College life is a new phase of education that takes on a more serious focus than high school. It is a relief to know though that college is not as intimidating as others would like you to believe. It only entails more didactic responsibilities and a more mature behavior in dealing with challenges. An effective study habit is one way of being able to cope up with college life. You should be able to manage your time well and meet the academic demands of your subjects. The following are effective study habits that you could utilize in college:
Prepare a daily study schedule and stick to it. Assign more time to subjects you find difficult. Designate a time for working on assignments and of course some minutes for relaxation too. There should always be a time for everything.
2. Listen intently during lecture hours.
Much is learned when you listen attentively to the professor during actual lectures. Professors usually stress points they consider significant. Watch out for topics which are not found in your textbooks. Note this down as it is considered additional information and may be given as a part of the exam. This will also signify to the teacher those who are listening well to him.
3. Take down notes during lectures.
Take down notes and underline topics that your professor stressed during the lectures. You could re-write them later, after class hours, to learn more. Re-writing them would allow you also a better understanding of the topic. Be organized and neat in your note-taking. This would help you a lot when you review them.
4. Study daily.
Cramming will eventually lead you to nowhere. It lessens retention and therefore true learning does not take place. Reading your notes and studying them daily will definitely benefit you. Do not just memorize. Understand the concept of what you're reading. Analyze it carefully for longer retention.
5. Do additional research.
Good and responsible students do research even if not asked to. Read books. Research will help you understand the lesson more and would demonstrate to your professor your willingness to learn. Go to the library and read. Learning means also being updated with the latest information on your topic.
The internet is a good source at times, but you should rely only on sites which have been validated and proven to be legitimate. There are many misinformation obtained online through spurious sites.
6. Adapt an organized system of study.
You can employ the following: Read, write and summarize. Your first procedure is to read all of the topics. Then you write down what you remember from your reading. This is the longest
process as you have to re-read the sub topics until you are able to write, without reading from the text. After you are able to do this with all of the sub-topics, then summarize the whole topic, without referring to your book.
At first, you'll find this tedious, but as you get use to it, you'll find it easier and very convenient.
Associate your lessons with their practical applications. If you're studying chemistry associate sodium chloride with table salt. Lime water with coke or sprite, etc.
Make use of acronyms for memorization. Get the first letters of the items and form a word. Let's say the functions of the liver are: Metabolism, Detoxification, Synthesis, and Esterification.
You could form the acronym MEDS. M- Metabolism, E esterification, D detoxification, and S synthesis.
It is easier to remember things when you associate them with familiar things around you.
You could devise various systems that you find comfortable with. Be innovative.
7. Sleep early and wake up early.
Based on several researches, it is healthy to practice this. As the slogan goes: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise." When the body is well rested, the mind could function more efficiently.
You should develop study habits that do not compromise your health and a system that you could easily adapt to. You could have fun while studying. Implement an effective study habit and do well in college.
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