For most people their study habits for college are an afterthought. The college experience is more about finding yourself while you get an education. Sometimes people spend too much time on the extra-curricular and forget to study as much as they should. Being able to improve study skills will allow you to study more effectively and have more time to spend on the fun extra-curricular. These are the best study habits for college so that you can pass all of your class and not have to go to summer school.
Study Habits For College - Success Starts With Good Note-Taking Skills
The foundation of any good strategies for studying begins with taking good notes. Having good note-taking skills will allow you to have actionable and accurate information to study from. Actively taking notes and participating in class will give you the ability to relate the material in a tangible and effective way.
Study Habits for College - Get Ahead Of The Game With Scheduled Study Sessions
One of the fastest ways to improve study skills is to form a routine around your study habits. Using daylight hours to study has been related to a higher GPA in the research. Getting into the habit of studying in a productive and distraction free location will allow you to better manage the quality of studying, therefore reduce the time that you have to spend studying.
Study Habits For College - How to Create Balance Through Time Management Practices
Time management is the cornerstone of good study techniques. Making sure that you take consistent action on your studies and consistently trying to improve study skills will significantly decrease the amount of time that you have to spend studying over time. Scheduling in breaks of 5-15 minutes every hour and rewards such as watching 1 episode of your favorite show, will also help to keep you refreshed and motivated to stick to the schedule. A practical example of how to manage your time better is to go later to a social event and spend some time doing some studying before you head out. Procrastination can easily be overcome with a solid schedule and good study techniques such as time management.
Study Habits For College - Take Some time For Yourself
College is a stressful place and being able to manage this stress and taking steps to reduce the overall stress will help improve study skills. When you are planning your schedule make sure to leave time for catch-up work and time to de-stress and relax, however you enjoy relaxing. There are a lot of resources to help you if you are feeling burned out or fear becoming burned out and you should get help if you need it.
Study Habits For College - Manage Test Anxiety
In college there will be exams and tests and good study techniques will help take the anxiety off of them. Once you are on the way to the test it is too late to cram and you should relax in the fact that you have the appropriate study habits and relax. It doesn't matter how much you studied if you get worked up and blow the exam. Cramming is also something that a lot of college students try to do and it doesn't work because even if you pass the test you will not retain any of the information that may be necessary for your career or subsequently related course.
Study Habits For College - Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Ingesting a healthy and balanced diet, making sure that you get adequate rest and exercising daily will give your mind an edge and improve study skills. Using coffee or energy drinks are okay for an occasional pick me up but be sure to limit the intake of these stimulants to prevent the negative health and mental effects of over-consumption.
College like life is about moderation and balance. Taking the time to improve your study habits for college will help balance the amount of time that you have to spend learning with the amount of time that you could spend doing.