Getting back into the swing of things for a new school year can take a little bit of time to get used to.
Maybe you have to wake up early again for that 8:00 a.m. class twice a week, or you have to change your work availability. You might even need to learn how to get to a hall you have never had a class in before.
With all of the new classes and new professors, there is one thing all students have to unfortunately get back into the habit of: studying.
Do’s:
Turn the TV off. Although time may seem to go by faster when you’re watching your favorite show while you try to write a paper, you would be surprised how much faster you can get done without the distraction of your television. Just turning the volume off does not fully eliminate the distraction either.
Put your phone on silent or leave it in another room. When your phone starts ringing or vibrating, it can be pretty difficult to ignore a text or call from your best friend. One text leads to an hour-long conversation and, before you know it, it’s midnight and you still only have one math problem done.
Sit at a table or desk. Of course, it’s more comfortable to lie in bed or on the couch while you read your textbook, but it is definitely a lot easier to fall asleep.
Study in a quiet environment. Noise can be more of a distraction from your homework than you would think. If your home is too chaotic, go to a library. If you do not have a local library close by, Halle Library is right on Eastern Michigan University’s campus. It has books, computers and plenty of quiet space for students to take advantage of.
Study alone or with people that you know you will actually study with. Studying alone is usually the best option when you have a paper to do or an everyday assignment. Groups can be beneficial for group presentations, but also for big projects or tests. Partnering up with someone or a group of other students in your class gives you the opportunity to have someone else explain something to you, give you a different point of view or even test each other.
Check your school email and online course shells. Your professor may send you important additional information about what you’re studying or possibly fix a problem that other students ran into.
Read all directions thoroughly and at least twice through. The second time you read them, you may catch something that you didn’t the first time. You do not want to lose any points or drop a grade simply because you overlooked a few small details.
Don’ts:
Don’t have a bunch of social networks up while you’re studying. It can be very tempting to check your notifications on Facebook and Instagram. You might feel the need to tweet how stressed out that quiz is making you. The time you spend going back and forth between trying to study and scrolling through social networks could have easily cut the total time it took you to complete your assignment in half.
Don’t study with your best friends or your significant other when you know you cannot stay on topic. Girl talk, video games or kissing every few minutes is not exactly productive while trying to get your homework done. The faster you get your work done, the more time you will have for your social life afterwards.
Don’t talk on the phone, text or Skype while studying unless it’s specifically for homework purposes. Chatting with your friends or family will distract your thinking, and not only will it take you longer to finish, but it could also effect how much knowledge you’re actually taking in.
Don’t use unreliable sources for help. Although Wikipedia and Google can be great starts, you want to make sure that the information you are using is from an accredited site or person. You do not want to waste your time studying false information.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many professors will give out their email address or put it on the syllabus. Most want to help you and they want you to pass. It may take them a day or two to get back to you, so if it is an urgent question you should write it down and go see them during their next available office hours.
Don’t procrastinate. It is extremely common for college students to put studying off until the night before due to hectic schedules, balancing other due dates and assignments, or maybe just plain laziness. If you start right away and you run into a problem or a question you have time to actually figure it out or get help. The information you study or work that you do will stick with you a lot better if you look at it more than once so give yourself adequate time to do so.
Many students are paying for their classes or will be paying back loans eventually, so don’t waste your money by failing a class or not doing as well as you’re capable of. Get into the right study habits and it will have a positive impact on not just your grade, but how much you learn.
