The Waltonian

Despite her insistence in “the boy is mine” that she’s “usually so unproblematic,” Ariana Grande is hardly new to controversy. From a donut-licking scandal almost a decade ago to more recent “blackfishing” accusations, this singer has always danced a little too close to the sun.

But she never danced closer than in 2023, when rumors were that Grande was seen acting lovey-dovey with “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater. Slater and Grande were both married at the time of these rumors, and Slater’s wife had recently had a child. Obviously, a double affair was bad press for both parties, so the press constructed relationship timelines to try and cover their tracks, placing Slater and Grande’s relationship after Grande’s split from her husband. The timeline constructions are, frankly, convoluted and many fans didn’t buy the story.

Then, Grande released new music. In this music, Grande uses two strategies to deflect criticism: spiritual-themed “love and light” positivity and a relational bait-and-switch.

In January, Grande dropped a single called “yes, and?”—a brazen title for someone accused of homewrecking. This single features the things Grande is known for: high-energy production and lyrics like, “And if you find yourself in a dark situation/just turn on your light and be like/yes, and?” and, “Now I’m so done with caring/what you think, no, I won’t hide/underneath your own projections/or change my most authentic life.”

On the surface, these lyrics are blanket positivity, a thing Grande writes about often, but in the context of her cheating scandal, they feel like a woman plugging her ears to the genuine harm caused by her actions.

This single in isolation could be about the awful backlash women in the music industry face for simply existing. The lyric, “don’t comment on my body, do not reply,” for example, addresses a real grievance Grande has experienced in recent years. The lyric that follows it, questioning why the listener cares who the speaker sleeps with, could be read as a call against the invasion of privacy or shaming women for their sexual choices. In context, though, it frames fans who are disappointed in Grande’s double infidelity as unreasonably caught-up in her personal business. This is not a particularly good start for Grande’s new album, but the second technique—the relational bait-and-switch—aims to fix that trajectory.

Grande’s “eternal sunshine” came after a four-year hiatus from producing music, due to the artist’s involvement in “Wicked.” The first song, “intro (end of the world),” opens with the words, “how can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” We are asked, overtop dreamy instrumentals, to contemplate Grande’s conflict over feeling butterflies interacting with a new person, as she asks the question, “If it all ended tomorrow would I be the one on your mind…would you be the one on mine?”

This is where the bait-and-switch occurs. Before this album, little had been said about Grande’s relationship with now-ex-husband Dalton Gomez, but this album frames Gomez in a complicated but ultimately unflattering light. “don’t wanna break up again” opens with “I fall asleep crying/you turn up the TV/you don’t wanna hear me/one more sleepless night” and also contains the lyric, “I made it so easy/spent so much on therapy/blamed my own codependency/but you didn’t even try.”

These lyrics shift the narrative from Grande’s infidelity, to her husband’s infidelity and emotional neglect. This narrative still acknowledges the cheating, and even emphasizes the conflicted feelings about doing so, but it tries to absolve Grande of fault.

Yet, while Grande released a full album detailing her side of the story, Dalton Gomez has not released a statement. This may be due to Gomez’s profession—he’s a real estate agent, not a public figure. Some rumors have floated around that Dalton Gomez was made to sign an NDA, meaning that the only side of the story we may ever see is Grande’s.

Despite this, I can’t say I don’t enjoy the album. It is effective at creating a sympathetic spin on her story, and the portrayal of her previous marriage isn’t as one sided as certain lyrics make it out to be. It’s clear there’s still some kindness left, in lyrics like, “I hope you still think fondly of our little life,” and even the song “i wish i hated you” is about those complex feelings of affection despite hardship. The music video for “we can’t be friends,” like the whole album, references “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” which handles similar themes.

If we can put aside our assumptions about Grande’s situation and view “eternal sunshine” as an album about the fears associated with both change and stagnation, it’s honestly good. The authentic emotions of the album are resonant, especially in the more tender moments.

