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Study Tips

Author: Nikki Hansen

Where Should I Study?

While studying in your dorm room, on your bed, or in front of your TV may be comfortable or convenient, these places are not the optimal locations for studying.  Dorm rooms and living rooms are full of distractions: people talking, cooking, playing games, watching TV, texting - the distractions are virtually endless.  Laying on the bed to study usually turns into napping!

If you want to want to improve or gain concentration, you should find a place to study that is separate from the places you use for sleeping or recreation . This will train your brain to know that "this is where I study, not where I sleep."  Try a library, a coffee shop, a classroom, a park or the student center at your school. These places are likely to be quiet (but not too quiet) and will be free of the types of distractions you may encounter in your living space. 

Study Tips: How to Study

 

Here are some quick tips for effective studying:

Study in chunks: 20 – 50 minutes, followed by a brief break (10 minutes) has been proven to be one of the most effective study techniques.

Use daylight hours – Do the work that requires the most concentration earlier in the day.

Study actively: ask yourself questions, take notes, review your notes, talk with a peer or professor.

 

You will get the most out of studying if you set a goal for yourself. 

Know your resources, and use them! (Library, computer labs, teachers and peers, tutoring centers).

Learn actively, Study actively. 

Manage your time well – make sure you leave room in your schedule to get your work done.

Concentration and Memory Tips

Reviewing materials before they are introduced in class will help you to recognize and remember the content of that material later on. 

Upon learning new material, review your notes.  Write down anything additional that comes to mind.  Order and organize what was learned. Apply the new material to what you already know.

Read your notes out loud. Try teaching the content to a peer - by teaching things to others you generally end up learning something new.

Quiz or test yourself (especially if you've been given a practice quiz).

Get enough sleep!