Study Advice From My Students

 What should you actually DO when you study?  Here is some advice from my students in one section of the Learning Strategies course I teach.  Of the 15 strategies shown on the board:

* six of the students said they use study cards (two students “dittoed” the green word), 

* three like to outline,

* two said they make study guides,

* two mentioned some form of time management, and

* one each advocates studying in advance, reading notes listening to music and learning some test taking strategies.

Notice that almost all of these strategies are active and many involve some form of writing.   Rereading or “looking over” your textbook and lecture notes are not enough.  You need to be actively involved with the information, working and reworking it in your brain over and over again and in different formats.

Two of these strategies, outlining and making study cards, should be done following each class or chapter (not as exam preparation), and then reviewed constantly leading up to the exam.  Once the exam is about one week away, start by looking over all of the material, organizing it into study guides, and then relearning and reviewing section by section.

Stay strong as we wrap up another semester and approach exam week.

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First Semester Success: Study Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is now available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.