I can't believe I start back to school in January!! I am SO excited and nervous. I know that I can do it...it's just making sure I schedule my week and don't procrastinate! If I could get a degree in procrastination, I'd get highest honors. (I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed...)
I would LOVE to share some of my favorite study tips that I have learned while preparing for going back to college. I am not naturally an organized person. I can put together a killer planner...ask me to actually follow through with using it and I fail. Miserably.
I have gleaned some really great advice from several blogs! The following is a list of 5 of my favorite study tips.
READ THE SYLLABUS!
OK, so this might be a no-brainer to some, but for me, I never thought of using the syllabus as a study tool. Highlighting what has been done and organizing what needs to be done…right ON the syllabus will be a great help to me in organizing what I need to do weekly.
DO ALL READINGS
The class lecture should be used as a jumping off point for learning the material. Don’t learn the material strictly from in class instruction. READ the chapters assigned, even if they were covered in class. Reading the chapters covered in lecture will help make connections between what the professor was saying and what is in the textbook.
eSTICKY NOTES – TO-DO-LISTS
I love sticky notes…but I tend to loose them or forget where I put them. SO, I use the sticky notes on my desktop! I will color code them to each class. Each week when I go over the syllabus (yes, do this weekly!) I will type in the sticky note exactly what needs to get done and the steps I need to take to get them done! Since I am a web development major, I am on the computer a lot so this works well for me.
USE A PLANNER
I haven’t found the PERFECT planner yet, so I’m using a Mead Daily/Monthly planner I found at Target for $8.99. After looking over the syllabus, schedule our the readings. Say there are 2 chapters to be read this week, take the number of pages a divide by how many days are available to sit down and read! Write this down in the planner! It helps keep things on track and helps plan ahead if there is a need for a sick day.
COLOR CODE
As I mentioned above in eSticky Notes, I will color code my classes. This goes for color coding folders/pens/sticky notes, etc. Also, color code notes taken in and out of class. I am a visual person and color coding certain topics/headings/sub-headings helps me remember them for the test! Within my notes, I will use different colors than those that are assigned to the classes themselves to avoid confusion.I hope that these help in your journey! Do you have any favorite study habits? I’d love to hear about them.
