10 Study Snacks That Helped Me Earn 2 Degrees in 7 Months

When people hear that I earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in seven months at age 60, they usually want to know how I did it.

They ask about acceleration. They ask about the school. They ask how many hours I studied and how I managed to get through so much coursework so quickly.

EVERYONE asks about how I graduated with 2 degrees in 7 months. (And if you want to know more about that, you can click here for a free mini blueprint.)

BUT...

Nobody asks the truly important question:

What did I eat?

And, believe me, the snacks mattered!

When you're spending long stretches at the computer writing papers, studying, and working through course after course, you don't want hunger constantly interrupting your momentum.

Your snack strategy deserves almost as much planning as your study strategy.

I wasn't trying to create the world's healthiest study diet. I wasn't counting macros or preparing Instagram-worthy bowls of chia seeds. I simply figured out which foods were easy to grab, satisfying enough to keep me from wandering into the kitchen every twenty minutes, and convenient enough that they didn't interrupt my momentum.

Here are some of the snacks that helped get me through seven very intense months.

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1 Chocolate-Covered Walnuts

These became one of my favorites because they gave me the best of both worlds: something sweet and something substantial.

A little chocolate felt like a reward when I'd been staring at coursework forever, while the walnuts made the snack more satisfying than grabbing a handful of candy.

And yes, sometimes "a little chocolate" is exactly what stands between a productive student and dramatically closing the laptop for the evening.

2. Yogurt-Covered Pretzels

Crunchy. Sweet. Easy.

There isn't much preparation involved when the preparation consists of opening a bag, and that was exactly the point.

I could put a few beside my computer and keep working without turning snack time into a 30-minute kitchen expedition.

They also gave me just enough sweetness to feel like a treat without stopping everything I was doing to hunt down dessert.

3. Trail Mix

Trail mix was perfect for those times when I couldn't decide what I wanted.

Sweet? It's in there.

Salty? Got it.

Crunchy? Absolutely.

A small bowl gave me enough variety to keep things interesting without requiring any preparation. It was especially handy during long study sessions when I wanted something I could nibble on while continuing to work.

Sometimes the best study snack isn't complicated. It's just the one that keeps you at your desk instead of wandering into the kitchen looking for inspiration.

4. Cheese and Crackers

Cheese and crackers were one of my go-to choices when I wanted something that felt a little more than a snack.

The crackers gave me the crunch I wanted, while the cheese made it filling enough to hold me over when I still had hours of work ahead of me.

Best of all, it took almost no effort. A few slices of cheese, a handful of crackers, and I was back at the computer.

When you're trying to move quickly through a degree program, even the little time-savers add up.

5. Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit was an easy way to add something refreshing when I'd been sitting at my computer for hours.

Apples, grapes, berries, or whatever I happened to have on hand gave me something naturally sweet without requiring much preparation.

I especially liked fruit during long afternoon study sessions when another heavy snack didn't sound appealing.

Wash it, put it in a bowl, and get back to work. Simple was the name of the game.

6. Popcorn

Popcorn was perfect when I wanted something I could snack on for a while without feeling like I'd eaten an entire meal.

It was light, crunchy, inexpensive, and ridiculously easy to make.

A bowl could sit beside me while I worked through a paper or studied, and I could grab a handful without breaking my concentration.

Sometimes you don't need a fancy study snack. You just need something that keeps your hands out of the kitchen and your attention on the work.

7. Almonds and Walnuts

Sometimes I wanted something simple, filling, and not sweet. That's when I reached for plain almonds and walnuts.

They required absolutely no preparation, didn't make a mess, and a small handful was enough to keep hunger from distracting me.

I could keep a bowl beside my computer and grab a few while reading, writing, or working through coursework.

For accelerated studying, convenience matters. The easier the snack, the easier it was to stay focused on what I was trying to accomplish.

8. Peanut Butter and Crackers

Peanut butter and crackers were perfect when I needed something quick but a little more filling.

The crackers gave me the crunch, and the peanut butter made the snack substantial enough to keep me going through a long stretch of coursework.

It wasn't fancy, but that was the point. I could put a few together in minutes and get right back to work.

During those seven months, I learned that the best study snacks weren't necessarily impressive. They were the ones that were easy, satisfying, and didn't steal time from the goal.

9. Something Sweet

Sometimes I just wanted something sweet. And I decided that was perfectly okay.

A piece of chocolate or a small treat gave me something to look forward to during especially long study sessions. It could even feel like a little reward after finishing a difficult assignment or reaching another milestone.

One sweet treat I like is cinnamon candy, and these cinnamon gummy bears are an easy option to keep nearby during a long study session.

I wasn't interested in making seven months of accelerated education feel like punishment. I was working incredibly hard, and sometimes a little chocolate made the evening better.

Balance mattered. So did enjoying the process every once in a while.

10. Whatever Was Fast, Easy, and Already in the House

This may actually have been the most important one.

My snacks didn't need to be perfect. They needed to be available.

One thing I learned during those seven months was how valuable it was to remove unnecessary decisions from my day. I already had enough decisions to make about assignments, assessments, deadlines, and what I needed to accomplish next.

I didn't need to spend fifteen minutes deciding what to eat. Sometimes the best study snack was simply whatever was quick, convenient, and already waiting in the kitchen.

The Snacks Were the Easy Part

Looking back, the snacks themselves weren't what helped me earn two degrees in seven months. They were simply part of a much bigger lesson I learned along the way: when you have an ambitious goal, you need a plan that removes unnecessary obstacles and keeps you moving forward.

That was true of what I ate, how I organized my days, and especially how I approached my degrees.

I didn't simply decide to work harder and hope I finished faster. I learned how degree acceleration works, which choices mattered, and how to approach the process strategically. That made an enormous difference.

If you're thinking about earning a degree faster, there are some things I believe you should understand before you choose a school, a program, or an acceleration strategy.

That's why I created my free Degree Acceleration Mini Blueprint. It covers five things I wish more students knew before starting an accelerated degree path.

If earning your degree faster is something you're seriously considering, start with the blueprint.

Get the Free Degree Acceleration Mini Blueprint