By: Kimberly Martinez
Nobody likes to study. It can be difficult finding the best study habits that fit you. Yet the payoff for students is great and extremely useful in our everyday classes. Here’s a few ways to strengthen your studying in hopes that you may find one that suits you best.
When studying it’s important to minimize any distractions. So make sure you find a nice quiet place where you can relax and fully focus on what you’re doing. You can break apart what you need to study by class or simply from harder to easier work. That way you can have a break in between assignments to refresh your mind and allow yourself to continue without getting burnt out. Another thing that has seemed to help is setting a goal for each study session. That goal can be a certain amount of work you want to complete or a said amount of time you want to study for. And if you were to accomplish said goal make sure to reward yourself. Rewards can include your favorite snack, or some time on your phone to look at social media or watch an episode of a show, or maybe spend some time relaxing and hanging out with friends. After all, everyone loves to work for something if there is a reward for it. If you struggle with focusing or just need some extra
guidance, make sure to ask for help. Sure it can seem to be embarrassing but in the end you are helping yourself succeed by understanding the subject from someone with a better understanding of it. Who said studying was a solo project. If needed you can create your own study group and that way you can ask help from those you’re comfortable with and it can create a better atmosphere if you all supported each other through your studying.
Believe it or not, highlighting material can be very useful. It may seem like a hassle but it helps when needing to look back. That way you have all the important information at your disposal without having to spend even longer looking for that same information again. But rereading also has its own benefits. It can be extremely difficult to fully understand what you’re reading by reading it only once. By rereading it two or more times you can uncover information that you didn’t see before that connects the story. Another thing you can do to ensure a passing grade is rewrite your notes. Writing down what you are learning has been proven to help remember what you learned later on. However, often the notes you are taking can turn out to be rushed or messy when you are following along in class. So by rewriting your notes you can get the satisfaction of them looking neat and process all the new information you have learned. You can also create flash cards with the important parts of your lessons. It doesn’t have to be word for word either. You can put it in your own words so it’s easier to understand. After all the flashcards are meant for only you to study. You can also use practice tests to help you gain an understanding of what’s to come. You can use the ones provided from teachers if they provide any or attempt to create one for yourself.
These are just a few of the ways you can maximize your study habits. Although it may not seem like it, studying can improve your intelligence. And with finals coming up fixing the ways to study to benefit you can prove to be the best choice once finals roll around.