My Study Binder Setup
I have a binder that I use for studying independently and organizing my papers. I have three dividers per course:
Memorization Practice
Before I start actively reading a chapter, I engage in two preparation activities: First, I make my flashcards. Then, I skim through the text and write down any important lists. For example, I need to memorize processes, types and/or forms (i.e. types of marketing; forms of export controls), examples, relevant criteria (i.e. in order to be considered “fraudulent misrepresentation”, it must meet these four criteria), etc. By doing this, I get to preview the chapter so that I have a better sense of what it is about. I also use these lists to study, by repeatedly writing them from memory so that they are solidified by the time I take my exam.
Study Guides and Case Study Notes
Since most professors don’t provide study guides, I make my own. They are always in the order presented in class. These are the notes I took from the textbook, and primarily consist of key points and important statistics. Sometimes, I have questions about the material presented in the textbook, and I write them on a separate piece of paper to take to my professor during office hours. I store these papers in this section as well.
Since my study guides never take up too much space, I don’t feel the need to create a section exclusively for case studies, especially since I generally don’t have many of those. I distinguish between where my study guides/questions end and case studies begin by placing a post it flag vertically on my first case study. The reason I group these two together is because these are things I have annotated extensively.
Graded Work
I put my homework and assignments (with my rough drafts and questions for the professor), group project deliverables, and assessments in this section. This helps me keep track of the notes my professor has made, so that I can improve on the next assignment or deliverable. As for assessments, it makes studying significantly easier, because it allows me to figure out what I need to focus on and gives me the opportunity to clarify concepts with my professors. It also helps to know how questions/answers will be phrased so I can adjust my studying techniques based on that.
I hope this post was helpful! Do you all have study binders as well? How do you organize them?
