It’s week five at Northwestern, which means — let’s be real — we’re on week three of our painfully staggered, neverending midterm season. Maybe you’re holing up in Mudd for the first time this quarter. Maybe you’re finally finishing up your first round of midterms, ready to hang out with your friends just to find they’re nowhere in sight. Wherever you are, whatever you’re up to, there’s always one thing to turn to: music.
[Chafftop by Blue Dot Sessions]
Instead of feeling stressed, depressed and alone as we trudge our way through the slog of exams, papers and stories, we decided to focus on what unites us. Here’s a look into the inner ears of Northwestern students as they lock in and listen up this fall:
[“Come On, Come Over” by Jaco Pastorius]
Shea Smith: It might be crazy, but it’s a mixture of hip hop, funk fusion, psychedelic rock and whatever random stuff.
That was McCormick freshman, Shea Smith. For him, there’s no method to the music madness — it’s all vibes.
[“Nice for What” by Drake]
Weinberg freshman, Sachin Chawla, had a similar “vibes-based” approach to studying, admittedly with less variety.
Sachin Chawla: Drake. Drake is my favorite artist for all time, for everything.
Although both Smith and Chawla were more inclined to study to their favorite songs, they shared the same caveat:
[“Requiem in D Minor” by Mozart]
Chawla: If I’m studying something that I have to read, like Spanish language, I’ll listen to something softer that usually has no lyrics, like classical. I like Pokémon music. I don’t know if you’ve heard it — it’s very good.
Smith: If I’m reading something, then I probably don’t wanna — I’d be more prone to use classical, because sometimes lyrics can interfere with reading.
While listening to classical music may seem less fun than more modern songs, there is a scientific reason to do so. According to a study published in Learning and Individual Differences, students who listen to classical music while they study tend to perform better on exams than those who don’t.
Chawla has seen the benefits of this:
Chawla: I think it does help me listen and comprehend more because then I associate the two — the song and what I’m studying — and it helps me remember it.
But for some students, just listening to music in the background doesn’t quite do the trick. McCormick senior Fatimah Al-Najjar has a tried and true study hack: screaming lyrics at the top of her lungs.
Al-Najjar: I feel like I overthink and then if I don’t feel music, if I don’t hear music then, and I’m working, I will think of something else. So I would rather be singing the song while working.
[“Ana Wa Leila” by Kadim al Sahir]
Her current favorite scream song? A 15 minute long Iraqi song called ee,” a ballad about the singer’s lover, Leila, who left him for a richer man.
Al-Najjar: Every time he screams, I’m screaming and doing my math and everything. I’m like, ‘Yes, differentiation.’
[Chafftop by Blue Dot Sessions]
Whether scream-singing, shuffling liked songs or putting on Mozart’s “Requiem in D Minor,” most students agreed music was crucial to getting in the grindset. But, as a good stats major would tell you, in every dubiously collected set of data, there’s an outlier.
Diego Figueroa: When it comes to times where I have to lock in, I listen to comedy specials.
That was McCormick freshman Diego Figueroa. Unlike some students who have an “anything goes” approach to study music, he has a carefully calibrated system:
Figueroa: When I was in high school, for math homework, I would listen to heavy metal. Then, when I would have to do science, I would put on something like Alex G. But when midterms or finals come around, comedy is always the way to go.
His favorite special? “Safety Patrols for Life” by David Williamson, always a guaranteed laugh.
[“Safety Patrols for Life” by David Williamson]:
Figueroa: I listen to the jokes, I laugh sometimes, but, you know, it’s just better.
Laughs or not, joy was a central factor for many students when choosing what to add to their queue.
Al-Najjar: I listen to basically anything that will lift me up so I don’t feel depressed studying.
Smith: It just makes me happier and thus more likely to do my work.
Maybe that’s the key: Instead of maximizing our productive output, we should focus on finding something to listen to that keeps the load light and maybe — just maybe — help us find some joy.
For WNUR News, I’m Tillie Freed.