Grande’s catchy composition keeps the album lively; as much as I can side-eye her titling a track “the boy is mine” about a boy who probably wasn’t, I can enjoy it for its early 2000s groove. The album’s final track, “ordinary things,” ends with a feature from Grande’s grandmother, who describes her marriage to Grande’s grandfather and gives the advice, “Never go to bed without kissing goodnight…And if you can’t…you’re in the wrong place, get out.”

Say what you will about the cheating scandal (I certainly will), but the decision to center the album on the difficulty of change, especially in emotionally fraught relationships, and end it with a decisive move toward a new beginning was a PR decision that worked on me.

I graduated high school in 2020 at a small church gathering in the middle of the rural Pennsylvania countryside. This is, of course, because I was homeschooled. One of the local co-ops was hosting a graduation, and with a graduating class of less than 20, I strolled down a church aisle, gave a two minute speech, and accepted my diploma, awarded by none other than my mom.

From what I’ve heard, this was better than most people got. One Eastern student, Abby Lapp, received her diploma in the fabled “drive-through graduation.” She described a quaint ceremony where speeches were given over the radio, and each graduate had to exit their car before receiving a diploma. “We got to do a parade through the town, so that was fun,” Lapp said. Some 2020 graduates received theirs in the mail, with no ceremony at all.

Another Eastern student, Ella Curcuruto reported a Zoom graduation. “I sat at the dining room table, laptop in front of me, while my family watched in the living room,” Curcuruto said. “Our teachers tried so hard to make it a special occasion, and I’m still grateful to them for that, but it definitely felt like an anticlimactic moment.” Naturally, this has led me to question: is graduation worth it?

I’ve always been skeptical of ceremony. Personally, things like graduation ceremonies never made much sense to me, especially in the traditional sense. My graduation ceremony was a lot more personal than most. I had two whole minutes to thank the important people in my life and impart the things I had learned in my high school years.

Graduation ceremonies where only one student, or sometimes no students, are able to speak feel like they wouldn’t be a big deal to the average student. Is it truly a recognition of your accomplishments if the only thing mentioned about you is your name and that you did, in fact, graduate? What real impact can five seconds of fame have on a graduate, especially if the handshake and fake diploma are being dispensed by someone you might not have met before. I’m not even sure who hands us the diploma on May 4, but somehow I doubt it will be the teachers and staff who have made an actual difference in my life.

That being said, this perspective is not the only one. Some might argue that despite the skeptics, graduation can be a hopeful time to celebrate the accomplishments of a graduate. Ella Curcuruto expressed joy at the idea of a big ceremony: “I love the pomp and circumstance!” She described how a big ceremony is something graduates have more than earned. “We and our friends, families, and communities worked so hard to get to this point, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get to dress up and celebrate this accomplishment! Having a distinctly different day that wraps everything up feels satisfactory and exciting.”

Abby Lapp also espoused an optimistic perspective about graduation. “My hope for college graduation is that it goes smoothly and that I’m actually able to enjoy the day,” she said. She seemed to look forward to the ceremony as a beacon of how far a graduate has come: “I think the pomp and circumstance is a nice way to really celebrate what we’ve accomplished. It’s an important and exciting thing we’ve gone through in the past four years.”

This is all fair! I want to be able to celebrate the hard-won accomplishments of college. This is where I have suggestions. These suggestions might not work at every college but maybe will at Eastern or other smaller colleges. At Eastern, there’s a separate graduation ceremony for graduate students from certain departments, and I think this idea could be pushed further. Though it might require more coordination than hosting a single graduation, hosting department-specific graduation ceremonies could provide a more personal touch to the ceremony.

Imagine if, instead of graduating with hundreds of other students silently, you could graduate with the department that you’ve spent roughly four years with and be handed your diploma from a department chair or well-respected faculty member you’ve gotten to know. If the department is big, maybe they read a short list of your accomplishments as you accept your diploma. If it’s small, maybe the graduates can say a few words of gratitude.

