Studying Tips

          Studying is one of the things that when you arrive at college you are expected to already understand. However, many freshmen have not had to truly study in high school and so they do not know how to. Here are my best studying tips, coming from someone who really readjusted her idea of what studying is.

1.     Find friends to study with

Many people think that studying alone will benefit them more because they will be more focused, however, I believe that studying with friends helps you learn the most. It allows you to ask questions as you go and may even give you the chance to teach your friends, which helps you better understand the information yourself. Plus, when studying you need to take breaks.

2.     Take breaks!!

Taking breaks during a study session is one of the most important things a student can do. It helps to refocus you as you are going and encourages you to look at hard sections again, possibly in a different way. Not stopping to take breaks simply tires out your brain, so make sure to take breaks and eat or even go for a walk to keep your mind sharp during your study sessions.

3.     Exercise

Taking time to exercise between studying sessions or even a break to take a walk during your study sess will greatly help you in the long run. It helps keep you focused and healthy, which are both extremely important with a big test approaching.

4.     Start earlier than you need to

Remember to set aside time early on so that you do not need to cram the night before, something I am sure is what you did in high school and it worked fine there. In college cramming will rarely help you prepare for your exam, so give yourself plenty of time before the exam to really get to know the material and test yourself on it.

5.     Sleep!!!

Make sure you are getting enough sleep before your exam. Being to tired that you miss your exam or are even just late for it hurts you in the long run. Furthermore, you want to make sure you did not waste all that time studying because you are too tired to focus during the exam. Make sure you get around 8 hours a sleep a night if possible and definitely around 8 hours the two nights prior to the exam.

6.     Do not forget to eat

Remember to eat as you study and before your exam. Food is what gives your body and mind the necessary energy to focus and work properly. Make sure to fill your body will some healthy food, especially the day of the exam, to promote brain function and ensure you do the best you can on your exam.

7.     Test yourself!!

The most important tip I have learned is to make sure that you test yourself on the material prior to the test. Often walking into testing material can cause you to forget some of the material and you do not want that to happen during the actual exam, so put yourself in a testing environment (no talking, practice test and pen only, not notes) and see how much you truly understand. This will help you to go back and look over the sections that you struggle more with and reduce some of the testing anxiety that you may have.

By: Molly Rind (Mentor Team G)