Dear Freshmen: Study Hacks for Your Next Big Exam

You probably studied in high school, but college is another story. By now you may have heard rumors of the three hours of homework for every hour of class, the stories of all-nighters and failed tests, etc. And while those tales aren’t necessarily true, college certainly is a step up from high school in the academic sense. Luckily, HC Emerson has your back! Here are a few study hacks for that next big exam:

 

Rewarding yourself is a good way to trick your mind into studying. If you have a lot of work to get done and not much time to do it, rewarding yourself for making progress can push you forward. For example, allow yourself a snack or a five-minute break for every chapter you read. This will keep you moving forward to get to the next rest point. Just make sure you don’t make it too easy to receive the reward!

 

 

Not everyone is a visual learner and not everyone can pay attention in class easily! Especially if you have a hard time taking notes and listening to your professor at the same time, consider recording you lectures and using them later. Check with your professor and then use your phone to record as he/she talks. Spend the class listening closely to your teacher instead of distracting yourself while trying to multi-task. Then, go back later and listen to the recorded lecture, taking notes as you go. This way, you’ll already have a sense of what the material is about and what’s important enough to write down. Not to mention, it’ll be twice as ingrained in your mind!

 

For those that are visual learners, there are tons of tips and tricks to organize your study habits. Color coding is a great way to personalize your notes and prepare for exams. Use different color highlighters when reading to differentiate sections or importance. Use blue, black, and red ink when taking notes – for example, black for theories, blue for definitions, and red for the rest of the notes. Use your best knowledge to decide how to categorize everything and then use varied colors of pens, highlighters, post-it notes, etc. to your advantage while studying.

 

At this day in age, there’s pretty much an app for everything – including academics. There’s a huge range of apps that can help you with things like recording lectures, taking notes, and organizing your class schedule. Check out apps like iStudiez, Evernote, Studious, and the Google Drive app to assist you with your studies!

 

No, we’re not talking about willpower here. Though if you have some of that, you should be able to stay off Facebook during study time. However, if you’re like most of us, you take more time on social media breaks than on your actual studying. Luckily, there’s a computer application for that! Self-Control lets you “blacklist” certain websites for an allotted amount of time, during which you can’t access those sites. If you’re guilty of Tweeting as you work, consider banning those sites with Self-Control.

 

Your environment makes a bigger impact on your study sessions than you might think. While you might view your bed as the coziest place to get your work done, think differently. Because you associate your room with sleeping and Netflixing, you may internally be less motivated to get actual work done. Consider switching up your space and heading to the library, student center, or even a practice room on campus. The library even lets you rent out quiet study rooms if you’re having a particularly hard time focusing!

 

We know you probably don’t want to see your professors more than you have to during class, but trust us – it’s worth it. Emerson professors are as passionate about what they teach as its students are about their careers. Make sure you take advantage of your connection with professors on campus. Email them with questions and visit them during office hours to enrich the education they’re already giving you.

 

In this day in age, it’s probably easiest to lug your laptop to class and type up your notes for the day. And while typing up lectures, notes, and thoughts is better than nothing at all, there are a few ways this can go wrong. Not only is it easy to get distracted by an email or a Facebook post, but typing your notes is a lot less “sticky” than writing them down. Hand-writing your notes further ingrains the knowledge and keeps it in your memory for a longer period of time. Having a hard time keeping up with your professor’s pace? Type them up during the lecture and re-write them by hand before the next big exam!

 

Now that you’re in a college setting, the academics are going to be taken up a notch. If you’re having a hard time keeping up, consider making use of these study hacks!