What are the most beneficial study tips for college classes?

Hello! College classes are very different from high school classes. For example, instead of receiving nightly or weekly homework, you will be trusted to complete a mass quantity over the span of the semester on your own schedule. While this may seem like a golden opportunity to procrastinate, it's really up to you to create a doable schedule and stick to it. Doing the homework is an essential aspect of your studying. Another helpful tip is to go to the office hours of the professor. This is your time to ask the professor all your questions (as asking questions during a large lecture can be intimidating and you may not be sure of exactly what to ask). Another helpful study tip is to treat school like a full-time job. Wake up early, do your work and go to all your classes. This way, you'll be very productive during the day and have time to yourself at night and on the weekends.

Part of a great study plan is taking detailed and organized notes in class. I made use of a paid app on the appstore called Notability. There are many other great apps such as OneNote by Microsoft or you can simply use Word. My real tip is to have whatever program you are using to take notes be synced with your Google Drive or Cloud account. This will allow you to have access to all of your notes, anywhere, anytime and removes the worry of losing your notes. I also made use of a scanner app that would take pictures of my handwritten notes, convert them into a pdf, and then upload to the same google drive folder as my other notes. Having all of your notes across all classes in one place really helps your efficiency in studying. After typing your notes take a bit of time to make sure they are organized and easy to read for later on.

My next tip is to treat college as if it were your 9am-5pm job. Get in the habit of spending that extra time before or after classes to study and get ahead of your work. By treating it like your job it will help avoid studying late into the night and will help lower your stress throughout college.

The thing that sticks out to me the most from my experience is time management. In college, you will spend much less time in class than you have ever been used to. Instead of 7-8 hour days in high school, a full course load in college is typically only actually in class around 15 hours a week (but could be more with discussions, labs, etc). You will have more free time than you are used to having, but you might also have more obligations than you are used to having if you join clubs, volunteer, or and/or have a part-time job. Staying on top of everything and knowing what to prioritize is crucial, or it can lead to very stressful times.

As a current college student, different study methods work with different people. When you first encounter college courses, it's perfectly reasonable to experiment different methods before locking in on what works for you.

Personally, what works for me is studying throughout the course. After every lecture, I find it beneficial to look through my notes or even rewatch the lecture to make sure that I understand the content. This allows you to figure out what concepts you're still shaky on, so that way you can approach your professor or TA during office hours. This also prevents you from cramming/procrastinating before midterms and finals, which can cause a great deal of stress.

It also helps to stay accountable of all of the different things that could be going on in your life. I used to use a planner, but sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with. Now, I used Google Calendar to make sure that I don't miss any events and I also take advantage of the tasks gear to use as a personal checklist.

In terms of studying for a big exam, I find it helpful to make lists and concept maps to better organize your ideas. Especially with classes that are more conceptual-based, it can be overwhelming to retain all of the information. Do this over a period of several days so that you don't overstress yourself.