seems to be going more smoothly with the new administration. My vaccine came after my mother’s second dose, my grandmother’s first and a month after my aunt was fully vaccinated. It seems to be much more commonplace, but I think having cautious optimism is the best mindset to have.”

Still, once these students are fully vaccinated, the burden of self-isolation will be lifted, as recent updates from the CDC say fully vaccinated individuals will no longer have to quarantine if exposed to the virus. Senior Sydney Compton, a senior studying social work and women’s and gender studies, is halfway through her Moderna vaccine and is looking forward to that reality. She qualified due to her work with the unhoused community and connections with the Springfield, Illinois sheriff’s department. The idea of non-isolation to her is refreshing. “Knowing I won’t have to self-isolate does give me some relief. I had to isolate back in September for two weeks and it was really draining not to be able to go out, do my job, or see others. It gives me some relief but I also know I will be as cautious as possible not to expose myself or others to the virus.” 

Some have expressed concerns on whether or not taking this vaccine is even a good idea, often citing its rapid development as a reason. Qualified for his work as an outreacher and work with the unhoused community, Liam John, a sophomore studying public health and management, who completed the Pfizer vaccine in February, sees the apprehension but for different reasons. “I think it is justified to consider not taking it while others that need it more still haven’t. This is totally reasonable.” Still, John suggests taking it regardless. “Hospitals are resorting to throwing away vaccines due to the extras at the end of the day… it may go to waste if you don’t take it. So might as well take it and continue to advocate that they need to make shots more accessible.” Ratcliff points out a different concern. “I think marginalized communities who have been hurt by the medical field have justified skepticism, but as for anti-vaxxers and other people who think they are being microchipped, I don’t believe they have reason to protest.”

For now, inoculated students are just as excited as everyone else for the vaccine rollouts, each with their own special excitements. “When I return home,” Ratcliff says, “every member of my family who has been fully vaccinated is going to have a dinner party and I am looking forward to that a whole lot.”

Another dream is one that Keller and John share. “I also just want to sit in a coffee shop once again,” she says. “I understand we still need the masks,” John says, “but sitting, doing homework or having coffee dates in an actual coffee shop with actual cups and not reusable ones… superb.” For Compton, it’s the simple pleasures of companionship she is looking forward to. “Collective joy! We haven’t been able to celebrate in any collective joy this year, no sporting events, concerts, election celebrations, nothing! I am just excited to be in spaces that people can share together.”

The autotuned voice singing “hi my name is Emily and I’m 5, I like playing Roblox and I like going outside” is likely familiar to anyone who’s stumbled across the weirder side of TikTok, “alt TikTok,” as the kids say. It’s hilarious, it’s jarring, but it’s nothing compared to the shock that I and many other people experienced when looking it up to discover that this isn’t just a TikTok sound: it’s the opener to a 14 track album.

While none of the 14 songs surpass one minute, the longest, “Take Me Away,” being 59 seconds and the shortest, “Roblox Is My Life,” being seven, it’s a glorious four minutes and 45 seconds. The auto-tune covers her voice like drugstore foundation, the beats are all probably lifted from free downloads or YouTube to MP3s, or maybe recorded right into the computer from the computer, the lyrics are all, well, written by a five year old. How the hell this ended up on streaming services is beyond me, but the internet was quick to ironically crown Montes as the next queen of experimental pop and rap, just as they did Peppa Pig last year.

However, music snobs were also quick to make an inevitable comparison to the infamous 2012 album “My Teenage Dream Ended,” by teen-mom turned porn star turned pointless celebrity Farrah Abraham. To coincide with her autobiography of the same name, which chronicles her teenage pregnancy, drug use, the arrest of her father and death of her daughter’s father. The album, produced by Fredrick M. Cuevas, also known as FRDRK, was recorded by Abraham to a metronome without ever hearing the music she was singing to. Thrown over cheap, GarageBand quality electro pop instrumentals, Abraham’s vocals were treated with enough autotune to kill a horse, barely set to any key, hardly, if at all, on tempo.

The result is the sound of a pop nightmare, an accident that cannot be replicated. Despite it’s almost-so-bad-it’s-good quality, over the years it has garnered a reputation as an accidentally-genius piece of outsider art, a disorienting, almost scary work of avant-garde pop, worthy of thinkpiece after thinkpiece after video essay after video essay.

