When you enter a collegiate or university campus, you will quickly learn the amount of resources granted to you will dwarf the amount of options you had in a secondary-school environment. Not only has the number of students increased by several thousand people; orientation guides and classes are eager to present the number of teaching and study groups at your disposal.
Although they seem excessive, the resource-centers offered by universities prove useful. An impromptu study group of classmates is one thing—having certified tutors provided by the university is something else. Even with this in mind, simply having a tutor may not be enough. One of the biggest challenges in college—regardless of your degree—is finding the best study habits that make exams, research, reports, and dissertations a little easier to swallow.
(While this article does not claim to provide miracles, it will claim to provide solutions).
Finding a study-group or using tutors that provide value are great when they work on their terms…the other half of the battle is finding study habits and tutors that will work on your terms.
These are the five best study habits with devices, techniques, and methods that I found most useful during my time in college. Links below will include a few other articles and services that can provide more elaboration on specific ideas.
1. Understanding Time Management.
Before we even get started about how to study, knowing when you’re going to study and how long is equally important. In high-school, your study-time was spent preparing for tests and collecting information to use in term papers. In college, your study time is not only going to be spread out among different subjects but it’s going to drastically niche-down after you’ve decided on a major.
Regardless if you’re on-campus or off-campus, the amount of freedom you technically have in relation to the classes you’re taking will be a force to be reckoned with.
And with this reckoning comes the responsibility of time.
During your time away from class—after you’ve written your obligations in your planner—take a few minutes to craft out blocks of time that you will dedicate to studying for each class. These can be anything from 30-minute chunks to more than an hour’s worth of time needed to memorize all the terms and information needed to ace the tests.
Collecting data for term papers is a lengthier process. Once you’ve established what your subject of research is, you will need to find enough information in order to craft a niche thesis. Depending on the class level, your professor may be able to work with you in pointing out a direction to go in.
This process will become more prevalent if you end up taking classes related to humanities, political-science, law, or earth-science. A good rule of thumb in crafting time for paper research is as follows:
- Try to focus first on finding resources (both at the university library and local public libraries) that explicitly deal with your area of study. Online collections of scholarly-journals such as JSTOR are also good for finding information relevant to your niche. Make sure to set aside several hours—or even days—dedicated to finding enough relevant information for you to craft a thesis.
- Focus second on organizing the information that supports your thesis. Once you’ve narrowed your area of study and you know your argument, use a digital document (or kick it old-school by using index cards) to match the information with the required citations so you know where each piece of information came from. One of the worst things you can do when writing a paper is citing information from the wrong source!
Taking out blocks of time—and utilizing them well—is crucial to establishing good study habits. Using hours to get terms and ideas memorized for tests is one thing but using time for term papers is another beast entirely. If you want more information about how to stay organized when writing term papers, The University of Texas at Arlington has a comprehensive guide on what methods to use. Everything from note-taking to citation is included!
2. Eliminating Distractions.
You’re guilty of it, I’m guilty of it, everyone is guilty of it.
It’s especially hard when you’re supposed to be doing research online and the wonders of social-media beckon your attention. What was supposed to be a productive session involving vocabulary words and being able to write a few paragraphs on the nervous system has turned into an avalanche of memes, comments, and GIFS filling your social-media-feed of choice. What happened? How could such a promising start turn into a stereotypical tempest of getting distracted?
This is why it’s good to eliminate as many distractions as you can.
This means putting your phone on silent and leaving it in another room. This means using website (or even internet) blockers like Cold Turkey to make sure you can’t get into an everlasting sea of insanity. Three meme templates here, a few YouTube videos there, some Facebook comments over there…and you’ve lost an hour before you know it.
If you run a social lifestyle that involves texting lots of friends, let them know that your phone will be on silent during your day’s designated study-sessions. It starts with making a commitment from the get-go to worship at the altar of productivity instead of the altar of instant-connection. Yes, organizing events with your friends can be a good thing but it should fall by the wayside when it comes to being able to pass the class.
And speaking of organizing events with your friends…
3. Organizing a Study Group.
The type of study group you need to organize doesn’t need to be the dysfunctional kind that participates in school paintball-fights or starts bizarre, impromptu morning-shows . All you need is to find a few classmates or friends willing to help in the memorization game.
You can do the old trick of having them ask you what certain vocabulary words mean, and you repeating the definition back to them. You can have the group work together until everyone is clear on whatever process or idea is daunting the discussion. You can even challenge each other to come up with solutions out of problems or questions you’ve created (this works well if you’re doing something related to physics or mathematics).
The one thing you need to keep in mind is making sure everybody is focused on the task at hand. It’s easy for study groups to devolve into non-study-groups so have somebody designated as a ‘monitor’ to make sure everyone stays on task. Regardless, a study group still remains one of the best study habits.
4. Using On-Campus Resources.
The opening paragraph of this article talked about on-campus resources and this section will go into more detail here. Large scale universities and colleges will usually offer graduate students as available tutors and writing workshops to improve the quality of your essay writing. These facilities range from on-campus-libraries to halls with private meeting-rooms.
Once you have a designated plan, (i.e. you need someone to proofread or edit a research paper, or you need help with sentence-structure) then you can move into the next step of whatever you need to study or prepare for. (This comes in handy when you may not only need to write a paper but give a presentation as well).
5. Brief Use of Private Tutors.
When eliminating distractions, participating in study groups, and using on-campus-resources don’t seem to be getting the job done, one option is to pay for a session with a private tutor. Depending if you attend college in an urban or rural area, your options may be limited; if you are able to find someone willing to help you with the subject you’re struggling with, it may not hurt to give it a shot! Private tutors can range anywhere from around $20 an hour to even $50 if their expertise lies in a niche subject so it may be better to use this path as a last resort.
On another note: if you are in the process of needing to pass a foreign-language-course (or are studying foreign languages) this method can be a useful—though comparatively expensive–method for getting ahead in the class. If a study-group consisting of non-native speakers isn’t getting the job done, consider setting some money aside to spend an hour or two with a specialized language tutor. They will be able to help you with pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary while also giving you the experience of hearing the language outside an academic environment.
You can find tutors in your area on websites like wyzant.com.
Conclusion.
Make no mistake, college can be an overwhelming experience. The good news is that there will always be resources around you to help guide you through the most difficult classes. Taking time to remember the places, people, and best study habits at your disposal can ward off a would-be-nightmare for an unsavory class, test, or subject. Always remember that while the courses you take may feel unfriendly, using every tool on or off campus can help break the ice in trying to ace them.
On campus-resources and people are generally very friendly…
…the real-world is much less-so.
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Let’s crush our dreams together,
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