Department-specific graduations do have drawbacks. One is that it means you wouldn’t be able to graduate with all your friends from different majors. I understand that the desire for unity and camaraderie may trump the desire for specific recognition. Still, I hesitate when I see the typical graduation ceremony because I know that every person in the graduating class has a story. Every cap in the crowd had people who helped them, times where they struggled to succeed, and times where they did it anyway. I think that deserves more recognition than simply their name read aloud.

My hope for graduation is that I’m wrong about graduation. The last four years have been like trying to hold on to a rocket ship as it launches into space, from navigating strange and largely inconsistent COVID-19 policies my freshman year, to figuring out the wild world of employment and setting off on my own. I hope that graduation feels like a breath of fresh air, like a bittersweet ending and a new beginning. I hope the music and the speech and the final moments of our time at Eastern are just what we needed. And if you’re reading this and you’re not in the graduating class of 2024, take a moment to congratulate a graduate. Heaven knows we need it.

“Yes”

First, let’s get on the same page about vocabulary. According to Project Know, a website focused on addiction recovery, “[T]he term ‘dry campus’ refers to a campus where the consumption of alcohol on school property is wholly prohibited, regardless of whether individuals are of legal drinking age. This is contrasted with ‘wet’ campuses, which permit consuming alcohol and are subject to individual campus rules on alcohol use.”

When discussing the matter of any college as a dry or wet campus, the first mistake we make is assuming it’s a strict binary and not a spectrum. Just as Eastern is a marijuana-free campus in theory, in practice, we’ve all walked down a hallway and been hit with a nasty surprise. Like it or not, some students are going to defy policy, which makes the question of “what is a dry campus?” somewhat convoluted.

The culture of the university will often define where on that spectrum of dry to wet a campus is. For example, if Brigham Young University suddenly changed student policy to allow drinking, I doubt its student population would be lining up at the liquor store. The culture is enacted by the people and merely reinforced and shaped by policies.

Similarly, Eastern University is, on paper, a dry campus, but this doesn’t mean its students don’t drink. What this dry campus policy really does is push student drinking—at least somewhat—off-campus, and place the legal consequences for the drinking into the hands of other parties. The liability for underage drinking, for example, is pushed off onto businesses that have the responsibility to ID their patrons.

So now for the question: should Eastern be a dry campus? And the answer to that question is also complicated. One factor might be insurance rates—if a college allows drinking on campus, they may have to pay a higher insurance premium, which could raise costs across the board. Another factor might be what cultures will interact with alcohol in what ways. We should consider that not every student has positive models for what responsible alcohol consumption looks like.

What happens when students who would go off-campus to party bring the party here? Are we prepared for how that will impact students across the board? Allowing alcohol carte blanche might cause a sudden influx of students who before had had no access or desire to experiment with alcohol to be placed in high-pressure situations. A wet campus with no restrictions is ultimately good for no one. What might be needed isn’t the full array of liberty, but a responsible middle-ground.

“No”

There are plenty of opinions I have rooted in the Christian tradition that lead me to believe that having our Christian university be a wet campus could actually be a beneficial part of our Christian campus culture.

First off, I would like to address the theological approach I am taking to Eastern University specifically being a wet campus. On paper, Eastern is aligned with the American Baptist Churches, which generally tends to lean away from any sort of alcohol consumption. However, Eastern tends to focus more on its inter-denominational student and faculty body, choosing to align its views with the broader local church rather than the Baptist denomination.

The consumption of alcohol falls into the category of being a split church issue even within the Baptist denomination, although most of the collective denominations of churches tend to lean more towards being in favor of alcohol consumption.

With this theological issue thus settled for our particular university, I can now get into the specifics of what I mean by a “wet campus.” In my ideal view, a wet campus does not encourage alcoholism, drunkenness, party culture or underage drinking. As a Christian university, we have more of an opportunity to ensure and uphold responsible drinking practices. Biblical passages like Isaiah 5:11, Galatians 5:19-21 and Ephesians 5:18 clearly denounce drunkenness.

