- Start with a definite task. Assignments that seem overwhelming can be much more easily handled if they are broken up into manageable parts.
- Get motivated. Be your own coach and give yourself a pep talk.
- Get started. Like the famous Nike ad says, "Just do it."
- Make sure you have a good study environment; comfortable, but not too comfortable.
- Study in a quiet room - with low music or white noise.
- Use proper lighting, heating and ventilation.
- If at all possible, use ergonomic furniture, especially when doing computer work.
- Have the necessary materials ready for study
- Textbooks
- Paper products
- File cabinet or file box
- Pens and pencils, including colored highlighters
- Desk with proper lighting
- Computer
- Deal with your personal problems (see more under "Giving Your Best Performance")
Develop Your Powers of Concentration and Memory
- Minimize distractions. Consider listening to quiet music or white noise (ocean surf, babbling brook, etc) to drown out distracting sounds.
- Have confidence in your abilities.
- Try studying in 30-minute periods with 20 minutes of concentrated effort followed by a 10-minute break.
- Understand the meaning of the point or idea that you want to remember.
- If your mind wanders, gently bring yourself back to your task.
- Give yourself plenty of time for review.
- Repeatedly review the material to be remembered.
- Stop occasionally and recall what you are learning
- Specific memory techniques:
- Category method - put like items into categories
- Loci method - associate each item on a list with a location (good for anatomy, geography)
- Mnemonics -
- 30 days has September …
- Great Lakes - HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior)
- Music notes on treble clef - Every Good Boy Does Fine
- Planets of the Solar System - My Very Educated Mother Just made Sandwiches for Us of Nutritious Peanut Butter (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto)
- Bottom up memorizing - In memorizing poems, read through whole poem, and memorize the last line. Read the poem again and memorize the second to last line, etc.
Reading Effectively
Many students approach a reading assignment by starting at the beginning and reading word by word to the end. However, the best way to absorb information in textbooks and/or on Web pages is to read in "layers." The first read, or layer, is simply to get the gist and overall structure of the content. Then, the material is read two, three or more times, each time filling in more detail.
Reading to get the big picture (the first layer)
- Direct your mind to the material at hand. Think about the topic and what your instructor has told you.
- Ask yourself questions that help guide your reading and help you concentrate.
- Get a quick impression of the book and try to understand what the author's main points are.
- Read quickly through the whole assignment once to get the "lay of the land".
- Make a note of important points as you read, either by taking notes or marking your book.
- Review your notes before moving on to the next section.
- Be critical about what you are reading. Does it make sense in light of everything else you know about this topic?
Reading for Details (second, third or fourth layers)
- Keep in mind the purpose of the reading.
- Understand the main point of each paragraph. It helps to occasionally stop and check yourself. Make some notes.
- Keep an open mind, but think critically. Don't blindly accept as truth what you see on the printed page. Instead, carefully weigh and consider what you have read. Just because something is printed in a book, or on the Internet doesn't mean it's true. Try asking yourself these following questions:
- Does the author distinguish between facts and opinions?
- Does the evidence support the conclusions?
- Do you agree with the conclusions?
- Record the main thought of each section. If you don't own the book, take separate notes or use post-its. If you do own the book, feel free to mark it up. Just use a consistent system throughout.
Preparing Papers
Many students dread writing papers. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the task and leave it until the last possible minute. The trick to doing papers (or any project) is to break it down into manageable tasks:
- Get started by understanding the assignment and setting your deadlines.
- Choose a topic.
- Decide on how to approach your topic.
- Research and gather information on your topic.
- Organize your findings and ideas.
- Write your paper in these stages:
- Outline
- Rough draft
- Get feedback
- Final draft
Preparing Presentations
Putting together a presentation is much like writing a paper. Presentations are usually organized around a particular line of reasoning or argument. You may also need to prepare visual PowerPoint slides or charts to illustrate your point. Practice your presentation several times. Then, try giving your presentation to a friendly audience, such as family or friends. The more prepared you are, the less likely you'll be to have stage fright. Before your actual presentation, you may want to review some of the anxiety management techniques mentioned earlier.
Reviewing for Exams and Practice Tests
Here are some activities that will help you review and remember the exam material.
- Study when you are most alert. Are you a morning person or night person?
- Find a good study environment. Consider lighting, temperature, noise level and distractions.
- Review the material within the first 24 hours after you learn it (lecture, textbook, readings, etc.)
- Plan a study schedule with breaks. If possible, distribute study sessions evenly throughout your day or week. Your will retain more in three one-hour sessions than in one three-hour session.
- Evaluate your study schedule. Did you stick to it? What will you do differently in the coming week?
- Carefully plan your final review. Give yourself plenty of time. Begin with the overall picture and main idea. Then tackle the details.
- In your own words, say aloud what you want to remember.
- Use sketches or diagrams to increase retention. Both sides of the brain are used when facts and ideas are stored as words and mental images. Sketch pictures from the material you are trying to learn.
- Associate new information with old information.
- Try to determine the nature of the test and what topics it will cover. Write your own study questions. Pick out important points.
- When possible, form study groups with others in your class.
- Make a list of the facts that are hard to recall. Carry it around with you and periodically glance at it for a few seconds. Repetition is essential to retention.
- The night before the exam, spend a short time going over the main ideas and concepts one last time
- Get a good night's rest before the exam.
Study Groups
The best way to multiply your brainpower is to join a study group. Research shows that students who study in groups average a 1.5 grade point higher than those who study alone. Consequently, students with C averages can potentially move up to B+.
Study groups can either be formal or informal. Formal groups can be organized by your instructor or by your college's Learning Center. Or, you can join an informal group of friends in the same class or major. Generally, it's a good idea to keep the study group to fewer than 10 students. Try to compose your study group to contain students with varying skills. A mix of stronger and weaker students also makes for a better study group.
The structure and meeting times for a study group will depend on its purpose. Groups studying for a single exam may only meet once. Others may continue through whole semesters, or years. Study groups that meet regularly usually follow a set format. Science study groups might tackle sample problems, while a writing group might focus on critiquing work by various members. Generally, students take turns presenting, leading, and organizing the group.
Study groups are especially useful for exam reviews. If your instructor has made practice tests available, discuss them in your group. If no practice test is available, compare notes and construct your own sample test. In short, study groups are an excellent way to review what you have learned and put it into practice.
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