Nobody wants to devote their entire college life to prepare for classes and papers
and college exams. The payoff of good grades and a fancy Latin
distinction next to your name at graduation seems hardly worth this kind
of effort. However, there’s a difference between studying hard and
studying smart, with the latter potentially taking up less time and
producing better results.
For many college students, studying means holing up in your room or library the night before a test and pulling an all-nighter
to cram previously unseen course material. All too often, students
arrive at tests ill-prepared, over-tired, and over-caffeinated, running
primarily on a combination of anxiety and sugar. Surprisingly, this is
not the recipe for college success.
Give Yourself Time
One of the best ways to study smart is to avoid cramming. Spread your
studying out over the course of the entire term, reviewing your notes
after each lecture or reading assignments (yes, you should be taking
notes on these things) and periodically refreshing your memory of what’s
been covered so far in the course as you integrate new material into
your understanding of the subject.
However, nobody’s perfect and I’ve yet to meet a student who is this
flawlessly on top of all of her work for every class. You may be
balancing work and college, and you certainly have other courses and a
life to attend to. Plus, it’s human nature to procrastinate
a bit. So if you realize you have a test coming up and you’re not
entirely prepared, don’t beat yourself up.
Instead, clear a bit of room
in your schedule each evening for a week or two before the test to
review material. The most effective studying is done in blocks of 45
minutes or less, with retention abilities decreasing the longer you cram
without a break. By scheduling a bit of studying into each evening,
you’ll not only save yourself the all-nighter, but you’ll also be more
likely to remember what you read.
Remove Distractions
Effective studying takes place in a quiet and well-lit setting with
ample space and few distractions. In a communal living situation,
however, this space can be hard to come by. Even if you do manage to
find a secluded corner of your dorm room, the library, the student union
or your favorite coffee shop, the college lifestyle
doesn’t always mesh well with quiet studying. You still may have to
contend with a host of distractions, ranging from your cell phone to
your laptop to your study partners.
Depending on what you’re studying, you may want to study alone, or
limit group time to the time it will actually be productive. Turn off
your TV and your phone while studying and refuse to let anything less
important interrupt. Take breaks when you find yourself getting
distracted, and consider employing one of a number of methods to get
distracting thoughts out of your way (writing them down for later comes
highly recommended). If you find yourself surfing the Internet instead
of reading or writing, a number of programs are available to forcibly
block all distracting programs until you’ve completed your homework.
Take Care of Yourself
People study best when they’re awake and alert. They don’t study best
immediately after a huge meal or immediately before bed. Skipping meals
and missing sleep can reduce your powers of retention and
comprehension. Overdoing it on alcohol, caffeine, or carbohydrates can
also make your brain sluggish and less able to absorb new information.
Luckily, despite what you may think, it is possible to work “brain food”
into a college budget diet. However, while getting plenty of sleep and
eating brain food can help you learn more easily, lifestyle changes
won’t necessarily result in good grades without the study skills to back
them up.
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