Other passages, such as 1 Corinthians 9:27 or 1 Peter 5:8, talk about the importance of having control over your body and mind. Before allowing students to possess alcohol on campus, we can require that on-campus alcohol privileges can be revoked if multiple episodes of drunkenness occur. This goes against the “if they’re going to do it anyway just allow it” mentality that is harmful to the drinking culture on a lot of college campuses.

That same idea is what refutes any complaints about a wet campus encouraging underage drinking. Any wet campus must still hold to the law that possession of and/or drinking alcohol underage is illegal, thus waiving an argument of underage drinking being a problem if regulated correctly.

An easy way to distinguish between what alcohol is allowed on campus would be to set up a system where students who are of age to drink must apply for permission to have alcohol on campus and register any alcohol they do have. Something as simple as putting an approval sticker on a bottle of wine or pack of beer can distinguish between approved and unapproved alcohol.

This approval system also creates an opportunity for a required brief training program on safe drinking practices, perhaps even some discussion on biblical approaches to drinking, before allowing students to have alcohol on campus.

Granted, a positive alcohol culture is entirely dependent upon an administration willing to uphold the rules necessary for this to happen. Ideally though, allowing Eastern to be a wet campus could allow the drinking experience to be greatly guided and influenced by Christian tradition and thought.

Eastern University is centered in a vibrant area with tons of local food and convenient chains. As college students, we have limited time and money to commit to a long process of trial and error in every restaurant. That’s where this guide comes in! Trust your fellow students to guide you to the good grub.

First up, cafes. Cafes are the perfect place to order an overpriced latte and pretend to get work done. From general student chatter and my own experiences, two cafes stand a head above the rest.

Gryphon Cafe, located on W Lancaster Avenue, has all the classic coffee shop fare, from an americano to cappuccino, but they also have branched out into adjacent options like matcha lattes and loose-leaf tea. They also carry seasonal drinks, like hot cider and house-made lemonade. As for food, Gryphon Cafe boasts pastries, toasts and sandwiches. Gryphon Cafe’s strengths are the variety and quality of their beverages. If you want a cup of coffee with quality beans, this is the place. Its weaknesses are in the slightly higher price and the limited seating space, especially on weekends. But, if you have a slow Tuesday afternoon free, I recommend spending it finishing a daunting reading in the Gryphon grabbing a pot of cost-effective loose-leaf tea.

Mad Anthony is situated in the Wayne Station, and this gives it an antiquated charm and the novelty of watching a train blur past. Mad Anthony does have great coffee and a similar food array to Gryphon Cafe, but it outperforms the Gryphon Cafe in its provision of one essential service: gelato. Mad Anthony carries a spread of several excellent gelato flavors that are rich, creamy and flavorful. For the lactose-intolerant students, there’s also sorbet in inventive flavors like lavender. My personal favorite at Mad Anthony is the Cocoa Rosso gelato, which is a dark chocolate flavor with velvety fudgy notes. Excellent to mix with a lighter flavor, or eat in small quantities on its own.

With dessert and coffee out of the way first, let’s move backward towards our appetizers. Everyone needs a little snack sometimes, and these two locations are all that and a bag of chips (literally).

Wawa is a student favorite for a reason, according to Mac Macolino. It’s cheap. It’s fast. It’s walking distance from campus. What’s not to love? It’s even open late for those of us who may need late-night snacks post-studying. In the same price vein, Lancaster Farmers Market is the perfect pick for a quick snack. One unnamed student mentioned that he likes to get a soft pretzel and a slushie from one of the many stands. Lancaster Farmers Market is the perfect place for friends with vastly different tastes to come together, sporting stalls that sell Greek Food, Chinese, Americana, deli food, and even a wonderful little breakfast place that makes great crepes.

