What are good study habits you recommend for college students?
I want to try to prepared for fall of this year when i go off to college #college-advice #studying-tips
8 answers
Jacob’s Answer
Hi, Jalynn. I think you already have a couple of good answers here, I just want to add one more thing. A trick I like to use to help keep me focused is the Pomodoro Technique. Let's say you are completing a reading assignment for a class or writing a paper. Set a timer for 25 minutes. During those 25 minutes, the only thing you focus on is finishing the reading or studying. Do not allow any distractions. I like this technique since it forces you to break down bigger tasks into more manageable chunks and it forces you to take breaks, which helps keep your mind fresh. If you're looking for some helpful items that can limit the number of distractions in your life, check out some of the sites and apps I linked in the suggested next steps section.
Good luck - I hope this helps!
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Jacob - Thank you for your answer. We need more advice like this, now more than ever! There are more than 1k unanswered questions on CV right now. Hoping you'll answer a few more this week!
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Yvonne’s Answer
Congratulations on your college acceptance! It is always exciting to start a new journey. Going to college is a huge transition for anyone, and I personally think that self-discipline is essential. Here are some ideas that might be useful to you in near future:
(1) Form a study group with your classmates - Having someone to keep you accountable in sticking to your study schedule is always helpful. Your study group might be able to help motivate you, as well as helping you understand difficult concepts/problems you face in your study. You may be able to form new friendships along the way too!
(2) Plan your schedule ahead - The syllabus and exam schedule for each class will be available to you in the beginning of the semester. Definitely take some time to add the exams and homework/assignment due dates into your own calendar! It will help you prioritize the important tasks and stay on track in each class.
(3) Know your school resources - Make sure to check out if your campus provides any useful resources like the library, tutoring center services, career development services and more!
I hope this helps and may you have a great college experience!
Rachel Resnick
Rachel’s Answer
You will need to focus on stress and time management. In order to manage stress you have to manage your time wisely. <span style="background-color: transparent;">You have to set a routine for yourself and stick to it for the most part. Once you get into the groove of a routine it will be much easier for you to manage your time and have enough time for everything you need to do (including relaxing). Make yourself to-do lists on a weekly basis, use Google calendar or a planner to keep track of events, deadlines, and due dates. In addition to setting a routine and sticking to it, plan out relaxing activities into your day. Or set aside a time, after everything is done for the day, that you can have "me" time. I have also personally found it essential to not only find time for myself but also make use of that time in a way that is best for me and my holistic wellness. I have found the HeadSpace app to be an essential tool in helping me relax and generally feel more relaxed throughout the day, Guided meditation, even if you have a busy schedule, will make you feel more at ease and relaxed throughout the day as a whole (not just when you have the time to relax and focus on that "me" time).</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent;">Set a routine.Use Google Calendar.Set aside Me TimeWrite weekly to-do lists and use a planner.Find a peaceful and restful activity that will help you feel relaxed.</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent;">Here is how to be successful in them:</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Stay on track - do assignments early, finish things a head of time, and be aware of all of your deadlines</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">do all the the assignments and read all of the coursework required- do not cut corners</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">use Google calendar to keep track of deadlines</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">communicate with your professor early if something comes up</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">do not be afraid to ask for an extension if you need one</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">study, and study a lot! you don't have regular class sessions so you will need to put in more work at home.</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Do your best and genuinely try hard to give it your all.</span>
The best way to score high on the test is to Google search an online program or book that will help you study. Once you find an online lesson plan for success you can use it as a road map for studying. Otherwise, find a book to help you study and spend 45 mins a night reading through it and studying. Depending on when you test is, the first thing you will want to do is organize a studying schedule for yourself. Target studying certain sections of the test and divide them up by the weeks/months you have until you have to take it.
Lisa Milani
Lisa’s Answer
I love this question!! I needed to schedule studying on my calendar and stick to it like it was any other mandatory time that required my attendance. The teacher/professor will usually tell you how many hours out of class are required to pass. Some classes may require additional 3-10 hours! Knowing that, I tried to balance my semester load with hard and "softer" classes. When it was time for me to study (as I had already blocked off during the week) I stuck to it, no excuses. These are the same habits I carried into my professional career. I still block off "admin" hours in my week, where I catch up on all the needed things for the week. The worst thing is to go into a week behind from the week before!
Yasemin’s Answer
- Be sure to go to class and interact with the material. When you go to class you allow yourself to commit and be responsible over your schoolwork. Sometimes missing class can make you not prioritize the assignments and you can fall behind. So try to attend every lecture!
-When attending lectures make sure to either record them or take good notes. I didn't record my lectures but my good friend did in Biochem and she would listen to them before exams. I liked taking notes though and highlighting which helped me a lot. However, sometimes my friend would tell me an important thing that our professor said from the lecture in her recordings and that would help me on exam day. So, it can go either way or both!
-Read! Basically for most if not all classes you will purchase some reading material, whether it's a textbook or pdf file so it's important to read whatever material you have. Lectures and exams are based off of readings for the most part and sometimes the textbook can help when a professor's explanations or lectures can seem confusing. I use to read before going to class and would take my own notes, then in class I would compare my notes with the lecture and make additions to them if needed.
-Set up a study group if you can! In Biochemistry a few of my friends would meet up and study together, we would go over notes, quiz each other and even offer different perspectives based on lectures. Sometimes one friend can understand a topic better and clarify it for exams.
-Make sure you have time to study, the main thing about forming good study habits is giving time to them. So it's important to give yourself time every day to study for class whether you read, take notes, listen to the lectures, or solve problems. Whatever it is, you need to commit a good number of hours per week to each class.
-Tutoring. There are tutoring services free of charge for students based on a number of subjects so be sure to use them. Also professors sometimes offer study hours before exam days where students meet up and go over topics and ask questions, if there is one be sure to attend.
-Office hours are also important because if you are confused by a topic or have a question you can see your professor and get extra help you didn't during class. Most professors love seeing their students during office hours because it shows that you care and are committed to the class. Also in the future you may need a reference/recommendation letter from one of the professors and office hours help the professor get to know you better and build a better relationship so they can vouch for your work ethics.
*** as a note if you can't make office hours because of time conflicting with work or another class professors can also set up different time appointments. You can always ask a professor if you can't make it to the original office hours.
-Make sure to have a planner! Every semester I always carried a planner with me because you want to write down what's due and what you need to do in order to complete everything in time. Also use the planner to space out your tasks and studying because you don't want to try to do everything at once. For example if you have a research paper you need to write there are certain things you need to complete before. So one day you can write to check out articles, get your topic approved and then draft a copy before submitting the original thing. The point is a planner helps keep you organized and in check because sometimes there will be a lot to handle at once. Don't worry though if you plan ahead and stay committed you will do fine!
Best of luck!!
Yasemin recommends the following next steps:
Richard’s Answer
Rachel’s Answer
Zach’s Answer
Also, try not to procrastinate and "cram" the material at the last minute before a test. Taking small daily steps will lead to better success.
Lastly, college is hard. And perfect preparation is not always an option. It's extremely difficult to balance course work, self care, and a social life. Remember to keep perspective on life. Failing a test does not mean you will fail college. Retaking a class is not the end of the world. I've had to both retake classes and recover from failing grades, and I still graduated successfully.