How to Survive a UP Diliman Hell Week

Words by Laura Carpo

They say there's no way to survive a UPD hell week, but with the right study strategies, you can. Here are some tips to make your week a little less hellish, brought to you by UP JMA’s ever-studious and brainy members!

(1) Write It Down

Start early and go through the amount of coverage you need to study so you can gauge how long you need to prepare. Write all of it down, then lay out what you can do day by day! Working on things little by little can be more effective than cramming it all in a day.

(2) Social Media Cleanse

It helps some people to delete some of their apps during hell week to not let themselves get distracted! Don’t be scared to try it – all your social media will still be there when you’re done studying.

(3) Be a Hoarder

The Math building is one of the best places to buy blue books – they actually sell different blue books of different paper qualities for different price points!

(4) Keep Your Friends Close

Bo's is one of the best places to go with your study buddies (not sponsored but we will accept you, Bo's)! Close to school, WiFi, sockets, and motivation? What more do you need!

(5) Ask for Help

Whether it's a friend, or consulting with your prof, if you feel uneasy with a topic – that means you don't understand it. Try explaining the topic to someone else to see if you can truly grasp it!

(6) Get Creative

Use jingles, rhymes, acronyms, or anything funny that would help you remember your lessons!

(7) Snack Attack

We all love to eat, and it's even better when you're studying. Stock up on your favorite brain food (and coffee) to keep you up and running! Check out our list of the most underrated places to eat in UP for a guide to where you can get your snacks.

(8) Give Yourself a Break

Take a step back to move forward! It's actually counterproductive to keep studying even if you won't retain anything. Don't burn yourself out – keep your sanity by letting yourself nap, watch an episode of a show, or anything to rest your mind, so that you can focus more on the task at hand. Lastly, try not to go for all nighters!

(9) Appreciate

Stay positive and remember why you picked your course in the first place. Studying is better when you appreciate what you're trying to learn.

(10) Celebrate!

Once hell week is over, it's time to do the thing you've been looking forward to all week – drankkk (or anything else that you like doing)!

Special thanks to Justine Ramos, Gio Ocampo, Jerome Ng, Jacob Gerochi, David Gerochi, Chelsea Bringera, Maegan Kho, Greggy De Castro, and Luigi Mutuc!