Students looking for a break from the Dining Commons will have different desires. Some may want a nice night out with friends, some might want a perfect first-date spot, and some still might want a moment of peace to themselves. Look no further than these suggestions from fellow students.

For great ramen and sushi, Leah Laut recommends Hakata, near the Trader Joe’s. It’s a great place for if you want to get something different every time. Reasonably priced for a sit-down experience, Hakata has something for everyone. If this restaurant strikes your fancy, Leah recommends a Yummy Roll.

For a classic Americana a step above diner food, check out Will Cunningham’s recommendation: Christopher’s. Christopher’s offers pizza, sandwiches, wraps, and more. The dining atmosphere is, according to Will, the fancy feel without the fancy price.

Or perhaps, you want a more simple fare with a more simple recommendation. In that case, take Nick Lanhart’s word on the matter: “Winger’s. Best hot wings I’ve had.”

Of all the dinner recommendations, my personal favorite is Saffron Indian Kitchen. It’s a great first date spot for those who want to impress without breaking the bank. They offer great lunch specials and the portion sizes are usually enough for two meals.

Wayne, PA is a rich and vibrant area for cuisine, from the simple cup of coffee to a nice date night. I hope these recommendations have helped you find something to your taste.

Child stardom has been at the forefront of public consciousness in the past few years. From Miley Cyrus evoking her “Wrecking Ball” days with the song “Used To Be Young” to Jennette McCurdy’s memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” we have been reminded of a generation of stars now reaching their thirties who burned hot and bright, before fizzling out. Money troubles, drug-abuse scandals, eating disorders and sexual abuse are just a few difficulties created by the culture of child stardom. We witness adolescents emerging into catastrophes, yet despite how public these stars’ lives are, there is still much below the surface.

Alyson Stoner, actor and former child star, addresses all these and more on their podcast “Dear Hollywood.” The prologue to “Dear Hollywood” came in the form of a YouTube video published on April 7, 2021. They discuss how the film and television industry is an environment destined to produce maladjusted adults, a concept Stoner calls the Toddler-to-Trainwreck pipeline. This video is seen by over 1.6 million viewers, including me at the time. Almost two and a half years later, the first episode of “Dear Hollywood”– “Why Child Stars are Set Up To Fail”– made its debut.

“Dear Hollywood” is a subdued production, shot simply and edited simply. The goal is not to create a flashy production, to capitalize on the scandal surrounding stardom or even to seek to tell a single story. “These experiences have defined my peers’ and my realities, and I’ve spent the past ten years investigating why this tragedy persists in plain sight with little to no intervention or prevention,” Stoner says in their inaugural episode. Part informative deep-dive into the inner workings of stardom, part critical indictment of the industry and part cheeky memoir, “Dear Hollywood” is ultimately a show that aims to advocate for the rights of current and future child stars, creating an industry set up for success.

Alyson Stoner’s demeanor is calm and collected. Though they speak with genuine passion, they do not yell or lecture. Moments of levity come through Stoner’s presentation as both laid-back and quirky. The structure of the show–from the simple format of the episode, to the cozy set bathed in warm lighting, to the minimalist sound design–create an atmosphere that is conducive to healing. There is a quiet power in advocacy that doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Throughout production, Stoner aims to be trauma-informed in their presentation of information. They discuss Piaget’s developmental stages and childhood identity formation in ways that are approachable to an audience inexperienced with psychology. Stoner refuses a simple picture that would place the sole blame on a star’s personality, a negligent parent, or a greedy agent. They also refuse to blame the concept of children in the media entirely. Instead, Stoner ruthlessly pursues nuance in their depiction of child stardom, insisting that we not boil a complicated subject down to a headline.

The first driving question of the podcast is “What does an environment like this do to a child?” Episode topics include the effects of losing bodily autonomy to a corporation, how narcissistic mindsets can form if left unchecked and how access to child stars causes adults with boundary issues. What does it do to a child to be the primary breadwinner of their family? How does having dolls with your likeness sold without your knowledge or permission impact a child’s understanding of their body? How can being typecast shape a child’s self-identity into a predetermined mold? These questions are illustrated.

