college student would love some study tips

First off...here is my background. I just graduated college in 2011. While in school I taught the Freshman Orientation classes that essentially taught students how to be a college student. This is what I told my kids.

Note taking: This one was a tough one for me too. I usually take a highlighter either on the computer (microsoft office has a button for that) or on paper and highlight all the things that I think I will need to know. After that I take that information and condense it into 1-2 sentences that are the most important or will jog my memory over what I read. This will let you read and comprehend first then condense later. Figure out what works for you but whatever you end up doing...read once all the way through first then worry about notes the second time you read. You will retain MUCH more information this way.

Calendar: I use the google calendar. You just have to create an account with them and then you can add whatever you need to there. Also you can set up reminders and if you use your gmail (google email) account they will email you reminders as well. Works great for me! You can also sync your phone if you have a android smartphone.

Good luck!

most important think IMHO is to understand HOW YOU LEARN and employ the techniques that best support your natural inclinations. not everyone is a reader. not everyone is a writer. some folks need pictures, some need to hear it, others need to use their hands.

you should be able to find a free learning style evaluation test online. more importantly, tune into yourself and get a sense of what makes it "stick" best. maybe you need to spend some time speaking out the answers to a study buddy instead of just reading reading reading and writing writing writing? maybe you need to see some pictures, draw some pictures? get creative; try different things. best if you can find something that's fun.

i'm a pretty even mix of visual. auditory. and tactile. that means i learn best if i use a variety of different techniques to learn/study/remember.

The best advice I have ever been given and worked great for me was to BUST YOUR *kitten* on every homework assignment. Make sure you know what is being asked and answer it appropriately. That alone is great studying. When tests come along, there is likely nothing you haven't seen before that you can't handle and prepareing for most exams will consist of simply reading over your notes.

It depends on the text - but most books have "key points" at the beginning or end of each chapter. I would just make sure that I understood those points by re-writing the definitions and examples in the textbook in my own words. And then I would just...copy what I had written a few days later.

That sounds weird now, but it worked for me just to hand-write things those 2 times.

Come to think of it, I don't know how I got through nursing school like that. I really never studied much at all. Hm. Now I feel like I have to justify that - I did get the highest score on our exit exam. lol

Dr noob has a lot of good points.

I'd suggest Google apps or Microsoft 365 with one note for notes.

giving yourself a mental break is really important. Try going out dancing or a bar. Really after a beer I'm completely relaxed and ready to absorb information.

Bill Ph.D

I used to get up at 5am to study for a couple hours every day and I used to do my homework as soon as I'm done with all of my classes. I put in a lot of time, but got good grades out of it.