Sometimes, sitting in the hot, AC-less buildings, it’s easy to forget that summer is gone. Yet we are already a month into school and midterms will be here before you know it. To avoid the last minute know-nothing feeling, you may want to get into some good study habits now.
Time ManagementThis one is obvious and 100% effective. Procrastination is a student’s archnemesis. Make sure you have an agenda book or a calendar, your swords of choice in the battle with procrastination. Have your weekly schedule written in so you always know when you have free time. Then keep track of when individual assignments are due. Make sure you know how much time each day you have to devote to studying. From there, divide the time up amongst your classes based on which ones have the most material and which ones have a test or major assignment that week. Chances are, you have a million and three other activities eating away at your time, so make sure homework fits into the madness.
Spread out the WorkloadThis one goes hand in hand with time management. If you have a massive essay staring you in the face, the worst thing to do is close your eyes and pretend it’s not there. Be practical; something due in two weeks can be started right away and finished early with time to edit and polish it. It’s amazing how an entire essay written over the course of a single night will have an obvious, gradual decrease in clarity and style. Make check points for yourself, and stick to them. Put these goals in your agenda book/calendar (see: “time management”) and only focus on the task at hand. It will seem a lot less stressful when you are only focused on writing one paragraph instead of an entire 10 page paper.
Color Coding
It’s hard to stare at a page full of text, especially when that text is mind-numbingly boring. Your eyes start to sting and you feel that incoming headache. There’s a good chance it’s nighttime and you’re studying by artificial light.
The solution to this is simple and immensely beneficial: color coding. Highlight or underline vocab words in one color, key points in another, and important names in a third. Or, use it to keep everything in sections: chapter titles in one color, sub chapters in the next, and main topics in the third. Maybe do names one color, dates the next, and places the third. Any way you split it up, colors will make the page easier to look at, and can make the info more memorable.
Form Study GroupsIt can be super helpful to work with a group. Maybe you excel at stoichiometry, but can never recall how to use Avogadro’s Number. If you form a chem study group, you can share your strengths and get help with your weaknesses. Teamwork can make a dream work!
Don’t Form Study GroupsAs great a resource as friends can be, sometimes they’re just a distraction. Working in the common room may be fun, but will it be productive? Find an isolated spot where you can go when you really need to focus in and get some work done. Maybe it’s a hidden corner on one of the library’s top floors, maybe it’s an empty classroom in Glatfelter, or maybe it’s an adirondack chair on Stine Lake. Also, it may be a good idea to keep your study spot secret. You wouldn’t want your friends coming to mess with you when you need to be in the study-zone.
Avoid DistractionsIt is very easy to pull out your phone while studying, with the intent of checking the time, and blow an hour of your valuable time. Even if you’re good at putting the phone back down, chances are you may pick it up too frequently. Keep things that will be a distraction as far away from you as possible when you’re studying: phones, ipods, books, play dough, mirrors, roommates, bouncy balls, and friends. Turn things off, put things in drawers, or hide from everything in your designated study spot.
Reward Yourself Once in AwhileWe all know how tempting it is to shovel food down your throat as you stay up late cramming. However, this probably isn’t the healthiest option in the world. Try promising yourself something special (say, a lollipop) once you get to a certain point in your work. You’ll be motivated to get to that point, and then your treat will be a great pick-me-up to lift your spirits and help you push to the end of your work.