DEVELOPING your preferred
study habit in college is really hard due to a bunch of distractions in campus.
As what I have said in the
first article for this column series, developing a study habit during your
freshman year is really a must because sooner or later things will get really
rough and having your own study strategy would really be a great help.
So here are a few basic tips
that will guide in achieving your own effective learning.
1.Look for a perfect study spot, time and mood
-A perfect place, time and
mood is really important in studying. There are some of us who prefers to study
in a coffee shop with people around and some prefer the peaceful and quiet
library or their bedroom. I used to studying in the comforts of my room but
sometimes when my bed is really too hard to resist, I go to my fave spot in the
library near the window.
Time and mood is also
another important factor. Are you a night owl or a morning person? Do you
prefer studying when you’re full or “hangry”? Those are some things you need to
check from time to time when studying as these can also affect your
productivity.
2.Prioritize your time
-Extra-curricular activities
will always be there but you need to prioritize your main reason for going to
school which is (obviously) studying your lessons. So there’s no reason for us
to blame our sports practice or org activities as to why we failed to study for
our exams or quizzes.
All these activities are conducive for our growth and
well-being but they can all wait. Studies is the priority.
3.Develop a study system
-Difficulty subjects/home
works first and easy ones after. This was the system that I have developed when
I was still in college. I do the difficult ones first so that I can save more
time and because I really tend to procrastinate when I choose to do it last.
4.Experiment on different study methods
-Whether drawing a thought
web or jotting down key words/terms, you need to experiment on these to find
which method works best because reading and highlighting the words may
sometimes be not enough for us to remember them during exam.
5.Look for a study partner/group
-Studying in a group is also
effective as long as all of you will help each other instead of distracting
each other. For me, I used to have a study partner when studying for math as it
is my least favorite subject.
6.Don’t be afraid to ask for help
-Yes, just like when you are
confuse with some algebra stuff (*wink). Don’t be afraid to ask your classmates
or your teachers for help. I’m pretty sure they are more than willing to help
you rather than pretend that you know when you really do not.
7.Say no to cramming
-I have said this during my
first article on the series and I will say it again: Cramming is never pretty.
So if you have the time do what you got to do as early as you can don’t wait
until it’s only a few days before the deadline and your loaded with tons of
other projects to comply. Save yourself from the hassle and stress.
I also learned that it’s
better to finish everything you need to do before going to sleep rather than
choosing to do it early the next day as the success rate of that as per
experience is low.
8.Take a breather from time to time
-Take some 20 minute breaks
in between your study time to stretch, nap, snack or watch an episode of your
favorite TV series. Our brain can only take in so much so you also deserve a
break (and a KitKat).
Bonus tip: Since I am quite a science freak, I have also read that
chewing the same gum flavor while studying and during the actual exam can help
one remember better. Researchers have seen that chewing gum helps in increasing
brain blood flow and the gum’s scent helps in memory improvement. Cool right?
As always, I hope that you
will find these tips helpful. Developing your study habit and its components
may take some time but all of the effort and hard work will be worth it when
you find the best one that suits you. Go for the gold!
*All photos in this post are not mine*
*All photos in this post are not mine*
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