I know a lot of people who dedicate a truly tremendous amount of time to studying, but many of them can’t get the kind of results they want. They highlight, they flashcard, they take notes, but they can’t seem to do as well as they want. I’ll be honest, compared to some of my peers who do this I must seem downright lazy. I spend 1-2 hours a day (on average) studying, yet I get the results I want. As a result, some people have told me “you’re lucky you’re so smart. You barely have to study”. Frankly, I’m not that smart, and I’m no smarter than my peers. What’s the difference? I study smarter, not harder.
Ideally, we’d all study smarter and harder, but I don’t. So, here are my tips for studying smarter and harder, but I hope you’re a better student than I am and study smarter and harder.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER
1. Set a realistic, yet challenging goal. Setting a realistic goal is important to prevent overexertion and burnout, but if it’s not, at least, a little bit challenging, what’s the point? I typically set my goals with regard to that semester’s GPA, but if you’d like to measure your success some other way that’s great.
2. Read the entire syllabus. I know it seems kind of daunting at first because syllabi are one of the driest, boring pieces of text in existence, but it will save you a lot of pain in the future.
3. Take note of the grading system the instructor has. You should devote the most amount of time and effort to the things with the highest weight put on them grade-wise. I think it’s kind of common sense that you should pay more attention to the midterm worth 40% of your grade than the homework worth only 5%. I have some instructors that won’t even collect homework, and I have some classes that are entirely homework/project based. That’s why it’s important to read the syllabus.
4. Familiarize yourself with the curve of forgetting. Plan your study sessions around the curve of forgetting and you will automatically remember and understand the material more just because of your timing. This post by @thelazystudyspot is great if you haven’t heard of the curve of forgetting.
5. Familiarize yourself with Bloom’s taxonomy. This image was supposed to be for instructors, but understanding Bloom’s taxonomy is a powerful weapon in a student’s arsenal. If you can engage your higher level thinking skills while studying material you will be way more equipped to handle those tough exams or write that daunting paper.
6. Stay mentally engaged during class. If you’re mindlessly copying down notes without thinking about the material, STOP. You’re really hurting yourself. Lecture is the time when you should be at least beginning to understand the material. It’s okay if you take a breather from note-taking for a minute to just think about what the instructor is teaching.
7. Ask questions. If you’re completely lost or one small step completely tripped you up, especially in a math class, let the instructor know. Many of them will be happy that you’re paying attention and are making an effort to understand the material. I’ve never had an instructor take issue with a question I’ve asked.
8. Learn how to actively study. If you’re a student who feels like they’re always studying, but not getting the results you want you’re probably passively studying. Highlighting, flash carding, and repeating notes from your textbook word for word are okay in some cases but usually you’re just completely disengaged from the material. Utilize Bloom’s taxonomy to help you study more actively.
9. Figure out what study methods actually work for you. Do practice exams work best? Does working through all the homework problems work best? Does reading every page of your textbook work best? The best study methods vary widely from person to person, so you need to figure out what works for you.
10. Actually study when you’re studying. Did you really study for four hours today, or did you talk to your friends for an hour and a half, have a half hour snack break, scroll on Tumblr for an hour and study for 1 hour? I’ve been guilty of this a few times too. There’s really nothing wrong with socializing or hanging out on social media, but you should really be honest with yourself about how much time you spent studying.
11. Get help when you need it. Before college, I was really stubborn and never wanted to ask for help from anyone, but now I have no shame about asking other people for help. Collaborating with friends can help you look at a subject in a totally different way. A lot of times you can work through problems together and get a deeper understanding than you could have on your own. With this in mind, please don’t copy your friends homework or notes. Not only can that be academically dishonest, you’re not learning anything.
13. Just be real if you don’t understand something. Be honest with your instructors and your peers and whoever the hell else, anyone who judges you is not worth your time, and most people will be happy to help. And seriously, be honest with yourself if you don’t understand something.
THINGS I HAVE NOT FOUND HELPFUL (this list is pretty subjective)
1. Reading the textbook for every single class. I have read my textbook for a class a total of 4 times and I probably should have read it 1 other time. I take a lot of math, science, and computer science courses so your experience will probably be different if you’re an English Literature major. I’m just saying don’t believe the myth that you always have to read the textbook.
2. Doing every single math problem (especially if they’re not graded). If homework is optional I’ll do a few of them on each topic. I try to choose problems that are complex and difficult. If I can do the more difficult problems in the homework and feel somewhat comfortable about it, I know I’ll be fine on the exam.
3. Highlighting in the textbook. I have a pretty deep seeded disdain for highlighting in the textbook. I guess it can be a pretty good way of marking the important material and it can probably be done right, but I’ve never had any success with it and I don’t know many students who have.
4. Using flashcards. Flashcards are really great if you have a vocab test because in that case you’re really only expected to memorize the definition. But instead of memorizing the textbook definition of the Krebs Cycle you should probably work on trying to explain it, in detail.
Why you should set aside a day every week to NOT study by @fullmetalbiochemist
How to study with a mental illness by @studyvet
Using feedback to improve your work by @rewritign
Study tips for university by @studyfulltime
Complete study masterpost by @moleskinestudies
Debunking the triangle myth by @studywithmariana
These are just some things that have worked for me. I hope this helps!
dailybridgerton
titsay
origamiaround
kaledo-art
tangentwithtanner
kianamaiart
turnnoffyourmind
