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Study Skills
Time ManagementCreate a calendar of dates containing all assignments, quizzes and exams. This way you will allow time to plan for an entire semester. Include other commitments such as work, family, study groups, and appointments. Make sure to keep your calendar up to date, daily. Keep your calendar with you so entries can be added immediately. Make a "To Do" list. Start with an entire week. Then break it down into a day planner. Prioritize and include reminders to yourself.
Click to download a weekly planner in Microsoft Word format. Make the best use of your time: for example: if you are a "Morning Person" study in the morning. Schedule study time in a minimum of one-hour time blocks. Then take short breaks in between. Plan ahead for large projects and papers. These may require longer time blocks. Divide this type of assignment into smaller, less difficult pieces. Decide on a Plan of Work for large projects. Flexibility is key. A rigid schedule does not allow for unforeseen events. Make sure to schedule relaxation, exercise, and recreation time into your schedule (a healthy mind and body can retain more information). Allow time for review before class. Be honest with yourself. Know what you can handle; do not over commit. Find a quiet place to study that allows for concentration and minimal interruption. Avoid procrastination. Taking Notes for ClassesGo to Class! Don't rely on photo copying someone else's notes unless it is unavoidable. Read the lecture assignment before class. This will help you capture the finer points during instruction and allow you to ask questions about points made in the text that you are having trouble grasping. Bring materials that are a necessity such as three-ring binders, pocket folder, textbook, writing utensils, highlighters, calculators. Try to sit in the front of class. This will allow you to be seen in case you want to ask questions. Remember there are no stupid questions; if you don't understand a concept, ask for clarification. 
Take notes about content that is repeated orally or when it is written on the white board. When instructors state that "This is a very important..." or "This could be a test question," most likely this is a signal that you can expect this to be on an exam or homework. Underline or star key points as emphasis for review. Don't try to write word for word. Use abbreviations, acronyms, shorthand skills, diagrams, and symbols (+,=,&.%,*). Date your notes and leave plenty of white space in between them. This leaves room for possible future additions. Review notes. This will help you remember what was covered and give you the background to understand new information your instructor provides. See your instructor if you are struggling with any concepts. After taking notes, review and re-word them as soon as possible to make them more complete by changing abbreviated words into whole words, symbols into words, and shortened sentences into longer sentences. Click here to see samples of taking notes! Tips for Reading TextbooksSkim your assigned chapters for information pertaining to specific learning outcomes that you need to understand. This will help you get a basic idea of what the chapters will be covering. Read your material for no more than 45 minutes at a time. Try reading your chapters out loud. Sometimes actually saying the words can help you to comprehend the material at a higher level. Take a break and come back so that your mind is more likely to retain the information. 
Surveying the chapter prepares you for learning more. Look over the title, the headings, and the chapter summaries or conclusions. View any pictures or graphs that might be in the chapter and the captions that go along with them. Try to correlate information you have learned in previous chapters with the information that you are going to be covering and anticipate how they might relate to each other. Take advantage of chapter reviews and tests that are made available to you at the end of each chapter. This way you can see what you really know and what you need to focus more attention on. Form questions and find the answers in your reading, or if questions are provided in your learning outcomes, be sure to find those answers. Having those questions available is already telling you what information is crucial to know. Write the questions and answers in a notebook so that you have them to review. When marking things in your textbooks, don't mark everything that seems important or interesting at one time. Wait until you know the main points of the chapter, and then mark what you feel is important to focus on. After you have finished your reading, skim the chapter again and see how much you can remember about the information you have marked as important. Test TakingPreparePreparing for Exam Text book chapters often have review exercises and checklists on the content in your reading assignments at the end. Practice these to see where your strengths are. Then focus on what is unfamiliar to you and ask for clarification from the Instructor during their office hours or by scheduling an appointment. Take time each night to review and make up your own pre-test. This will keep content fresh and will reduce preparation time. Review previous quizzes. Often times the Instructor will re-ask a question from a quiz. If they thought it was important, quite possibly they will consider it equally important on an exam. This way you can predict possible exam questions. The amount of time necessary to prepare depends upon the student. The result you are looking for also is determined by how much effort you put in. If you are a quick learner and familiar with subject, you will not need to spend as much time unlike a student who is struggling and is having difficulty. Study information using flash cards, charts or outlines, and mapping strategies. Determine the structure of exam from your instructor, for example, will it be Multiple Choice or Short Answer. Your brain and body require nutrients to work well:
Arrive early and prepared for the exam with all necessary materials, such as calculator, at least two pencils, and notes, if allowed. Utilize extra time allowed for asking last minute questions and clarification. Ask if you can use the margins on the exam or scratch paper to jot notes, diagrams, or formulas during the exam. During Exam
Read exam directions with care. Circle or underline key words that are part of directions. Do not be in such a hurry that you are guessing how to take the exam. If you are unsure of the directions, ask your Instructor to explain them. Look over the complete exam. After you have assessed the test, you can then determine your actions; for example, if more points are associated with a certain segment, you may want to focus attention there so you will not run out of time. You may determine that you want to answer the easier questions first, this way you are accomplishing parts of the test that you know best. If you do not know the answer to an exam questions, skip them and go back at the end. Often questions may trigger your memory for those asked earlier during the course of an exam. Avoid "reading too much into" the question; take the question for what it is. If you are questioning a word or phrase, ask for clarification. Relax. Take a deep breath and concentrate on what you know. After Exam Make sure you understand any questions you did not get correct. These questions/concepts could come up again, even in another class. For concepts that you are struggling with, see your instructor during their office hours or schedule an appointment to meet with them. Stress ManagementStudents often deal with stress in a campus setting when it deals with grades and testing situations. Test anxiety is nothing more than your nerves and the possibility of failure getting the best of you. Stressful situations involve the same scenario. You tell yourself that you do not have the skill set necessary to carry out the task therefore you anticipate failure. Here are several things you can do to avoid stress and anxiety related to your education. Take Care of Yourself: Your ability to succeed in the classroom is dependent on how you treat your body. Schedule time in your day to eat properly, have a regular exercise routine and get sufficient sleep. These three basics will prepare you to cope with whatever the day throws your way. Don't Make a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill: Evaluate the situation. Is it really as bad as it seems? Imagine yourself in the best and worst case scenario. When you mentally process both possible outcomes you have taken away the fear of the unknown. Your nerves and anxiety has no where to go and you can be calmer about what steps will be necessary to do your best. Be Prepared: If you are taking an exam make sure you have studied the materials including your text, supplemental material, and lecture notes. If the test is over a technique you need to explain to an instructor, make sure you have gone over the technique several times before you make your presentation. Being prepared is the best way to zap the anxiety bug. Breathe: During your exam take some deep breaths. Deep breathing causes your nervous system to calm down. Power of Positive Thinking: Before you go into your exam, silently repeat a positive self statement. It may be something as simple as, "I think I can... I think I can". Or think about a happy time in your life. Studies have shown that positive thoughts prior to exams produce better grades. Don't let yourself get down. Be confident! Be positive! Decompress: After you have made it through a stressful situation, allow yourself time to enjoy life. Invite your friends over to watch a funny movie, have a cup of coffee with your mentor-devoted friends will be excited to hear how you overcame a rough situation. Exercise with a buddy-the endorphins that are released during exercise will make you feel happy, refreshed and ready to take another test next week! Problem Solving Solving problems is one of the most challenging skills for a student to learn. Try not to get frustrated, by doing so will only make it harder for you to reach your end goal of solving for the problem. Problem solving is all about coming up against some thing you don't quite understand. Remember, a problem is a task for which a means to a solution is not known in advance. So if you are having trouble solving a problem, these tips can help get you going. Define the Problem When engaging in problem solving it is important to identify where your uncertainty lies. Solving a problem involves:
Finding the Solution The problem will contain keywords that suggest the type of operation(s) to be performed to solve the problem. For example, words such as altogether or total suggests addition while words such as difference or how many more suggestions subtraction. You should always try to utilize diagrams, formulas, and other information provided in the problem to help you solve it. Using the resources provided to you in the problem allows you to visualize the structure of the problem helping you to work out a solution. Make the most of examples given in class lectures and in textbook reading(s). Examples help you understand the material better so you can arrive at a reasonable solution, even if it is done through trial and error. It is important to think logically when solving a problem. You want to arrive at a solution that makes sense. For example, if you are solving for how far a person walked in a day, you would use logic to know that it wouldn't be a thousand miles. If that is the answer you calculated there is probably an error and you need to check your work. |
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