Getting back into a routine and figuring out how to study for new classes is one of the most difficult parts about starting a new semester. I have found that different classes require different study methods, and the first week of classes can be very rough if you don’t know how to properly study for each class. Throughout my college experience, I have found different methods through trial and error. The effectiveness of different study methods may vary depending on the person and the topic being studied.Â
Here are some of my favorite study methods, what they’re helpful for, and how to use them:Â
Spaced repetition consists of reviewing material in smaller bits over multiple days. This method is very useful because you can use it for any type of class that involves vocabulary or conceptualization. The purpose of spaced repetition is to increase the retention of information for long-term memory. With spaced repetition, you often review the same topics repeatedly but as time passes, spend less time on each topic each day. This is a big comparison to if you crammed everything into one long study session before your exam. Aside from less time spent on the topics per day, this supports your memory even better than a cram session! Depending on the topic, you may want to study 15 minutes every day, or even 1 hour every day. The important thing to note is that it is typically practiced for at least 10 days.Â
My absolute favorite study method is the Feynman Technique, which involves teaching concepts to others to solidify your own learning. In teaching others who may not have background knowledge on the subject you’re studying, you will have to put things into simpler terms. You may have to explain certain concepts more in-depth for your “student’s” understanding because they lack background knowledge on the subject. If you don’t have someone to teach the topic to, you may even teach it to your stuffed animals, pets, or even to a time lapse! The Feynman Technique is helpful for conceptualization because it makes you think of relationships and concepts more simply, but also being able to explain the “Why” behind the concepts. If you don’t know how to explain something or answer someone’s question, you can look more in-depth to fill your knowledge gap! This technique especially helps with understanding materials because you must think through it well enough to teach it to someone else.
3. Mind Mapping
A mind map is a visual representation of the different aspects of a topic connected with each other. When mind mapping, you start with a larger topic, which might be the topic of a single lecture or a whole unit. Once the larger topic has been identified, you can either refer to your notes or just memory and connect subtopics within the larger topic together. The goal of making these connections is to increase your understanding of how different concepts are related to each other. For example, if your topic is furniture, and your subtopic is chair, you can connect sofa, dining chair, bean bag, and stool all to chair.
The pomodoro technique involves setting timers for time to focus and time to take breaks. I absolutely love using an online pomodoro timer to time the focus and break times for me. With the pomodoro technique, you typically have 25-minute focus times with 5-minute breaks between each focus time. After four focus times, you will have a 15-minute break instead of 5 minutes. This technique is super helpful if you’re having trouble focusing because you have designated time for work and breaks. I also think that it makes the study time go by faster too!
The Leitner system is a great method for those who love flashcards and spaced repetition. The concept of Quizlet flashcards is based on this system, so you may use Quizlet for online flashcards or paper flashcards if you prefer those! If you prefer paper flashcards, you will have to make three boxes for the flashcards labeled “easy,” “medium,” and “hard.” To start, you will put all your flashcards in the “hard” box and go through all the cards. As you go through the cards, you will place them according to whether you get the answer correct or not. If you get the answer right, move it to an easier box, and if you get it wrong, move it to a harder box. Once you have the cards sorted, you may space out studying the cards based on difficulty. You may do what works best for you, but you can also study easy cards weekly, medium cards every three days, and hard cards daily. This method is wonderful to apply spaced repetition in a methodological way and improve memorization.
6. SQ3R
The SQ3R method is a study method that’s great for comprehending readings. Whether you may be reading a textbook or have a reading where you must answer questions, this method makes you think more deeply about the content you’re reading to learn the content rather than reading just to get it done. SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, review. Starting with survey, you must go through the reading to get an idea of what it is about. You may do this by reviewing the title, subheadings, figures, and any introduction and/conclusion. Once you have an idea of what you will be reading about, you must formulate questions about each section of the reading to get you thinking about what you are wanting to learn from the reading. Now, as you read the article, keep your questions in mind and make up new questions as you need. After each section, recite it by going back to your questions, and answering them based on what you learned. Once you finish the whole reading, review it by going over all the questions and answering them. This method is great for reading comprehension and can even leave you with good study questions!
Knowing different types of study methods and what they’re useful for can help you get a solid start to the new semester and improve your understanding of the basics in your new classes. Good luck with all your exams!