Ah, college life. School, studying, and more school. While balancing sleep and actually having a social life. That’s college in a nutshell. Learning is really the reason we’re all in college, as much as the work can be tedious at times. I went into college knowing the basics of how to study well and that’s something that I am so grateful for looking back at my high school experience. It may have seemed like a lot of work at the time, but going to a college prep school really helped me transition to college. But I also know that not everyone gets that experience and people have to adjust to how to study in college. That’s what this post is all about: how to study effectively and efficiently in college.
Take Good Notes
One of the most important skills I’ve learned is note-taking. This looks different for different people, but the important thing here is that you find a style that works for you. I prefer a flexible bullet point outline system. It’s structured enough to be organized while also being able to adapt to different classes as need be. I also like color coding, but that’s all up to you. It makes it more fun for me to study and is a good way to find what you’re looking for. Even if you don’t go full out color coding, it’s helpful to at least have a color to highlight key terms in your notes.
Use Your Notes
Now that you have notes, use them! Notes are an amazing resource to study from. Repeatedly read over them so you can absorb the material. I also like quizzing myself from my notes. How that works is I’ll read a heading and then try to come up with the information that’s under the heading without reading it. Then I’ll read the information under the heading and see if I remembered all of it.
Take Advantage of Professor Resources
It’s not every time that your professor will give you a study guide–but when they do, make sure you take advantage of it. Not only do they focus your studying, but if the professor thinks it’s important it’ll be on there. That means that it’s likely also on the test. If a study guide is given, take advantage of it! Use it, prepare a new set of notes from it, and take advantage of it. Use those notes that you have and find the information on the study guide in them, then record them somewhere that you’re compiling the study guide. This will provide an excellent way to focus your studying down to what’s essential knowledge for the test.
Make and Use Flashcards
Flashcards can be super helpful, especially if it’s a class with a lot of terms and definitions that you have to learn. They can be tedious to make, but I promise you it will be worth it! A great alternative to paper flashcards is Quizlet. I actually prefer using Quizlet and hardly ever do paper anymore. It’s quicker, more convenient, and has tons of options to help you learn the material. You can use it like normal flashcards, but it also has different options like “test” and games that you can use as reinforcement and a different way to study.
Study What’s Important
Sometime it can be stressful to figure out exactly what you need to study. Figure out what the key concepts are and make sure that you’re reviewing those first. Chances are you’ll have to know those concepts. If the professor says it’s important it probably is. And sometimes the professor will note that you don’t actually need to know what they’re saying–they’re just providing the information for more context or for those who want to know more about the topic. If it seems important, it probably is, and if it’s briefly mentioned for a minute, it’s probably not. Focus on what’s really important from the material and don’t stress yourself out over little minute details that seemed like afterthoughts.
Visualize the Material
Make charts or diagrams. Create venn diagrams or mind maps (webs). These can be really helpful to see how the content connects and how things are related. I personally don’t use these as much, but I know people who find them helpful!
Don’t Procrastinate
Ok, even I am a victim of procrastination at times. And I’m sometimes that person who crams all the studying in the day before. But this can be stressful and you can lose motivation quickly. I’ve started going a week back from the test date and writing “Exam _ on [date]” on that day so it’s on my radar. I don’t usually start quite that early, but it never hurts to start earlier! The earlier you start, the more you can spread out your studying so you don’t get stressed or burnt out.
With these tips and tricks, you’re ready to study like a pro! Now, time to go out and ace your next test. Let me know what your favorite study strategies are and which one of these tips is your favorite in the comments.
