Final Exams? The Saints Can Be The Best Study Buddies

As college students around the globe hit the books, pull all-nighters, and cram for final exams, the stress they feel can often work against all their valiant efforts. Fortunately, there is help, a lot of help, a communion of saints’ worth of help.

Have you ever heard a song, and it brought back a memory so clearly that it could have just happened? I mean, just the first few notes of that song and you are experiencing practically the same emotional reaction you did when you first heard it. Or have you ever smelled something and it makes you think of maybe a place you had been like a concert, a restaurant, a holiday party?

Well, there’s a reason for that. There is quite a bit of research out there that tells us that the brain will learn and remember information more easily when that new information is associated with the stimulation of different senses. A common and effective method of studying is to eat certain types of candies, mints perhaps, or Lifesavers maybe, while you’re studying a particular subject. Then, during the exam, you pop a mint or that green-flavored Lifesaver into your mouth. The taste and scent of that candy will help remind you of what you were studying. You have associated that learned material with the other senses.

So where do the Saints come in?

It starts with the use of sacramentals. Sacramentals are religious items that can serve as reminders of our holiness. They can help focus our mind on God, and aid us in opening ourselves up to recognize and receive graces. They can also be really cool jewelry, too! Crucifixes, Miraculous Medals, and other religious medals are all considered sacramentals.

So, here’s one way to use sacramentals to tap into the power of prayer, the intercession of the saints, and help you out on that next exam. Pick a particular sacramental for the subject you are studying. For example, maybe you are studying for that major biology exam. Then get a charm with St. Albert the Great, patron saint of scientists; or perhaps you are cramming for the English Composition test, then find a metal with the likeness of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers; or maybe you’re prepping for that killer math test, then find a medal for St. Herbertus, patron saint of mathematicians. Take a little time and find the saint that best fits your individual classes.

Then seek out religious medals depicting them. You can find most of these metals easily on the Internet, and they are usually not expensive at all -- unless you opt for solid gold or titanium of course. Then, as you are studying, hold the metal, feel its contours, think of the saint, picture what he or she looks like, picture them in the context of their lives, and say a prayer to them asking for guidance and help in recalling the information you are studying. Then, during the exam, wear your metal on a chain. Hold it between your thumb and fingers while working on the exam. Feel the contours as you are responding to questions. Think about how the saint is right there with you. Pray for that intercession for recall and understanding.

When you’re experiencing that feeling of relief as you are walking out of the classroom, knowing you aced that exam, don’t forget to thank your study buddy, the patron saint of your class.