The second driving question is “How can we make it better?” Stoner centers their discussion of child exploitation in the film and TV industry, but they don’t stop with their own experience. The podcast moves from discussions of the film and television industry into child entertainment on social media, aptly called “kidfluencers.” Stoner calls to attention questions of autonomy over public image, safety and child exploitation. As “Dear Hollywood” was being produced, the first law protecting children working as social media influencers was passed in Illinois, a touchstone of progress Stoner championed. And more progress is to come. As this article was being written, Stoner spoke at a hearing in Ohio regarding the right to digital privacy of former child influencers. Not all pieces of this podcast are rosy. Though Stoner’s continued advocacy is admirable, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth to see them advertising their own curriculum as a piece of the solution. Paid partnerships, too, were a tricky piece of “Dear Hollywood’s” puzzle. Yet, the podcast as a whole, though imperfect, brings together a view of the future of entertainment that creates a safe environment for performers of all ages. It is informative without being dry, personal without veering into spectacle, and presented with the grace and respect this topic deserves.

By: Danielle Curry

Looking to write for recreation but don’t know where to start? Eastern University has three primary writing opportunities on campus: “The Waltonian,” the “St. David’s Sentinel” and “Inklings.” Each of these publications has unique features that might make it a great space for your writing. In order of how entry-level friendly these publications are, here’s what I found.

“The Waltonian” is the school-affiliated newspaper, published biweekly in print and online. Sections: Features, News, Opinions, Sports, Arts and Entertainment and Centerspread. Basic Overview: “The Waltonian” is a great paper for beginners to dip into writing. I interviewed Christian Lengkeek, the Opinions editor at “The Waltonian,” about his involvement in the paper and what it’s like working there. His reflections on “The Waltonian” matched my experience; it’s a great place if you’re just starting out and want a place to publish your work.

Christian noted that if you’re looking to get experience within journalism, this is a great place to do so. If you’re interested in writing for “The Waltonian,” one way to get involved is to attend one of the meetings every other week on Monday in HHC 100. From my experience, it can be helpful to attend the meetings regularly, even if you don’t plan on writing anything that week. Sometimes, during the brainstorming sessions, someone else will have an idea that catches your fancy. Another way to get in touch is to email any of the section editors, or the Waltonian directly at waltonian@eastern.edu. Articles fit in one of the section categories, usually between 400-700 words. You can pick up article ideas from the meetings, or pitch one of your own.

The “St. David’s Sentinel” is an independent online publication run by Eastern students. They used to publish a full paper monthly, but now publish article by article to ensure quality. Sections: Features, News, Entertainment, Humor, Religion, Alumni/Faculty and Opinions. Basic Overview: I interviewed Matti Veldhuis about her involvement with the “St. David’s Sentinel.” The “St. Davids Sentinel’s” mission statement is as follows:

“The ‘St. David’s Sentinel’ exists to publish excellent writing on local news and history, culture, religion, and the arts while giving voice to traditional and conservative perspectives and holding special room in its paper heart for that elusive thing we call humor.”

Matti quickly assured me not to be scared off by the word conservative. The “St. David’s Sentinel” prides itself in how it melds giving voice to traditional ideas, while simultaneously allowing for the expression of free thought. Humor is another key component of that. “We’ve got a pretty big soft spot for irreverent – or more often inappropriately reverent – humor,” Matti said. The primary goal of the paper is to publish excellent writing. According to Matti, though the sections on the website give you some idea of how the paper is organized, the writing they enjoy receiving can be broken down into three primary categories: the intersection of philosophy and pop culture, local history/happenings and comedy.

