Long gone are the days when the hardest thing you learned in class was how to write your name — those days when Lunchables were
balanced meals, recess was a necessity and hard work was followed by nap time.
Now, for many, life as a college student seems more like a juggling act between classes, work and extracurricular activities. That is why it is essential develop effective study skills. This can be difficult sometimes, but with the right tricks, any students can learn to combat their studying woes.
The following are some tips from the Office of Academic Services that, if put into practice, can make students successful in college. For additional academic support, including tutoring assistance, visit the Office of Academic Services on the second floor of the Athletics and Student Affairs Building.
Taking notes effectively
Many times students find themselves with volumes of notes that are either terribly irrelevant or filled with information that they already know. To combat this, create a marker or highlighter system made up of different colors to organize notes. Highlight new information will with one color and facts that professors emphasize with another.
Gail Levine, assistant director of the Office of Academic Services, said, “Colors seems to work really well to stimulate the brain, so why not use a highlight system for the things that you really need to go back and look at?”
Knowing when to do assignments
It’s a good idea to complete assignments as close as possible to the class day. For example, if a student has a Tuesday-Thursday class, then he or she should complete assignments in the afternoon or early evening on Tuesday. This technique has two benefits. First, if you are getting stuck, it gives you time to meet with the professor and go over the problems before the nextclass meeting. Second, you were successful with the assignment, then it gives you more time to go back and redo a couple of the problems or go over your notes and make sure you clearly understand the material.
“Doing an assignment after class clues you in on what you are going to do the following day when you don’t have that class. If there is something you are stuck on, it is a clue that you may have to meet with a professor or meet with a tutor,” said Levine.
Managing time
Class time can be pretty intense in college, but students can use a formula to figure out the amount of time they should be studying outside of class. For every class hour, students should study two to three hours outside of class.
For example, if a student is taking 15 credit hours, they are in class about 15 hours per week. If they multiply 15 by two, they get 30 hours of study time, and if they multiply 15 by three, they get 45 hours of study time. These numbers tell the student approximately how much time outside of class they need to be setting aside as study time.
“A lot of students don’t realize that when they were in high school, their day was taken up from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with school. Now it is much less, but are they using that time smartly? So the message is that students need to learn how to manage their time and actually make a schedule,” said, Levine.
Joining student groups
If you’re struggling on your own, try studying with classmates. Participating in groups and explaining things to others are skills useful not just for college work but career work as well. In any job you are going to have, you need to be a good communicator. Being in a study group opens you up to intellectual discussions. The different opinions and perspectives you get from your peers may help you realize something about a subject you never noticed before.
“Take advantage of those students who are in your major and that you share the same interests with,” said Levine.
