A College Student's Tips: Studying

By Anthony Romero on May 22, 2017

Studying is quite a struggle for a plethora of students. I myself used to have a ridiculously rough time with it. No matter how hard I tried, there was never any way for me to overcome the frustration with concepts and homework.

Eventually, after having so many hours of dealing with peaked mental exhaustion I realized that maybe I was trying too hard; perhaps, I was like a man running into a brick wall, instead of actually climbing up and over it?

After conversing with people, reading, and applying practical advice on my own material for my classes I’ve come to realize that studying has a lot more to do with technique and control than merely memorizing something by constantly rereading it over and over again.

Obviously, you can’t just stare at a paper and expect to understand its content immediately. So, let’s break down studying and try to make it easy for people to understand.

First, work alone. Some people will study in groups when this is probably one of the worst ideas, considering a large majority of people intending to do this get distracted with one another within their group. Almost always, I find group studying to be a terrible idea, and here’s why: You’ll have fun, but you’ll never get any work done.

So, that leaves us with studying alone. Real creative, insightful and genuine work takes a laser-focus, and determination — you can’t do that with your pals joking around and interrupting one another. There’s no substitute for hard work. To deeply understand, you must start alone and build on that foundation.

Now, you’re going solo, right? What do you do? Remember when I mentioned focus? When you’re studying the world practically freezes over for you. Close off any and all distractions. If you’re using a textbook, shut off any internet connected devices and leave your phone out of sight. Your attention is precious; don’t waste it. When you’re studying, you have to be absorbing and immersing yourself in the knowledge before you.

Break it down, now. Earlier I mentioned that studying has a lot more to do with technique and control, i.e. the method and discipline. Simply put, outline your plan. Pick what you need to study, break it down into tasks, and set time approximations for each one; create small goals and accomplish them so you can ride the momentum onward.

Clearly defined tasks are key and just as much is your location. Pick a place that’ll become your productive area. Some people use libraries, some people have offices, other people use their own rooms. Do not leave this room until you accomplish your clearly defined tasks. Mentally committing yourself is absolutely the most important thing to the whole plan. Don’t leave until you’re done.

Take a break. I know, I know, I said don’t leave this room until you accomplish your clearly defined tasks, and you shouldn’t; but, let’s be realistic. You cannot just sit there for four hours straight studying without going a little crazy, so take a break. Set out a pocket of time where you do something fun and meaningful.

Make sure this break is actually a full-on break. Go outside and breathe in the air, go to the gym or hang out with a friend for a bit. Relax a bit. It’s perfectly okay. The reason this is important is because insight doesn’t just happen in the moment of concentration sometimes. More often than not, a sudden onset of understanding and comprehension happens when I’m pondering a problem while taking a walk. Just be ready to get back to work when you’re done with your break.

Branch out for more material. You don’t just have to use your given materials to help you study for your particular assignment. The world of the internet is home to a vast set of resources where you can find lectures across YouTube, Khan Academy, and Coursera!

You can even go to your friends for help. You might be thinking, didn’t you say to study alone? Yes. Yes, I did. You definitely should. But, there’s no reason that you can’t have a serious discussion about a concept to further your understanding of it. If you’re honestly comparing your knowledge and teaching one another, there is no reason to cut it out. At the end of the day, your friends are likely going to help you out, but on the off-chance they’re just there to fool around and unless you’re on your break, pull out.

Remember, studying is all about technique and control. Always look for dynamic methods of studying, because not one way works for everyone, but a good general idea of how to begin is always handy. I hope this was informative and, at the least, helpful to anyone who struggles with studying.

tech.co

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