Last month, we looked back at the past year with our Summer Reality Check. This month, we’re looking forward. For many students, the hardest part of college is figuring out just how to study: You know, what you’re supposed to do outside of class so you’ll understand the lectures, ace the tests, and nail the papers. Many students have developed habits and strategies that get in the way of their success. For them – and perhaps for you – here are our top 12 tips on how not to study:
1. Don’t spend too much time looking for the perfect environment. Many students think that if only they found the perfect place to study, it would all be a cakewalk. So they spend inordinate amounts of time scouting and trying out various locales – first their dorm room, then the coffee shop, then the library, then the grass, etc. This can be a major time-waster and, worse, it can make you feel that you can’t study at all unless you’re in your ideal study spot. Better idea? Find a reasonably quiet place and just get started. You’ll feel more comfortable with your surroundings as you get more into the studying.
2. Don’t count prep work as studying. Some students do a lot of preparing or getting organized for studying, but they never get down to doing the actual studying. Don’t give yourself credit for studying when you’re actually just cleaning your desk, reorganizing the files on your laptop, or “getting ready” to study. And, of course, facebook time and IM-ing aren’t studying, even if they’re done at your study spot.
3. Don’t start with the no-brainers. Some students think that starting with the easiest tasks – or the ones they’re best at – will “ease them into” the material. Trouble is, when you get to the harder tasks, you still have the leap to make – and you’re more tired, too. Suggestion? Start with the hardest or most challenging task. Then move on to the assignments even a bozo could handle.
4. Don’t multitask. Believe it or not, some students study for all five of their courses in a single session: 15 minutes on this subject, 15 minutes on another, 15 minutes on a third – you get the picture. It’s a far better idea to devote your entire study session to only one subject. That way, you’ll really get into the material, build up speed, and, the more engaged you get, the easier the studying will become. Worst of all is to intersperse one subject with another – do 10 minutes of math, then give up and do 10 minutes of econ., then back to the math. That’s a recipe for guaranteed confusion.
5. Don’t discard the clues. Many professors give study questions to go with each reading, or, at least, say in class or on the syllabus what to focus on when tackling your assignment. Be sure to consider these all-important (and time-saving) suggestions before you start studying. And, if your class includes math problems or proofs, be sure to consult the problems done in lecture or section before taking off on the new ones. Often the homework problems are just variants or extensions of the work already done.
6. Don’t microfocus. Some students think the best studying is super-slow studying: reading every word, one by one; writing every word of their paper, one by one; preparing a presentation, one word at a time. But like any cognitive activity, studying is a process that takes place over time and gains strength by building up speed. If you focus too narrowly on the individual elements of what you’re doing, you lose sight of the main issues and suck the life out of the learning process.
7. Don’t just memorize. It’s useless to just shovel stuff into your mind that you don’t understand. If you really understand what you’re studying, you ought to able to explain the main ideas, in your own words, to someone who hasn’t studied the material (try it out on a roommate or friend). Take the time to think about and digest what you’re studying – instead of just preparing to parrot it back on some upcoming exam.
8. Don’t take constant breaks. You’re used to getting your content in 140-character units, in 20-second bursts, or with lots of video to go with it. But studying is not like Twitter, YouTube, or Hulu. You need to have sustained attention to get the point of the reading or to see your way through the problem. Don’t allow yourself constant interruptions. Rule of thumb? One 10-minute break for every 50 minutes of studying. Look, we know it’s hard to break old habits. But doing so will prevent having to restart – and overcome your resistance – 20 times an hour.
9. Don’t forget to take notes. Be sure to take careful notes on all of the reading throughout the semester – notes you can refer back to when the midterm or final comes along. Though everyone has his or her own style of notetaking (and you should use whatever works best for you), we’ve found that it’s often best to take separate notes on a laptop or tablet (where you’ll actually be able to read what you’ve written), rather than cramming single words into the margins of the book or highlighting practically every word of the text in six different colors.
10. Never blow off two days in a row. Though nobody quite tells you this, you’re supposed to be studying every day of the week. If you’re supposed to be preparing, on average, two hours for each lecture hour — and you’re taking 15 hours of courses — then you’re supposed to be preparing 30 hours a week. It is hard to fit 30 hours of studying in only three days a week.
11. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Many students set elaborate study schedules and then beat themselves up when things don’t go quite according to plan: Maybe some task took longer than anticipated, maybe some additional materials were needed to complete the assignment, or maybe you were just tired or distracted that day. Don’t get all depressed when you haven’t kept 100-percent to your plan. Keep in mind that you’ll have many study sessions, and that remaining in a positive mood about your schoolwork is much more important than how any one study session – or, indeed, series of sessions — goes.
12. Don’t go it alone. If, in spite of your best efforts, you find yourself spending enormous amounts of time preparing for one class — or are always hopelessly behind in your studying for that class — go see the prof or TA. They’ve had loads of experience with students just like you and they can make practical suggestions about how you can get on the right track – a real lifesaver if, in spite of our How Not to Study Guide, you’re still having trouble studying.
If you liked the tips in this article, you’ll love the 637 tips in our book, The Secrets of College Success. Write us with questions or blog ideas at firstname.lastname@example.org. And follow us on Twitter @professorsguide. We’d love to hear from you – really.
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