If you’re interested in writing for the “St. David’s Sentinel:” Contact Matti Veldhuis or Ellie Loman, or reach out through email at st.davidssentinel@gmail.com. They also hold meetings on Tuesdays at 4 in HHC (classroom currently undetermined). If you’re just interested in getting your feet wet, you could email and ask if they have any shorter article ideas no one has claimed. These are roughly 200 words. You could also pitch an idea through email. In the future, this might look like contributing to the upcoming Zoom on a brief local history of St. David.

“Inklings” is Eastern’s oldest club, and the school’s literary magazine. Unlike the other two publications, “Inklings” is the only place to publish fiction or poetry, apart from the occasional Centerspread in “The Waltonian.” “Inklings” publishes once yearly, so it’s a chance for your best work to really shine. Sections: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Art, and Photography. Basic Overview: “Inklings” is the space for creative free expression. Whether it’s a short story or a photograph of a mural, “Inklings” is the place to publish your first creative endeavors, whether you’re an experienced storyteller or just a beginner. I

f you’re interested in writing for “Inklings:” Contact Editor-In-Chief Danielle Curry or Vice Editor-In-Chief Aleah Zubrod, or email inklings@eastern.edu. In the spring, “Inklings” will open up submissions for the magazine, which can be accessed through the website “inklings.eastern.edu.” This is usually a Google Form that takes a few minutes to fill out. Because the writing projects can all look so different in length and subject, please view our submission guidelines on our website to get a better idea of what kind of work we publish.

Whether you’re a beginner looking to get some writing experience, or a practiced wordsmith, whatever you write, Eastern has a home for it.

By: Danielle Curry

You’ve heard the spiel. You don’t need me to tell you to drink water, get eight hours of sleep and do your homework, nor will the perpetual reiteration of these things blow your mind.

That being said, some of the clichés have merit. I’ve tweaked some of the classic advice to better suit my needs. These are my personal methods for studying without losing my mind.

1) Keep organized. Get out those syllabi and write down everything that you have to do for the week on the FRIDAY of the week before. Write down every single assignment, even the little ones. You will forget them otherwise. Write down the date they’re due next to the assignment. This is your checklist. Keep it with you whenever you can. Here’s an example of what a single item on my list would look like.

– Chapter Four Questions (M/26)

Doing this on Friday gives you the most time to plan for the week ahead, and to get work done over the weekend. It also means you don’t have to get out all of your syllabi throughout the week.

With a checklist, you can look over what you have do for any given day and prioritize. If something is due tomorrow, you should probably be working on it. If it’s not due until the end of the week, you can probably save it for later.

Crossing off assignments is satisfying, and can help give you the motivation to finish assignments. A fully crossed-off to-do list is a beautiful sight.

2) For any readings you have to do, see if you can find an audiobook version on YouTube. Sometimes, the entirety of your text will be available for free on YouTube or Librivox. Change the video to x2 speed, grab a highlighter, and listen while reading the text. If you’re a slow reader like me, this will expedite the reading and keep you focused.

3) If that’s not available for your text, if you’re like me, you need music. Get a good study playlist. Ideally, you want one that goes in your ears and registers as exactly nothing. I go for movie soundtracks, video game soundtracks, music in other languages, or songs that I know just well enough to not pay attention to. Milky Chance is a good band for this, because most of their songs sound the exact same to me.

4) If you’re struggling in a class that you’re showing genuine effort in, just talk to a professor. For the most part, they don’t want you to fail. If you need an extension, ask for one. Extensions are not shameful, and they’re not a sign of failure. If you aren’t sure on a concept, ask about it. Don’t be afraid to use office hours. Look up supplemental resources online–once again, YouTube is a great resource to learn the content from a different perspective. Crash Course has videos on most general education courses. Recognizing what you need to succeed is a sign you’re in tune with yourself.

Adaptability is the keystone of effective studying. There’s nothing wrong with making your school career easier for you. If a method doesn’t work for you, tweak it, or leave it. Ultimately, you’re the only one who can decide what studying methods work for you.