9 Awesome Study Tips For College Students

Since grade school, most students have been taught the "right" way to study: Dedicate yourself. Memorize. Lock yourself in a quiet room and don't leave until you know the material. Recently, however, the New York Times reported that many of these habits are scientifically unsound, and that some strategies that seem counterintuitive actually do work. Below are some of the methods the Times sheds light on, plus ones that we have found to be tried and true.

What tips do you have for effective studying? Weigh in below.

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Alternate Study Spaces

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Although some people swear by the library, cognitive scientists suggest that alternating study spaces is a more effective way to retain information, according to the New York Times. Memory is colored by location, and changing your study locales increases the likelihood of remembering what you’ve learned.

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Although some people swear by the library, cognitive scientists suggest that alternating study spaces is a more effective way to retain information, according to the New York Times. Memory is colored by location, and changing your study locales increases the likelihood of remembering what you’ve learned.

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Comments

[PeterOregon]

07:12 PM on 09/15/2010

I send a broadcast email at the start of term and set up study groups for difficult classes like calculus and physics. Last term I think everyone in one group got an A and in the two others I was a part of the lowest was a B. These were courses with class averages in the low 70's, so it wasn't grade inflation.

I'm not particularly sharp, I think my HP comments speak for themselves, but the smart people I got to study with me pulled me right along.

Oh, and go to every class, duh. I pay cash for tuition so to me skipping class is like burning money.

[GeorgeZaluski]

12:00 PM on 09/15/2010

The internet is also a good resource you could use to study more efficiently, with sites such as Cramster.com or MatchVenue.com that connect you to students who are willing to share their wisdom.

[PelePele10]

01:39 PM on 09/13/2010

Keep a cold red bull handy kids!

[Riham005]

12:26 AM on 09/10/2010

Don't Immerse Yourself in Subject Material......So true.

[JazzHands]

12:11 AM on 09/15/2010

Except when you have to... fraking Oxford-stlye tutorial education.

[gfirmin57]

06:50 PM on 09/09/2010

Don't whine and blame the professor when you flunk a test.

[javadrinker]

04:17 PM on 09/09/2010

After reading material, I usually try to explain it to my dog. Saying it out loud reinforces the material in my memory. Anyway, it works for me.

[rh654]

04:23 PM on 09/09/2010

I agree - actually saying out loud what you need to learn is an excellent way to help remember things.

[Meranda F]

12:36 PM on 09/09/2010

I cannot study in the Library or the Computer Lab.

It has to be an empty classroom, preferably with a white board and markers so I can think and study in peace. I get distracted by the internet, so the room must be un-connected so I can bring my laptop and just do work in peace.

Go to class and manage you time are two of the biggest DUH statements I have ever seen.

[johnmorgan]

12:09 PM on 09/09/2010

Seriously, the best tip I can give students is to attend every class, and pay attention. That way you'll learn 50% of the course material without any effort. And you want to be in class when the teacher mentions that something will definitely be on the exam.

[BarbF]

08:04 AM on 09/09/2010

Best study tip I ever had was to focus on learning the material for myself, not for the teacher, or an assignment or an exam. You never know what will be useful in the many years ahead.

[eric14]

08:02 AM on 09/09/2010

Excellent tips. Flash cards can contain a considerable amount of information. I reduced around two hundred pages of dense jurisprudence to twenty pages of notes; reduced them to twenty big cards and these to twenty smaller cards. The process of card production was the process of learning. In test I came top. Only time I studied like that. It works.

Reformulation of complex information into entirely new language is vital. Précis and summary are central skills.

[bobbiisadukefan]

08:00 AM on 09/09/2010

One more tip...don't read this stupid article. I will have to agree with the poster that stated rewriting your notes. That is a great way to study. I do it 3-4 times as well.

[Carachama]

07:56 AM on 09/09/2010

I always recommend flash cards to my students. Not only are they the best way to memorize material, they also help you integrate material. When you shuffle the cards, disparate ideas may be on subsequent cards. This makes your brain draw links between the various bits of material.

I learned the "go to class" one later in my own college career and see its effects as a professor. Those that don't go to class lower their grades a letter or two.

[PTAOfficerforObama]

06:36 AM on 09/09/2010

I was an avid flash card user. Once made, you can take them anywhere and pull them out of further use. I think I need to add two more to the excellent list.
1.Keep hydrated--this helps you stay alert.
2. Use Office hours with the porfessors. They sometimes can explain something better one on one, or can see right where you are tangled. Ithey also see that you are truly committed to learning.

[realpolitic]

12:58 AM on 09/09/2010

Re-write your notes from class and read all your material before class.

[Lexi Suarez]

07:54 AM on 09/09/2010

I'll rewrite my notes at least 3 or 4 times, it's the best way for me to get it in my brain for good.

[eric14]

08:06 AM on 09/09/2010

This could be main reason why, in college, women overtook men worldwide since the seventies. They just keep much better notes. The tasks of producing them is engagement in learning. And it is a hassle free kind of activity. Guys too often make a song and dance about studying like it is really difficult. Well, guys, it is if you don't do enough!

[realpolitic]

06:08 PM on 09/09/2010

Good for you and keep up the great work.

[David John]

12:47 AM on 09/09/2010

okay, so the pic of the flashcards that links to this article is absolutely hilarious

they must be talking about students studying for their MBA

LOL

[eric14]

08:08 AM on 09/09/2010

So right. My note cards had one to two hundred words on each. Very silly photo or college education has really dumbed down. You know that through their economic miracles MBA's did not exist in Japan or (then) West Germany.