Study Tips For College Classes
Ever since you started school, you most likely have had to study or do homework. You probably think that after a decade or so of doing this, your study system is fully figured out. However, studying at your local elementary, middle, and high school is going to be different compared to studying in college. You are not going to have parents looking over your shoulder in college. You are also not going to have an organized schedule of going to class all day and studying at night. You are making decisions on your own and you are not going to have such a tight schedule. It is going to be a whole new ball game, so you are going to need to figure out a whole new study system. You want to be able to do a great job in all of your classes, so you need to work hard and plan your studying well. Here are some tips that will help you with studying in college so that you don’t have trouble in any of your classes. Now your classes may change each semester, but you will still do an amazing job every time.
1. Go Somewhere Quiet
The key way to be successful when you study is to focus. You need to put a large amount of your attention on your work when you want to get it done. That means that it is probably in your best interest to go somewhere quiet when you are studying. If there is too much noise around, your brain is going to end up focusing on the noise, and before you know it, you will have not gotten any work done. This quiet place could be your room, but if you have a noisy roommate, you can go off to the campus library. Most school libraries have quiet sections so that you will have a place where nothing will disturb you. This way the only possible sounds will be of pages turning and keyboards clicking. You will be able to focus very well and this will help you soak in the information more. You will get a lot of work done when you experience the sound of silence.
2. Focus On Work In Your Hardest Classes
You are obviously going to have more than one class each semester. Most colleges will let you do around four or five classes a semester. This means that you will be having a lot of homework and studying to do every week. This means that you need to plan accordingly. Each of your classes may have different difficulty levels, and you need to consider that when making your study schedules. You might have one class that is in something you are really passionate about and feels like a breeze. Then, you may have another class that you are taking as a general education requirement and is a chore to get through. Even though the former may seem like more fun, you should devote more of your outside of class time to the latter. A hard class may be boring, but it is going to require more time and work if you want to succeed. As long as you stay strong and devote a lot of time to difficult classes, all of your classes may soon be a piece of cake.
3. Talk To Your Professors
No matter how hard you work, there may be some classes that you just can’t figure out. Maybe there is a new complicated concept even when you study it or maybe you don’t fully understand the guidelines for some assignments. That is why your professors are there. Their job is to help you understand these lessons and help you pass their class. Therefore, they would be more than happy to help. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand during class if you have a question about the lesson. You may feel a little embarrassed about not knowing, but there is a chance you are helping out other confused students as well. If you can’t muster up that courage or if there is never an opportunity to raise your hand, you can always go to your professor’s office hours. Most professors will set up times every week outside of class where students can show up to their office and get some personal help. One on one attention can be very useful so take this opportunity if you can. Professors will always be there for you in college, so any chance you have to get their help, take it.
4. Make Friends in Your Classes
Sometimes you don’t have time in your schedule to talk to professors outside of class, but you still need people to explain some lessons. It is also possible that you haven’t had any luck with one on one time. That does not mean you should give up on outside help. If you think you are going to need some study help for a class, make sure you have some friends in class. That does not mean you should only sign up for classes that your current friends are in. While that might be nice, you shouldn’t let other people dictate your learning choices. So if you show up to class and you don’t have any friends there, you should try to make some. Find someone who looks friendly and smart, then sit down next to them and introduce yourself. It will be great in the long run to have a friend in class to help you out. Unlike a professor or a teacher’s assistant, there won’t be office hours. If you are struggling while studying, you can just text your friend to help you out. The two of you could even study together so you can work out problems with each other. Studying will be a lot more fun and interesting when you are doing it with a good friend, and it will almost certainly make everything easier.
5. Go Over Old Tests/Assignments
Throughout the semester, you are going to be doing a lot of work. You will probably be getting a couple assignments a week and probably a test or two every month. The first few weeks of class may be a bit difficult, but by the time you get to the second half of the semester, you will probably get into the swing of things. By that half of the semester, you will have a lot of work that has been completed and graded. This will definitely be useful for when you need to study in the last couple of weeks and months. While your professor may be teaching new topics, there may be some general concept that will continuously pop up and are connect to each other. You will also probably have some cumulative assignments and exams that will be reviews of what you have learned, in which case old assignments and tests will be very useful. So don’t even think about throwing those away or deleting them from your computer. Keep anything that is graded so that you are able to learn and grow.
6. Do Some Online Research
While most colleges have different curriculums, they probably have some classes in common. There may be intro lectures that cover the same basic ideas, or classes that have the same novels scheduled on their syllabi. This means that many people have been through these types of lessons, so there is a chance that there is some information or advice that has been shared. That is why you should just stick to what your teacher has given to you when you study. Search some key words or phrases online and it is possible you will fid some informational websites or study guides that could help you out. This does not mean you should cheat and try to look for test answers. You should just try to look for guidance from students that have been through these lessons before with webpages that have the important facts. The internet was created for research, so let that research lead you to a successful semester
7. Don’t Procrastinate
Most professors aren’t going to assign you a project or tell you about a test the day before you have to turn it in. You are usually going to be given a fair amount of warning. Some professors may even tell you about an assignment on the syllabus and expect you to remember it. When this happens, you may end up forgetting until the day before. You might also know fully when the assignment or test is scheduled and choose to put it off when you study. This may seem like a fine idea at first, but it is going to come back to bite you. You will end up having to cram all of the information into your head, leading to stress and some poor sleep. That is why you should try not to ever procrastinate on your work. It will be a lot better if you spread everything out so that you have at least a few days to get the information in your head. This will give you more time to prepare so that you will be able to turn in your best and most thought out work.