But “Emily Montes” is not likely to garner the same infamy, even if the sonic comparison was bound to be made, especially because it’s obvious that both artists (if I can say that about Abraham) did not have any idea what they were doing. However, what sets the two albums apart is that Abraham didn’t seem to be trying to make anything great, and Cuevas didn’t seem to be trying to help her. Montes, on the contrary, seems to be making a first attempt at something she is actually trying to be good at. For this reason, a better comparison to make would be to “Philosophy of the World,” the 1969 album by The Shaggs.

The Shaggs were a band from Fremond, New Hampshire composed of sisters Helen, Betty and Dorothy (and sometimes Rachel) Wiggin. Their father, Austin Wiggin, Jr., was their manager, and they performed at their town hall and local nursing home from 1968 to 1973. They didn’t begin for their love of music, though. One day, before she died, Wiggin’s mother gave him a palm reading with three concluding predictions: that he would marry a strawberry blonde woman, that he would have two daughters after she died and that his daughters would create a famous band. Setting out to make the third prediction true, Wiggin took his girls out of school and bought them instruments, arranging for them to have music lessons. Believing his daughters would become stars, Wiggin spent most of his savings to record an album in 1969.

The result, “Philosophy of the World,” is one of the most talked about so-bad-that-it’s-good albums ever, despite only 100 of the 1000 copies of the album being lost for unknown reasons. But, somehow, these girls, who didn’t even know how to play their instruments, were hailed by Frank Zappa as the best band of all time, better than the Beatles. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana listed it as his fifth favorite album of all time. In a video about this album by the YouTuber Alfo Media, Harrison Renshaw described the strange appeal of this album and poised this question: “how often can you hear songs entirely written by kids with no prior musical experience?”

That brings us back to Emily Montes, a somewhat famous five year old on TikTok that you are reading an article about. After looking into her TikTok, it seems pretty obvious that it’s her mom running the account, which raises the question of whether or not Montes actually made the music on this album herself, but it also helps explain how it got onto streaming services. Could it be some sort of genius marketing idea from her mother?  If so, it’s working, as “Take me away” has over 185,000 streams on Spotify.

However, for as hilarious as this all is on the surface, Renshaw made an interesting point about the Shaggs that extends to Montes’ work but in a different, darker context. In 10 or 20 years we will have many pandemic inspired albums to turn back to, whether that’s Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” or the even more spectacular “how i’m feeling now” by Charli XCX, but “Emily Montes” will be the only one told from the perspective of a child. “EmiLy,” the song that went viral on TikTok, ends with the lines “I miss school but I’m stuck inside, this virus has me losing my mind.” “Take Me Away” is a lost-for-words expression of desire to leave her house during lockdown, doing the best with her kindergarten level vocabulary to express herself. While a lot of this can be chalked up to childhood innocence, the fifth track, “Emily montes (Corona Is Crazy),” is the closest she gets to getting a full grasp on how serious the situation at hand is, but only by singing “this virus is crazy, it’s the end of the world” right before moving into some braggadocious bars about being the new Queen of rap.

While the songs that deal with COVID-19 are certainly the most interesting historically, the non-COVID-19 related songs are just as special and offer similar food for thought, and there are a number of braggadocious moments, most notably “Emily rose,” where she proudly admits that she’s “only been rapping for an hour,” but that some say she’s “better than Nicki and Chance the Rapper.” On “Untitled” where she boldly declares Travis Scott as ‘retired’ and once again reminds us that she’s the new rap queen on “Give me my crown.” She even works in two breakup songs, “Emily Montes (breakup)” and “If you know you know if you don’t you don’t,” “Frozen,” a song about wanting to build a snowman but there’s no snow, an adorable self love anthem, “Untitled 2,” “Roblox is my life,” whose title is self explanatory, as well as the haunting ending “Roboticy,” where she channels her frustration with her broken phone into an album closer.

Most people probably have a song or two they wrote when they were kids or remember pretending to be rock stars with their friends or family and putting on concerts for their parents. That’s normal. But what isn’t normal to most of the planet was having the ability to actually record those songs that you wrote when you were a kid. With every Apple computer and phone preloaded with GarageBand and free programs like Audacity so accessible and easy to download, anyone can write and record music. The internet is already oversaturated with rappers on SoundCloud and indie bands on Bandcamp, but Montes could potentially be foreshadowing a generation of five minute albums made by toddlers who have had technology all their lives and therefore know how record and download rap beats from YouTube and apply auto-tune to their voice.

