Studying in college can be tough no matter what topic it is. It could be a simple 101 class or a much more difficult upper-level class. Regardless of the level, it is still important to maintain good study habits- which is what the goal of this post is.
Studying in high school and in college is very different. In high school teachers are much more involved and you are expected to complete homework assignments every day. In college, homework is assigned, but it is largely dependent on the class you take. Alongside this, lots of classes don’t actually assign homework after every meeting. Teachers in high school also made sure students were paying attention and understanding the material. In college, professors are expected to manage hundreds of students so it’s difficult for them to be in touch with every student. Because of this, it is easy for people to get away with not studying in high school. This simply won’t work in college-level classes because of the speed the courses move at.
One of the most powerful tools you can use to study in college is spaced repetition. This technique involves reviewing material, taking a break, and reviewing it a little later. For example, you could review the steps of photosynthesis then come back an hour later and see how much you remember. Then as you check further, the intervals between review sessions become longer. It could move up to days or even weeks before you review the information again. It is important that this is done gradually, however. Performing this technique will help cement the information in your brain.
Another good studying technique is active recall. The active recall involves actively trying to remember information you have already learned before. For example, if you are trying to learn the steps of photosynthesis again, you can try and recall the steps from memory. This means you cannot look at your notes while trying to remember. However, it is ok to look if you truly cannot remember.
Using these techniques in tandem will help form the basis of good studying habits. If you can use these methods, studying won’t be nearly as hard.
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