How To Study: Okay-ish advice from a 4.0 Honors Student
(( I posted this on reddit a few months back and a lot of people found it useful so I figured I post it here too, just in case! ))
As a bit of a background, I am an English literature major and minoring in anthropology. I recently wrapped up my first year of university with a 4.0 GPA and I've somehow managed to make the dean's list both semesters. I'm also a student in the honors college. Mind you, I am not naturally smart. I have dyslexia and constant brain fog due to multiple chronic illnesses. New information can be hard for me to grasp and I'm so bad at math and spelling it's not even funny. That being said, my grades came from sheer hard work and reliable study techniques which is why I hope these methods will be of use.
Before you actually sit down and study- get that sweet, sweet motivation going:
I am someone who actually enjoys studying. Like, it's a hobby for me. I love learning new things and it's the best feeling in the world when I finally grasp a concept I was struggling with. Of course, not everyone enjoys studying, so here are a few tips on getting motivated for your next study session.
Dress for success but make it comfy. Wear an outfit that makes you feel good even if you aren't leaving the house. Wearing the same pajamas for 3 days in a row probably won't make you feel motivated for a study session, so wear an outfit that you're excited about.
Freshen up. Wash your face with cold water, take a shower, or change your clothes, etc.
Set the mood. Light some candles, play some music or ambient noises if you'd like, make yourself a study snack and a drink so you won't have an excuse to leave your desk, and make sure to have good lighting. If you're able, try to keep the room cool. Colder temperatures help with focus and keep you more awake.
Clean your study area. It will help with distractions and once you clean your area it'll already make you feel productive which will help boost motivation.
Find some quiet. I get it, my household is often pretty loud and going to the library isn’t exactly a viable options for everyone. Because I can't always go somewhere quiet, I rely on some earbuds/headphones and ambient noises to drown out the sounds. You can find a bunch of different ambient noises on youtube! My personal favorites are library and rainstorm ambiances.
Put away distractions. Either turn off your phone, put it in airplane mode, or download the Forest app. I went a bit extreme and deleted social media apps from my phone during finals.
5-second rule. Starting is the hardest part so instead of promising to do 2 hours of studying, promise to do just 5 seconds. And then 5 more seconds and 5 seconds after that. Eventually, you'll be engrossed enough that you'll stop counting.
You're almost ready to study, but wait, how do you know that your study session will be productive?
Real quick, let's talk about the difference between passive studying and active studying. Passive studying is, for the most part, just going over things. It's rereading the passage in your textbook, it's mindlessly flipping through your flashcards, it's skimming through your notes, etc. Now, all of these things are fine to do either at the start of your study session as a warm-up, at the end of your study session as a cool-down, or as a great way to study during small pockets of free time. However, it is the least effective way to retain any information. The bulk of your study session should be active studying. This is summarizing that textbook passage in your own words, it's having someone test you with your flashcards in random orders, and it's applying what you learned in new ways.
When and where should you study? Everyone has that certain time and place where they are able to focus the best and it's different for everyone. I'm a morning person and I work best between 6:00 am and 12:00 pm. Usually, after lunch, my focus drops. I also know I work best in the library or, if I'm at home (such as during the current global crises), I work best by a window with natural lighting. Find out when and where you work the best and take advantage of it.
Take study breaks and get good sleep. I don't care how soon your exams are, if you burn yourself out in the first day you won't retain any information. Take a break, go outside, drink some water, or call a friend. Try to avoid social media until after your study session is over. Also, if you can, get as much sleep as possible! It's pretty obvious by now that sleep is important for basic brain functions so try and stay on top of a consistent sleeping schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday and yes that means weekends.
Also, a bit of advice that no one wants to hear: don't study the things you already know until the very end. I know it will make you feel better and make you seem productive but your focus needs to be on what you don't know. Once you understand what you don't know then you can revise what you do know. When you do a load of laundry, you don't just wash the clothes you already cleaned, you wash the dirty clothes first. (Sorry, that was the only example I could come up with)
OKAY! Now that you're prepared to study, I'll break down some different methods of how to study.
Flashcards! But only make flashcards for words you absolutely don't know. I use quizlet more often than traditional flashcards because they're quicker and easier to make and use. Quizlet also has an option to test you and determine which words you most struggle with.
Repetition is key. Write the word over and over again while sounding it out loud and picturing the definition. This is especially helpful for languages with writing systems outside of the modern English alphabet.
