Having been in college for a semester and a half now, I think I've warranted the authority to at least give at least some advice based on my experiences concerning college success.
Thus, I'm here to give you some fresh (haha, see what I did there? I'm a freshman? No? Okay...) advice that I have learned thus far in my college life. While I'm certainly not an expert, I have slowly realized how different college is from high school and I have a few things to say concerning being on top of things. So, here we go!
- Get an agenda. If your school doesn't provide one, go out and buy one yourself. This will be an investment that will be of great service to you during the school year.
- Review syllabuses at the beginning of each week. What I like to is write down all of the assignments for the upcoming week. For example, if the syllabus says I have to have 50 pages of a book read by Friday, I will divide the pages equally among the days, writing what to do on each day in my agenda. This helps me to have a daily to-do list. When I finish each task, I also find it helpful to highlight them. That way, I know I've finished all that I need to do when a whole section of my agenda is colorful. You could also use different colors to signify importance of an assignment, though I simply prefer to highlight a task when it is completed.
- Transfer notes to a study tool. This is completely optional, but it is beneficial for me to turn my notes from a certain day into flash cards at the end of the day. For this, I use the site Quizlet. By doing this that same day, you will be forced to review the notes you have taken and by the time that you have to start studying for the test, the information will already be compiled. Fancy that!
- If you have projects that are due later in the semester, try to work on them as soon as possible. You never know what will come up later in the semester, therefore it is best to do them quickly. Try working on them a little bit on the weekends (yes, you should try to at least do a little work on the weekends. This keeps you from becoming overly stressed during the week) and if it is due a month or two down the road, try dividing tasks so that you can progress toward a project's completion gradually.
- Start studying for tests in advance. In college, you have significantly fewer tests, therefore each test covers copious amounts of information. That is why it is best to start studying in advance. A good way to do this is, say, to count how many sections, pages of notes, or chapters you have to review and divide them up to read over and review each day, leaving the last two days before a test for a comprehensive review. If you simply don't have a huge chunk of time during the day, try reading over small sections of notes before you go to bed, as experts claim this helps you to retain information.
- Have 100 pages of a novel to read by Friday and don't have much free time? Try an audio book! If you are reading a classic book (for example, Persuasion by Jane Austen, which I read last semester), chances are there is an audio book available for free somewhere out there on the web. I have found these to be extremely helpful when I have large reading assignments, yet I have no time to actually sit down and read. I have listened to books while getting ready, straightening my room, eating, doing laundry - wherever I can squeeze it in. If you have found that you don't understand a certain part of the book after you have listened to it, then you can turn to trusty Sparknotes. While Sparknotes is often viewed in a bad light, when used correctly (as a supplement for reading) it is quite useful for clearing up information that you may not understand after you have already read it (and is a very good way to review what you have just listened to).
- Find a study buddy. Now, I'm sure there are people who prefer to study alone, but I, for one, like to study with another person. The way I like to go about this is to first get together with a friend and go through each of your class notes and discuss them. That way you can see some points you may have missed and your partner(s) can see what they have missed. Also, by slowing down and discussing the notes, this helps to embed the information on your mind. After you have reviewed, try quizzing each other. If there is something that you are struggling to remember, try thinking of something crazy or silly to remember it, such as using an acronym or something (acronyms always helped me). If that doesn't help, try thinking of whatever you are struggling with logically and try to put in into simpler terms.
- Another key to studying success is taking breaks. You will do much better if you take short breaks every 30 minutes or so than by plowing right through everything. For your break, maybe watch a YouTube video, eat a snack, or get a few crunches or push-ups in there. I find breaks to be extremely beneficial when studying for long periods of time.
- Contact your teachers with questions. Don't be afraid to email teachers with any questions you have. The worst that can happen is they ignore you! They can't label you as stupid, because you aren't being stupid by asking a question, even if it is considered a "dumb" one, because you are taking the initiative to ask. Besides, the best source of information is the teacher, therefore if something is bothering you or you are confused by the syllabus, shoot them an email. I know the professors at my school (though I go to a small liberal arts school, so this may not work for larger schools) are willing to meet with students personally during their office hours to sort out any problems that may have arisen. So go ahead and give it a shot.
Now, these may not be practical for you. That's okay! They surely won't work for everyone. Happy studying!
