Good study habits for any class in college

Some people may have had good study habits in high school, some may have not, and some may not realize that theirs will most likely change in college. For some insight on the most effective ways to study in college, continue reading!

Background

Some background on me- I developed good study habits in high school, so it was easier for me to adjust in college. I already had an idea of how to study for college level courses because I took a lot of AP courses in high school.

Currently

The most important thing about study habits is that you figure out what works for you early on, and continue with those habits.

In the first week of classes, I made sure to get ahead right away to start the semester off right. Here is how to do this:

• Take notes ahead of time. If your class has a textbook, take the chapter notes ahead of time. This way, you are able to just listen to lecture and not have to worry about trying to scribble notes down and listen at the same time. Sometimes lecture isn’t word-for-word with the textbook, so during class sometimes I have to add things to my notes. I usually do this by using a different colored pen because then I know which notes are from the textbook and which notes are from lecture.
• Listen during lecture. This seems obvious, but it is crucial to pay attention and to attend lecture. In most of my classes, only missing one day will set me back hours of work between what we covered in lecture and homework assigned that day. Listening during lecture (especially after you have taken notes ahead of time) will help your brain remember the information.
• Do homework asap after lecture. Doing homework immediately after lecture will help because you have freshly heard the information. This also makes it more likely you will remember it because you are now being exposed to the material for the third time (notes, lecture, now homework) within a relatively short amount of time.
• Use your notes for studying. Using your notes for studying is a good thing to use because it is exactly the material that will be on the exam. There are many ways to study for an exam. Here are a few:
  1. Note cards
  2. Quizlet
  3. Writing down definitions
  4. Pictures / diagrams (A&P, Biology)
  5. Working through problems (Math / Chemistry)

My favorite way to study is a quizlet in the learn mode because it will ask you to recall the term and definition. Note that this isn’t very effective for classes like biology and A&P because they are heavily based on conceptual and physical ideas and diagrams. Some other apps where you can quiz yourself are quiziz and kahoot.

• Go over content often. A good way to remember content is to go over it often. The way that I do this is through being exposed to the content as much as possible. Here’s how I approach this:
  • Book notes
  • Lecture notes
  • Homework
  • Quizlet

• In this way, you are reading, hearing, and writing (typing) the information. This will maximize your memory. Also remember to re-study previous chapters! Exams, finals, and midterms are based on (often) more than one chapter. Going over past information will help you in the long run when you are studying for finals / midterms.

• Make / find your own practice problems. There are so many websites that have practice problems and answers for almost any topic out there. Finding extra practice will get you ahead of your classmates because you will be exposed to more and different types of questions.
• Take advantage of additional resources. In many classes, your professor will mention or send links for additional help. In the least, go and check them out. If you get there and realize that you don’t need the help, then you can exit. Most times though, the information they send out is very helpful, otherwise they wouldn’t waste their time sending it out. Taking advantage of these resources can put you ahead of other classmates.
• Don’t overload! Studying for too long can have negative side effects on your memory. The maximum hours I have studied without breaks is 1 hour. This seems really short, but I usually alternate between studying for an hour and taking a 5-10 minute break. This will help you remember it and prevent headaches.
• Finals. *insert video of people screaming and running on coffee* This is actually quite an accurate description of students around finals time. When studying for college finals, DO NOT CRAM STUDY. It is the least effective method of studying and will likely set you back for next semester (classes are cumulative). The best way to study is to study one class at a time and for a certain period of time. I study for my exams in terms of need. I start studying with my final that is coming up the fastest, etc. Sometimes I like to start with my most difficult final because I don’t know how long I will need to study for. These finals take the longest because you often have to surf your notes or the web to remember how to do certain problems. For the finals that I am confident for, I will study a few days before the final, just to go over any last notes or things to remember. A summary is: the more worried you are for the final, the sooner you should start studying for it.
• Get help. Getting help when you don’t understand something is crucial in college because most things are cumulative. My favorite website for help is khanacademy. The way he explains things just clicks with my brain. If you would rather get help in person, your professor or other students in the class are great resources. In most colleges, professors are willing to help if you are genuine about getting it.

These were my best tips to be successful studying in college, thanks for reading!