As I am teaching courses at the graduate level, I am noticing that students seem to lack basic study skills. In this post, I will give you five essential ways to boost your study skills and succeed in your academic career!
For various reasons, many students do not know how to study for exams. Although they may attend and participate meaningfully in class, they can fail to perform in this one essential area. This post is aimed toward addressing that issue by providing some useful tips.
- Keep up with the reading. Be sure to read regularly so that you don’t have to sit down and try to digest several hundred pages at a time. You will retain much more knowledge by using this method and reduce your stress to boot. Although this is perhaps overkill, it may help you to stay a week or so ahead in your reading. That way if you become sick or an emergency arises you will not fall far behind. Staying on top of your work is much easier than trying to catch up. No matter what your IQ is.
- Ask questions. Each week as you read, jot down questions you may have or things you need clarified. Then be sure to follow-up by asking your professor for further clarification. If your professor does not allow class time for this, then ask to have an appointment during office hours and get your questions addressed. Do this each week and do not wait until the last minute.
- Create an outline. For each class period, and each reading assignment, create an outline of what was covered. Include salient points in your outline. Then, use your outline as a study tool. The process of creating the outline will also help you with generating questions that need clarification (see #2, above).
- Consider buddying up. If you are extroverted, you may process information better through active discussion and engagement. Consider forming a study group with peers who receive similar grades. Discuss the material actively, including your reactions to it and opinion about what you think is salient. Then go back and update the outline you created in #3.
- Do activities. Sometimes textbooks will offer additional activities or quizzes. Be sure to take advantage of these as they will help you learn how to apply the material. According to learning theory, if you can apply the material you will know it much better than someone who can merely repeat it.
- Be respectful. Try to establish good relationships with your professors. This isn’t about brown-nosing but rather about establishing rapport. You are going to want to feel comfortable enough with your professor that you can go to him or her whenever you have a question or concern. If you do not establish rapport then it will be more difficult for you to do this, and you are therefore less likely to approach him or her. Professors want to help. Good professors, that is. Good professors are inspired and challenged by thoughtful questions. If yours isn’t, perhaps it’s time to pay a visit to your program coordinator and provide feedback.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Barbara LoFrisco