Speaking of different writing systems- ignore writing the English pronunciation if the language you are learning uses a none romanization writing system!! When learning Japanese for example, it's advised not to learn the romaji (the pronunciation of Japanese words written in English) as it stifles your speaking ability. Learn the writing system first and then move on to vocabulary. It will save you so much time, I promise.
Try to apply the words you use in everyday life. Obviously, I'm learning Japanese so sometimes I'll just go around the house, point of things, and say their name in Japanese. For example, I was toasting some bread today and I tried to come up with a sentence while I cooked- " パンです。私はパンが好きです。パンを食べます。" (Bread. I like bread. I eat bread.) It sounds dumb but just trust me on this.
If you can, find a study buddy you can have conversations with in the language you're choosing to learn. If not, have conversations with yourself. Again, just trust me.
Memorization based learning:
Again, quizlet/flashcards are the OG study method for memorizing.
Memory tricks! There are so many different memory tricks you can use and there are many sources online that can help you find the ones that work for you. I personally use wordplay to help me out and sometimes it's a bit of a stretch but it still works. For example, when I was a kid I learned the word knee in Japanese is 'Hiza' and my teacher came up with the phrase "Hiza's on his kneesa (he's on his knees is what it's supposed to sound like)".
Test yourself! Make it a challenge to see how many you can memorize.
Figure out what works best for you- are you a visual learner, a kinesthetic learner, an auditory learner? Find out what helps you the most and incorporate it into your studies. Personally, I'm a visual learner so I draw pictures and diagrams when I can.
Conceptual learning (this is the study methods I use most often due to the nature of my major):
(These methods mostly apply to learning concepts and theories-- things that require more than just memorization)
Rewrite any lecture notes from that day into a separate notebook. I use one 5 subject notebook for my 5 classes where I quickly jot down in-class notes. I don't care what my notes look like as long as I can make sense of them. You can also type them in class if you're allowed to and want to. Then, when I finally sit down to study, I'll rewrite my notes all nice looking in a separate notebook. This saves me from trying to make nice looking notes in class when I should be giving my full attention to the lecture. There's also evidence that rewriting notes by hand helps with memorization. It's up to you how and when you do this. I don't always have time every day after my lectures to re-write my notes so I usually pick my least busiest days to take a few hours and rewrite my notes. I'll often do this early in the mornings before a lecture because I'm a morning person and it sets a productive tone to my day.
Draw or add visuals if possible. This can apply to every type of learner and it helps so much. For example, when I was learning literary deconstructionist criticism and I had to make heads and tales of the concept of signified and signifiers (signified being the word and signifier being what is associated with the word) I drew pictures and diagrams in my notes to help cement the idea. I've also seen people draw comics of the concepts they're learning. It's almost like summarizing an idea in your own words but using pictures. It's also a study method that can be fun and relaxing when paired with some good music.
Speaking of summarizing in your own words, do just that. Take whatever concept/idea/and theory that you learned and summarize it in your own words. Write it down, draw a picture, act it out, etc. This is the perfect way to get a grasp and what you do and don't understand. It's not just memorization, it's a concrete concept that is now rooted in your brain.
Now that you can summarize it, teach it. Teach someone (who will listen) what you've learned. Not only do you have to be able to summarize what you know, you now have to come up with your own examples. Bonus points if your "student" asks you questions and you have to find the answer.
Apply what you've learned. Better yet, apply what you've learned to something you like. When I was learning about ecocriticism (paying attention to the ways literature examines the subject of nature) I decided to play video games while applying the theory I had learned. There's a lot more to the idea of nature in the Witcher III video game than you would think.
Are you still stuck? Watch youtube. Seriously, there are youtube videos for almost everything and that includes the materials you're learning. I find that learning a concept from multiple different viewpoints helps me grasp it so much better.
Congratulations! You're now ready to rock your study session! While these tips and tricks may help some, everyone works differently so experiment until you find your groove. Some people like the whole Pomodoro technique where you work for 25 min, and break for 5 but to be honest, that's never worked for me. I tend to study best in 1 to 2 hours bursts then take a 20 min break.
Last bit of advice that, again, no one wants to hear. As I said, my grades came from pure hard work in the face of many difficult obstacles. However, no matter what those obstacles were and how much they affected me, I knew that at the end of the day, I had to be the one that put in the work. Life wasn't going to come to a stop so I could focus on school and school didn't care what I was facing at the time. Now, obviously, take care of your physical and mental health, take days off if you need it, and be careful of burn out. Giving 100% doesn't mean ignoring your health, it means knowing you did your very best. And when it's all said and done, it's up to you how much effort you put in. If you want it bad enough, you'll work hard enough.
