Life as a California college student can be hectic, as you have to attend a lot of classes, study, spend time with friends, and possibly work a job. Therefore you have to be efficient with your time and make sure you devote enough attention to school work so you can graduate. Studying in college is much different than high school as the classes and tests are more intense, so students need to produce more effort to learn all of the new information. Overall you still want to have a good balance, so that you have time to enjoy college life while getting good grades. Below are some helpful study tips that should allow you to be more effective.
- Limit distractions – The best way to accomplish this is to find a quiet place to study like the library, because it does not have things like TV, music, video games, and friends to distract you. If possible turn off your cell phone for a bit, no texting either as it will prevent you from the task at hand. Just sit down and focus, stay on one task and work on that project so that you can soak up all of the information you need.
- Reward yourself – Graduating from college is a long term goal, which many people celebrate as it is such a big accomplishment. If you are just starting college, you have a long way to go so you should give yourself little rewards along the way to keep up the motivation. An example might be blocking out 6 hours on Saturday to study, then you can go out with your friends for the night.
- Use study aids - Flashcards, slides, rewriting notes, and trying some mnemonic techniques, are just some examples of study aids. Anything you can use to aid in studying is a great way to improve your retention of the subject matter. Try different approaches and figure out which works best for you. Some students prefer to get a classmate to partner with so they can quiz each other about the subject.
- Sleep – This is important to do daily for a certain amount of hours, but also important to do before tests. Do not go out late and party before a test, then only get 3 hours sleep. Your brain needs sleep to properly store and remember all of the details from your studying. If you deprive your brain of sleep, then it will be tougher to focus when studying or taking tests.
- Scheduling – Just as you would make a budget with money, you should make a budget with time. Block out time for studying, work, classes, and friends. Make sure everything has a slot so that you can get all of the things accomplished you need to each week.
Tags: California Colleges
