Maintaining straight A's on a report card will require serious effort on your part. This extra effort will pay off when you graduate with flying colors. There are many different study styles that each student uses to help study effectively. Some will prefer listening to music while others insist on total silence. Some students study aloud, pronouncing each and every word in his notes just to ensure that he grasps all of the information (driving his or her roommate crazy in the meantime). But whatever you style may be; the following simple techniques can be included in your arsenal of effective study habits.
Note Taking
One effective study habit involves diligence in taking notes during class. This will involve actively listening to the material and focusing your attention on the topic.
Don't simply copy everything said in the hopes of covering all the important parts, this only leads to cramped fingers and confusion. During the lecture, note the main points and also note any questions you may have. This method of questioning the material as you go along will give you a good idea of what types of questions will be asked on the test.
Make sure that your handwriting is clear. It is better to take ten well written notes than to have fifty indecipherable points in you notebook.
Have a backup plan for lecture notes. Either use a recorder to make sure you capture everything for later review or arrange to share your notes with another student.
Organize your notes and keep all notes for each subject in their own folder. There is nothing worse than scrambling through a pile of mismatched notes frantically searching for the one page you need.
Study Areas
Before studying, plan a specific time and place for your studies. Make sure this place fits your study style, i.e. don't pick the library if you are a vocalizer as shown above, or if you can only study with show tunes blasting away.
Your study corner should only be used for studying. Conversations and other distractions will spoil your studying.
Try to set your study time for the same time each day. This will enforce the habit of studying effectively.
Pacing Your Study
College should be a marathon, not a sprint. You should never put yourself in the position of having to study a whole semester's worth of material in one night. It will only wear you out and waste your time.
During your study marathon, arrange to have short breaks whenever you change a topic the restore your brain's energy.
Before you start a study session, set a goal for yourself. It can range from reviewing and rewriting your notes on that chapter to completing all the practice problems in the end of chapter review section. Right before you open your notes, write down the time you expect to be done. If you get stuck on a hard question, don't spend a lot of time on it; move on to the next question and come back to the problem area later. You can also question your study partner to help you get past a block. It is important to keep moving toward your goal. Whatever study goal you have set for this period, do your best to complete it before taking a break.
Procrastination will delay reaching your goals or cause you to rush, which can result in mistakes or low marks. Face each assignment, subject or topic without hesitation. Accomplishing your work will create satisfaction.
Exam Preparation
When preparing for an exam, avoid cramming. You should be studying each subject as it comes up in class, not the night before the test. One way to accomplish this is to set a goal of completing all the chapter reviews and practice tests at least one week before the exam. This will leave the last week as a review period.
Make sure that you are well rested on the day of the exam. Many a student has spent a night cramming only to fall asleep during the actual exam. Don't be the student who sleeps through his finals.
Conclusion
Studying is never fun, even on the subjects that you enjoy; but it can be approached effectively by following the above study habits.
This article hasn't been commented yet.
Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. .. We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.
(Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, On Philosophy of Education)
Write a comment
* = required field