It�s crunch time. There are 15 chapters to review, your highlighter is dry and the clock is ticking on that take-home final. With finals officially starting Saturday, get a study mindset with some motivational music.
(CU Independent illustration/Kelly Kaoudis)
Elisa Schauer, a 20-year-old sophomore integrative physiology major, said she likes to play background music when she�s studying.
�When I�m studying I put on a Mumford and Sons Pandora station,� Schauer said. �I like that genre because it�s relaxing, but upbeat, not like Dubstep where I�d want to rock out.�
Emily Fredette, a 19-year-old junior communication major, said music helps keep her energized throughout long study hours.
�I like dance music because I can�t sleep to it,� Fredette said. �I just keep it down low.�
Other students prefer to listen to instrumental songs that don�t demand too much attention.
�[I put on] something that I don�t have to think about that deeply, with not too many lyrics,� said Ben Fuoss, a 24-year-old junior mechanical engineering major.
Whatever one�s study-music preferences might be, a small playlist can be a huge motivation. Athletes might play warm-up mixes, runners plug in iPods for their jog, so why not loosen up with a jam before digging into that soul-crushing organic chemistry final?
Check out what made the CU Independent�s study playlist:
�Don�t Worry, Be Happy� by Bobby McFerrin
This cool, relaxed reggae tune will be enough to push any lingering worries aside. McFerrin sings, �in your life expect some trouble, but when you worry you make it double.� Let�s face it, worrying about upcoming exams and papers isn�t going to help. So enter the test room with a peaceful, optimistic and whistling attitude.
�The Good Life� by Three Days Grace
Seeing the blue sky against the flatirons can make studying even harder. While an angry Adam Gontier shouts, �All I want is a little of the good life,� you can�t help but wish for a break. And Brad Walst�s bass will help you power through the books.
�I�ll Make a Man Out of You� from the movie Mulan
�Let�s get down to business to defeat the Huns,� Donny Osmond sings in the Disney movie. While MCD biology isn�t a million warriors charging down a mountainside, it may certainly feel like it. Finals week wages war on the mind, so like Mulan, gear up for battle with this song.
�Fuck You� by Cee Lo Green
Profanities wrapped in such a catchy, soulful tune make it easy to tell that calculus textbook just exactly what you think about logarithms and imaginary numbers. Blast this tune to the tame frustration that a Snickers bar can�t fix.
�O Fortuna� from Carl Orff�s Carmina Burana
Who said Latin is a dead language? Come alive during study sessions with this operatic piece. Opening with a choral blast, the choir immediately decrescendos and slowly builds throughout the piece to an ultimate climax, complete with drums, horns and strings. The lyrics are directed toward �monstrous� and �malevolent� fate. Let Orff�s work inspire you to change your finals fate after listening.
�Don�t Stop Believing� by Journey
So what if you can�t remember what the Prisoner�s Dilemma is and the political science test starts in five minutes, there�s still a chance to pass, right? Well don�t give up hope. Steve Perry�s scale-stretching vocals paired with a rock-arena-style guitar anthem. �Some will win, some lose, some were born to sing the blues,� but that�s no reason to stop believing.
�Lose Yourself� by Eminem
This song was a breakout track from Eminem�s semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile about a struggling rapper. In the opening lyrics, Eminem describes the nervous, sweaty-palm moments that many stressed students can relate to. Finals could be your last chance at passing a class, perhaps even college. Slim Shady�s in-your-face rap commands listeners to �lose yourself in the music, the moment.�
�Eye of the Tiger� by Survivor from Rocky III
For some students, this song from the Rocky series is the ultimate motivational song.
��Eye of the Tiger� immediately comes to mind,� said Ari Aal, a 22-year-old senior psychology major. �It�s in all the montages, like Rocky.�
While preparation for finals most likely won�t involve punching dead animal carcasses, it will make studying feel that much more epic. This jazzy 1980s number may inspire students to take a victory jog up the steps of Macky and make their own celebratory pose.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Rose Heaphy at [email protected].
