The top 10 strategies on how to get good grades in university!
This post is all about study skills college students need.
There are many different ways to study, but it’s especially important to find study strategies that work for you in university. This list contains study skills college students need to keep in mind for successful study sessions throughout any semester!
Since studying is such a huge part of college life, it’s important that it becomes one of your most honed skills.
Here are a few strategies that will take your study habits to the next level!
This post is all about study skills college students need.
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TOP 10 STUDY SKILLS COLLEGE STUDENTS NEED:
1. Plan your semester ahead of time
Your syllabus is there for a reason!
One of my favourite parts of starting a new semester is getting the syllabus, going through it, and creating a study schedule + timeline for the upcoming weeks of school.
How to do this:
- Go through each syllabus, one class at a time.
- First, copy all the important due dates into your planner or calendar. Include the TIME that the assignment is due, and how much the assignment is worth in your overall grade.
- If there is a significant amount of reading, include what day you have to have each reading done by.
- If you REALLY want to be organized and stick to a schedule, plan out how many days you’re going to take for each specific reading and add those to your calendar, too. This might be helpful if you’re really good at working on a schedule, but if this will just stress you out more, you can skip this step.
2. Keep an organized note-taking system
Whether you like taking notes on-paper or digitally, it’s important to keep your notes organized so that you always know where to find things.
How to do this:
- Title your notes accurately (e.g. don’t just tile it “Lecture 2” but instead title it with the topic of the lecture).
- If you note-take digitally, make separate folders for each class.
- If you note-take on paper, consider having separate notebooks for each class.
- Use headings throughout your notes so you can easily jump to a certain section or topic if needed as you review.
RELATED POST – Note Taking in College Tricks That Make Studying Less Stressful
3. Make or join a study group
Having a group of friends to study with is a really helpful way to make studying a lot more manageable.
In freshman year, I was a little hesitant when my friend asked me to study with a group of people, because I thought it would just end up being distracting and we wouldn’t get anything done.
Wanna know what happened instead?
We were able to divide up sections of the test and compile really great notes on everything we needed to study, and it made it so much easier and faster to learn the information.
We were also able to quiz each other, which made it a lot more fun!
So, even if you don’t think you’ll like studying with a group of people, it’s always worth a shot.
4. Review notes before you sleep
I used to always roll my eyes when I heard people saying this, but then I learned that there’s actually psychological reasoning behind it.
Studying when you’re tired and then sleeping after can actually help your brain retain that information, according to studies. You don’t have to study for hours on end every night before you sleep; just reading through your notes before turning the lights out can make all the difference!
5. Make a glossary of important terms
This is one of the simplest ways to understand concepts that you’re learning in any class. Make a glossary of any important terms, or terms that are specific to the topic you’re learning about.
If you want to take it one step further, your glossary is one example of something you can review for a quick 5 minutes before you sleep each night!
6. Try different note-taking methods
You might know whether you prefer taking notes on paper or digitally, but have you tried different methods of note taking to see what works best for you?
Here are some examples of note-taking methods that lots of college students swear by:
- The Cornell Method
- Mind Mapping (my personal favourite)
- The Outline Method
- The Boxing Method
- The Charting Method
RELATED POST – 10 Stationery Supplies Successful College Students Use
7. Use proven strategies that improve memory
There are actually study strategies that have been proven to help you remember the information better!
Here are just a few:
- Study for shorter but more focused periods of time (e.g. 25 minute focused sessions)
- Every hour, spend 5-10 minutes reviewing the information you just learned
- Draw diagrams to create mental associations
- Exercise before studying and before your exam (even walking for a bit is fine)
8. Keep your study space organized
Keeping your study space organized is so important if you want to actually ENJOY studying and get a lot done.
It’s all about having the right tools available on your desk and in your room so that you can keep your space organized at all times. Less clutter will help you focus so much better and will make you actually WANT to study!
Check out this post on desk organization ideas for some ways you can make your desk super organized & easily keep it organized!
9. Schedule intensive study sessions
You don’t have to wait until you can sit down for 4 hours at a time to study. You can squeeze a LOT of information into your head on a 20 minute bus ride or in 10 minutes before heading to sleep.
College is all about time management, which starts with being intentional. Schedule short but intense study sessions a few times throughout the week. Even if they’re short, 15-25 minute sessions, if you use them wisely and don’t let yourself get distracted, those few minutes will really go a long way.
10. Don’t compromise sleep
The running joke amongst all college students everywhere is that college students never sleep. And while this stereotype might actually be pretty true, it doesn’t mean it should be.
Don’t be the stereotype.
Get your sleep, and treat your sleep like it’s one of the most important things in your life… because it is.
RELATED POST – Sleep Tips for College That Will Skyrocket Your Productivity
Which of these study skills will you be using this semester?
This post was all about study skills college students need.
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