Furthermore, it’s crazy to see how much a five year old can take away from the world and culture surrounding her. While lines like “I miss school but I’m stuck inside” sound completely normal coming from a five year old, small jabs at other rappers is something that only one who listens to and even vaguely understands rap music would put into their own music, which is why her saying that Travis Scott is “retired” is about as fascinating as it is funny.

But, at the end of the day, this is still just five minutes of pure bliss: adorable, hilarious, tongue-in-cheek bliss. Will it garner the same critical response as “Philosophy of the World” or the same accidentally-avant-garde appeal as “My Teenage Dream Ended?” Probably not. But for all the people saying that 2020 is the worst year of our lifetimes, “Emily Montes” serves as a small attempt to prove you wrong.

The impact of Playboi Carti’s 2018 trap opus “Die Lit” was more than a string of accolades and critical acclaim. It represented a cultural shift in the “mumble-rap” zeitgeist, a testament to the hidden genius of some of the world’s most simplistic, mindless music, making Jordan Carter an artist beloved by college frat boys and carhartt wearing indie kids alike. Teaming with producer Pi’erre Bourne for the majority of the project, Carter complimented his colorfully lo-fi beat choices with minimal hooks and eclectic vocals, trademarking his “baby-voice” like a DJ tag.

For all the popularity Carter has garnered over the past few years, he is clearly not as interested in making a viral trap banger as he is in pioneering a forward thinking sound, which he’s cited as a reason for constantly delaying this project. “I might make the hardest song ever tomorrow” he explained in a 2019 interview with The Fader. Announcing its name nearly two years before releasing it and constantly keeping fans with their mouths watering for it added an element of mythos to the project. Carti practically drove fans into starvation as countless legitimately fantastic tracks leaked (“Pissy Pamper/Kid Cudi,” “Molly”), causing further delays. Fabs eventually began treating a rare Carti feature as a big event, but after a string of fake rumored release dates and a mid-tier single “@ Meh,” fans became less excited about “Whole Lotta Red”  and more irritated, practically dooming it from the start.

Sure enough, “Whole Lotta Red” was immediately faced with backlash by fans and critics alike, largely for the project’s decidedly unkempt, wild direction. It sounds less like a long-delayed, highly anticipated big budget chart topper and more in line with a mixtape found on the darkest corners of SoundCloud. None of these songs will find themselves in playlists alongside tracks by Travis Scott, Young Thug or Lil Uzi Vert but rather the likes of SpaceGhostPurp, Lil Ugly Mane  and Black Kray. Carti has never sounded so ridiculous, for better or for worse. “Stop Breathing” is just one key example and it’s one of the most blood pumping performances of the whole year for any genre.

But this added darkness seems to have come at the cost of Carti’s understanding of how his music works. For one, the feature packed quality of “Die Lit” that kept several tracks from getting stale midway through, like “Poke It Out” and “Lean 4 Real,” is gone. What few features show up are almost useless, aside from Kanye West taking almost the entirety of “Go2DaMoon.” Future’s verse on “Teen X” sounds like Carti himself and Kid Cudi adds virtually nothing to “M3tamorphosis,” with his signature hums worked into the beat horrendously, but while the five minute runtime does the opposite of justify its length, Carti’s energy is so infectious it almost makes up for it.

Additionally, the carefully crafted distillment of viral energy found on his best tracks often comes across more like someone being weird for the sake of being different, loud for the sake of being “punk” and over-the-top for the sake of memorability. “JumpOutTheHouse” almost sounds like a parody of Carti himself, with the “baby-voice” so freaky it’s more akin to an impression than a new direction. Meanwhile, “No Sl33p” sounds like a parody of this album as a whole, with the hook “when I go to sleep I dream about murder” coming across with the same pretentiousness of a high school atheist who just has to let you know they listen to black metal. There is no justification for the vocals on “Control.”

Carti also made the on-paper wise decision of branching out from working almost exclusively with Pi’erre Bourne, but it’s a decision rendered useless as he instead enlists a string of collaborators that all seem to be mimicking Bourne’s sound. But with 22 different producers listed throughout the project, it’s still just one bass-heavy two bar loop after another for 24 tracks, so what’s really the point?

Lyrically, nothing here is out of the ordinary, there’s just an added presence of Satan. The one gem is the unintentionally funny “Die4Guy,” with the quotable “I’m so fuckin’ high, I might crash, the drugs kickin’ in real fast, if I die, it’s gon’ be real sad.” It really puts the “Punk Monk” bar, “I don’t rap I write poems,’ into perspective.

