Study Tips!
1) Read before class, specifically read the chapter the professor is going over before class.I never did this before college, but this makes such a huge difference for studying! While you may not always understand what is going on in the chapter, it will give you a good idea of what the professor is going over and most likely you wouldn't need further clarifications!
2) Take notes during class and of the assigned readings.
In college or high school, you usually have three types of professors. One, a professor who teaches straight from the lectures. Two, a professor who teaches straight from the material of the book. And the unfortunate last one, a professor who does a combination of the above. With any of these type of teachers it is always a necessity to take notes during class and the assigned readings. There are a multitude of ways to take notes nowadays, cornell notes style, outline, straight on the powerpoint etc, but the most important thing is to take notes!
3) Review your notes after class!
To retain the knowledge that you learned in class, it is vital that you review your notes as soon as possible after class. If you have an hour or so break after that class, spend it wisely and look over the notes to reinforce the materials
4) Flashcards will be your best friends
Flashcards are a great tool for studying. They are fabulous for vocab words, procedures, multi-step processes etc. If you guys checked my Back to School Haul, you would've seen that the amount of flash cards I bought (and I will probably easily go through that amount!)
5) Use study groups if possible!
Study groups, as long as they are focused, are great to study difficult subjects! Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses in a subject, and you can most certainly find someone who will know the subject better than you in a certain area while you can also help them in a certain area.
6) Never be afraid to ask for help
There is nothing wrong in asking for help in school! For me, I have found that tutoring has helped a lot when I was tackling difficult subjects such as Organic Chemistry and Physics. If your school offers free tutoring, definitely check it out and see if they can help you out!
7) Become antiquated with your professor.
By going to office hours or staying after class and talking to your professor, you have a higher chance of understanding the material. Most professors I have encountered love to answer questions on the material that you are having issues with!
8) Do not procrastinate.
Procrastination will make it a lot harder for you to thoroughly understand and conceptualize the material. Yes, you may be able to do well for one exam, but will do you well on the cumulative final? I've been in the situation where I had to learn a whole semesters worth of material in less than a week because I procrastinated on each exam and didn't thoroughly understand the material. My advice, don't procrastinate. It will hurt you more in the end.
9) Manage your time wisely.
This may seem very simple, but I've learned in the past that managing your time is actually a chore. While it is always okay to watch TV, just make sure to limit the amount of TV you watch. Scheduling your schedule out the beginning of the semester will also allow you to look and see how much free time you have! I highly recommend you get a planner or use an electronic calender to help manage your time!
10) Remember to take breaks.
Taking breaks while studying is extremely helpful, you don't want to completely burn yourself out when you are studying the material. Taking breaks like going to the gym, watching an episode of TV, or just simply a 15 minute breather will work wonders when you study!
These studying methods are ones that I have learned that guaranteed me decent grades in classes :) With hard work and perseverance, classes are not that scary as what they are made out to be (including Organic, generally considered one of the hardest classes in college!) Good luck to everyone who will be in school :) Let me know what you guys suggest for me or any other students in the comment section below :D
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