5 College Studying Tips That Will Surprise You
You’ve tried every method you can think of, but nothing seems to help improve your grades. Learning what kind of studying works for you can be a long process filled with trial-and-error, because what works for one person doesn’t always work for someone else. Because of this frustrating process, college students tend to stick to the same studying methods over and over again.
According to Dr. Chu of Samford University, students base their studying behavior on how they believe they best learn. While this is perfectly understandable, average studying habits lead to average grades even if you spend more time studying than everyone else.
Certainly there are widely used studying tips, like reading the textbook or taking notes in class. Most students are aware of these tried-and-true methods, but they rarely try to improve their studying habits. Try using these 5 surprising tips for studying!
5 College Studying Tips That Will Surprise You
1. Skip group study sessions.
Studying with students, especially if they get better grades than you, seems like a smart plan. Hopefully their “smartness” will rub off on you, and your grades will improve. Unfortunately this is rarely the case. Why? Because every student learns differently. No one student learns exactly like another.
While studying with other students may make studying more enjoyable, it will probably hurt rather than help your grade. Studying in groups provides far more distractions. Even if you’re just catching up with each other, you can easily waste an hour talking rather than studying.
Studying alone is not always possible and can sometimes be demotivating. So, if you feel motivated to study by being around others, try studying with one other student. Wisely choose this one person, because this person can be a distraction or a tremendous help. Go with this person to a place with tables and chairs (e.g. the library, a coffee shop, etc.) and keep each other on track.
If you feel motivated to study by being around others but cannot find a reliable study-mate, try going to a coffee shop. Because you probably don’t know the people around you, you will be far less tempted to talk to others. But, because many people go to coffee shops to work, you will be motivated to stay focused. Use this positive peer pressure to get your own work done.
If you can’t seem to find a space to study alone, find ways to stay focused. Try rearranging your daily schedule. For example, get up earlier and study before most students are awake. If this is not possible for you, try using earplugs or noise-canceling headphones to block out distracting noises.
2. Refuse to multitask.
The idea of “multitasking” is actually entirely false. You cannot do multiple things well at the same time. Instead, your brain switches back and forth from one task to another. Because of this, your multitasking is probably only making homework require much more time than necessary.
Many students listen to music, eat, or have their phones easily accessible while studying. While none of these things are “bad,” they can be incredibly distracting. You cannot study well while also doing other tasks.
You may have objections to the previous sentence. Maybe you argue that listening to music helps you focus. While some claim this to be true based on personal experience, researchers believe that listening to music has little if any impact on test scores. In fact, other research shows that studying in silence results in better test scores.
Listening to music may seem to help you focus, but sometimes it can have the exact opposite effect, especially if your playlist includes music with singing. These recordings can make it difficult for you to read or write while listening.
Instead of listening to music while studying, try studying in silence for a few weeks. Compare your grades from these weeks with those from the weeks before. See if studying in silence makes a difference.
Maybe you argue that eating food helps you to stay motivated while studying. The reality is that eating food while studying often results in overeating. You also may be less conscious of what you are eating, causing unwanted weight gain.
Instead of eating, try drinking water and chewing gum. Not only will you save yourself calories, you will keep yourself hydrated. In addition, you will keep your workspace free from clutter and distractions.
Maybe you argue that you need your phone at an arm’s length at all times. Truthfully, emergency situations which require your immediate attention occur rarely. Most calls or texts can wait an hour or so before you reply.
Control the distractions you can control. Try putting your phone on airplane mode to avoid seeing notifications. Better yet, put your phone in your book bag—completely out of sight. Refuse to check it until you are finished with your task.
3. Use small time blocks.
Sometimes you only will have a limited amount of time to get your homework done. In these situations, you have no choice but to push through and get everything done, but usually this is not the case.
If you manage your time well during your day, you will have enough time to complete all your homework throughout the day. While it may be tempting to rush through all of your homework so you can hang out with friends, don’t. Instead work in small time slots.
One way to do this is by organizing your schedule for each day. Most students fail to think more than a day ahead. Sometimes your busy schedule may require you to do this, but thinking a week ahead is much more helpful.
Try blocking out specific times each day to work on each class. For example, at 9 am every Monday, you will complete your math homework for Tuesday. At 1 pm every Monday, you will complete your English homework for Tuesday. These are appointments you make with yourself every week, and you cannot skip them.
Another way to do this is by using the Pomodoro Technique. When using this technique, make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish. Set a timer, giving yourself only 25 minutes to accomplish each task. During this time, do not allow anything to interrupt your work. After the timer rings, put a checkmark next to that task on your to-do list. Then take a short break, lasting 5 minutes or less. You can repeat this process up to 4 times, but after the fourth time take a longer break (20-30 minutes).
4. Tutor a struggling student.
If you want to master anything, teach it. Being able to explain the information well requires a deeper level of knowledge. Your professors know this firsthand, which is probably why they often require hands-on assignments like projects and papers.
Many schools offer tutoring centers, and these centers are wonderful resources students should use. However, some students may benefit from a peer’s help, especially someone they already know.
To improve your understanding of the material and to be a help, offer your assistance to a struggling student in your class. You certainly don’t need to dedicate hours to this, but do try to meet with this student for at least 20-30 minutes every other week.
Scheduling a time will require you to thoroughly understand the material before meeting with your peer. While you should not complete this student’s homework, you can provide assistance. Work alongside this student and try to answer any questions he or she may have.
Not only will you be able to assist someone needing help, but you will also help yourself better understand the class material. You’ll find once test-time comes you will be more than prepared, because you have a much fuller and deeper level of knowledge.
5. Create and take practice tests.
The best way to assess your own understanding is to test yourself. Yes, this sounds ridiculous, but it really isn’t. According to the New York Times, when our brains recall information, we are more likely to be able to recall it later. For example, a student who misses a test question is more likely to recall that same information at a later time.
Because of this ability for our brains to recall information, test-taking before the actual class test can be more beneficial than traditional studying methods. So, instead of reading your notes over and over again or making flashcards, try making tests instead.
While this can be a time-consuming process, it can cause you to recall the information much better when the test day comes. Rather than trying this alone, try to find a classmate to assist you. Each of you can create a test, and try to make these tests to mimic your teacher’s test style. After exchanging and completing your tests, grade each other. You will be surprised what you do and do not know, which will prepare you better for the real test.
No shortcut exists to improving your grades. You will have to commit much time and effort in this process, but you can successfully conquer your classes using these 5 surprising studying tips.