It’s easy to sympathize with both sides of the “Whole Lotta Red” debate because it’s so inconsistent that both sides seem to be equally right. On one hand, it’s so left of center, even for Carti, that it appeals to a different audience and reward center of the brain than those won over by “Die Lit.,” plus it ruined a lot of fans’ Christmas. On the other hand, it could become a misunderstood masterpiece, but only time will tell. Either way, as of right now, it’s a little bit of fire and a whole lotta meh.

6/10

Well, it’s that time of year again, when the weather turns cold and the holiday stress comes in full swing: final exams. What is a better way to make the worst time of the semester even worse by plopping it in the middle of a global pandemic. COVID-19 has provided us a unique opportunity to take our exams in the comfort of our own home, which is a privilege for some and a challenge for others. This unique situation will certainly have its advantages, but it presents a new set of challenges that will likely force you to modify your usual study habits. After 19 years of having an academic advisor and study skills teacher for a mom, I’ve picked up on a few tips that have enhanced my studying and have allowed me to adapt to this new test taking environment.

Start building a study plan

Now, there is no more important step than putting together a study plan, but you have to do it now. You don’t want to be gathering information and lists of what-you-need-to-know three days before an exam. The earlier you start gathering the information and planning your schedule, the earlier you can start carrying out that schedule and start actually studying the material. If you need help figuring out a schedule, this video is perfect for an overview of the craft. For a more specific, structured schedule, you may find the common 5 day study plan useful, which this video highlights.

Keep in touch with your study groups – or don’t

Just because you won’t be able to pull an all-nighter in Pius or stay in your cozy dorm room, and might be away from your apartment, it doesn’t mean that your successful study habits don’t work for you anymore. That being said, if you find study groups to be the most effective way of studying, find ways to keep in touch with that group from your respective homes. We have all figured out how to navigate Zoom at this point, so use it to your advantage. (For the record, all-nighters are never recommended, or very helpful)

Pick the appropriate soundtrack

Studying has never been a one-size-fits-all activity, which is partially why some people find listening to music while studying or doing schoolwork helpful while others find it distracting. Many studies have found that introverts perform cognitive tasks more poorly with background music, most notably a 1982 study by John B. Campbell and Charles W. Hawley. However, if you are someone who finds listening to music helpful while you study, other studies have shown that listening to instrumental music, yes, including Mario Kart music, is best for studying. So, whether it’s lofi hip hop beats to relax/study to, ambient music, harsh noise, whatever, be mindful of what your soundtrack is and if it will truly help you.

Dealing with distractions/taking finals at home

For as nice as it may be to take a final in your pajamas with a cup of coffee, the TV in the other room, your phone, your family and other distractions may pose a different threat to your performance. So, make sure you take some time before each study session and especially before each exam to set up a space that will allow you to focus. This video is a very insightful start on learning to “surf the urge” of your distractions. 

Also, make sure to test your home Wi-Fi before you hit start. While it’s always a good idea to close tabs, quit applications and practice loading files, it also wouldn’t hurt to ask those who share your Wi-Fi to stay off during the hour or so you will be online.

Reward yourself

My grandpa says that the mark of maturity is the ability to postpone gratification. I agree, but with the amount of distractions in your home, you may find yourself wanting to do things you would rather do before studying. Whether it’s eating lunch, cleaning your room or taking a 15 minute TikTok break (that will easily turn into an hour), set benchmarks for yourself. Tell yourself “I will not get up until I have memorized this set of flashcards” or “I will not check my Snapchat until I have finished this study guide.” This will help keep your priorities in check and make you feel even better after you have completed your tasks.

Don’t cheat

I know it’s tempting. I know it’s easier than ever. But don’t. However, the worldwide switch to online classes has caused an inevitable upsurge in cheating. Whether or not you plan on sharing answers with your classmates, the best way to avoid getting in trouble is to leave all class-related group chats on the day of the final. That way, if there is cheating among members of that group, you will not be suspect to whoever is doing the investigation.

Most importantly, remember that the earlier you start, the more confident and secure you will be during the exams, but also remember that these are tough times for everyone, and while it’s important to be persistent in your studies, always allow yourself to take a breather. Put yourself first and look forward to having the next two months off.

Good luck!