If you have a kiddo that’s flown the coop and headed off to college, you already know the HUGE financial burden that comes with continuing education. OR, maybe you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and go back to school or complete a degree? Either way, now that you are paying for school, it’s even more important to ensure you/your student glides through as painlessly as possible {read: paying for the same class twice is a big fat waste of cash}. So, now that school is in full swing and the newness has rubbed off, it really is a good time to lay down some good study habits.
Need a little nudge? Here’s some study tips to get you started:
- Review your class notes nightly. Cramming for an exam is a bummer, and if you have a heavy credit load, it may end up being impossible. Take the time to review notes nightly so that the information has TIME to soak in.
- Proofread all of your assignments. Most assignments need to be typed at this point, and even if you have a mind-blowing idea, typos will stand out in an academic environment. Have a roommate or friend go over your work to make sure it is polished. {Crap, now I really hope there won’t be any typos in this post.}
- Date all of your notes. It sounds weird, but sometimes when you are referencing something, you may not remember the detail, but remember that it was near Halloween, or your cat’s birthday. Dating your notes helps you get close to the information without having to painstakingly pour over every page.
- Schedule a time to study each day. Just because classes are over by noon doesn’t mean you get the day off. Sad, but true. Schedule an hour or two dedicated solely to studying. Find a spot {um, the library or a coffee shop} that you can consistently go to study.
- Study in a group. Sometimes just sitting in a group and asking questions as they arise {math, anyone?} can get you through a stuck moment.
- Take it back…all of the way to kindergarten. Make flashcards, create mnemonic devices, put the information in a song. Create ways to remember it come test time.
- Go to sleep. Sleep is therapeutic. It gives your brain a chance to rest, which gives you a better chance of retaining the information. You’re an adult now, you have to be the one to tell yourself its bedtime.
- Show up for class. Duh, I know, but sometimes the new found freedom is a little too tempting. You might think you can just read the book and ace the test, but class will actually help solidify the information.
- Practice time management by mapping out all of your deadlines in a planner. Divide the readings into daily allotments, schedule time in your planner to write you paper, etc.
- When it comes time to study for a big test, make an outline of your notes. The re-writing and reviewing during the outline process IS actually part of the studying.
What tips do you have for effective studying?
~Mavis
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Lynne says
Great advice – I wish someone had spelled it out like this back when I was in school. My saving grace was that I am a note-taker, and always refined/condensed/rewrote my notes at the end of term as I prepared to “study.” Some people are aural learners, so listening is what does it for them, but for people like me, the most direct path to my brain is through my writing hand. Note taking is a useful habit, beyond school. It helped me through my professional career.
Gail Sherron says
Read the emails that the university sends to you. I promise that we (since I work at the university) are not sending you junk. Read it. You might be missing out on something uber important — like class is canceled, OR time to meet about your spring semester, OR you still owe and we have now charged you a late fee, OR we are just checking in. 🙂
Mavis says
Great tip! And so helpful!
Jennifer says
As a professor, let me add:
* Get involved in student clubs/sports. Having interests outside of studies is important & will keep you sane.
* Leave your phone/tablet/computer off/in your backpack. It’s too tempting to be distracted. And then you’ll distract people around you. Checking these devices in class says that you think something is more important than what we have to say. We’d disagree – and some of us hold grudges.
* Actually take notes.
* Do your homework. Even the stuff we don’t grade/collect.
* Read the assigned content.
* Visit the tutoring center.
*** Visit us during our office hours. We’re lonely & like visitors. REALLY.
Katie W says
I REALLY have to second your point to do the homework that isn’t graded or collected. In college, I hated thermodynamics. It’s the only class I failed (with flying colors) and had to retake, (in another version of the class that was easier). I don’t know what it was about the subject that turned my brain off to it, but goodness was it hard for me. That’s why I never did the homework – it wasn’t graded or checked. Why do something I hate and is stressful if I’m not getting graded? I realized, that had I done the homework, I would have been able to ask questions and get further help on the things I really didn’t understand. Also, in engineering, practice is what made me better. Had I done the homework to begin with, I probably would have at least passed the class and wouldn’t have had to go through the torture of another semester.
Fairfieldohmom says
As a professor, I would nix most of this list – sorry, Mavis. My struggling students are too focused on taking and reviewing notes, to the point that they stop listening to what’s actually being said. I tell my students to put down their pens and actually engage with what we’re talking about. When class ends, exit the room, find the nearest seat, open your notebook and ask yourself, “what were the top 2-3 things that my professor emphasized today?” – and write those things down. Too many students obsessively take notes that are largely useless and don’t help them to actually learn. Unless you’re in a class based off rote memorization, memorizing what your prof said shouldn’t be the goal, learning from them should. Oh, and actually read and use your syllabus, as there is a ton of useful information in there that students mostly ignore. Advice for parents with kids in school – ask for copies on the syllabi for your kid’s classes – you’ll stay more plugged in to what they’re doing and learning, plus you’ll be able to help them out when they forget how to navigate the class.
Jennifer says
Habits that lead to success in one discipline may not be successful in another.
I should have clarified- I’m a math professor…
Kimberly says
Ask your professor questions and seek help early if you find yourself struggling with the material-waiting until the day before a test to ask for help (especially if you don’t show up to class regularly and actively participate) isn’t going to garner much sympathy with your professor. Most professors have a certain degree of leeway with final grades, and even if you aren’t a perfect student when it comes to tests, building a positive rapport with your professor can help raise your final grade. And I definitely agree with completing homework nightly-even if it isn’t going to be collected-it is critical for a lot of classes-especially math based courses.
Katie W says
I have to add to this list: Go to office hours as much as you can. This way the professor gets to know you better and knows your involvement and progress in the class. It helps to get one on one time with the professor, and it could also be a saving grace if you need help to pass at the end of the semester. I was not able to go to office hours that much because I also had to work. Usually I was at work or in another class when a prof held hours. Some things though that helped me to get around that were to email the professor with questions and continue conversations that way. Not all profs will do this, but many of mine did. Also, TAs are a good source of help. Often they hold study/review sessions and homework help sessions that are in the evening hours and more fitting to a college student’s study schedule. Sometimes the TA does a better job of teaching than the prof – that’s how I learned Differential Equations… Also, TAs are often the ones grading homework and assignments – again knowing them can be a saving grace!
Kirk says
If you read/study something really well six times, it is yours. You can repeat it, use it, discuss it, work with it, and build on it. Might be memorization, but that is a large part of learning.
To paraphrase: The more you do something, the better you get.
Worked for me from high school through doctorate degree.