Everyone learns differently. And not only that, but the best method of learning often changes over one’s lifetime. I know that if I asked my high-school version of myself how to study, she would say something wildly different than what I do today.
Coming to college, one of my biggest challenges was learning how to take content from my lectures and imbue them into my brain. I started to despise the way I only learned things for an exam, so I found ways to keep knowledge more permanently. As a biology major, I know my study techniques can sometimes be specific to the content in my classes, but these tips are proven (by a number of people) to be effective.
As I am preparing for my second round of midterms this semester, I wanted to take the time to share with y’all the tried and true tips that I use while studying.Â
- Rewatching Lectures
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This is always my first step. I am lucky that most of my classes are recorded (which especially helps considering how much I skip class). I rewatch all the lectures that are relevant to my exam and take brief notes. Since this is a re-watch step, I will sometimes watch lectures while on the treadmill or folding laundry.
For me, just hearing everything explained one more time helps me find information that I may have missed the first time, and identify weak areas in my understanding. Then, I take these gaps in my knowledge straight to office hours so I can get them all filled by TA’s or my professor. This way, when I start collecting information for my final reviews, I know I have all the content and all my questions have been answered.Â
- Writing
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Turns out my teachers were right when they said that writing can help me retain information better than typing. Almost all my notes for classes are hand written (on my tablet), both in my science and liberal arts classes. I’ve always found that writing physically forces me to slow down and think about what I am actually trying to remember. I am forced to paraphrase what my professor is saying, which helps me check my own understanding. Not only do I use things while taking notes, I also study for exams by writing down all the content (on paper this time).
Essentially, I make cheat sheets for every unit in an exam a few days before taking it, and spend days reading through and reciting them. By condensing everything onto one page, I am able to see connected concepts, and am yet again forced to paraphrase each concept into my own words. Writing out my content is something I only started in college, but it has been massively helpful, especially with last-minute reviewing while I run to my test.
- Changing my environment
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This tip is probably a more niche one. Personally, I hate studying in my room. Something about my bed being right by me is far too tempting. To study effectively, I have to put on a pair of jeans and get the heck out of my apartment. Luckily, the UT campus has dozens of excellent study spots that are open at night and on the weekends. When I need a whiteboard, my go-to is the Norman Hackerman Building (NHB) or Welch Hall (WEL). If I’m looking to go a bit further out, I take the bus down to the Austin Central Library, which has a beautiful view of the river, or I hit up some local coffee shops like Mañana or Bennu. All of these places typically have good wi-fi, decent hours, and easy transportation if you’re taking the bus.Â
- Explaining
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Explaining typically goes hand and hand with writing. It basically consists of explaining each concept out loud. While it’s usually nice to explain it to someone who can fact check me, I usually end up explaining things to my roommates, who barely know what classes I’m taking, or even to myself in my room. This usually feels incredibly silly, but I swear, saying things out loud helps me remember little details.
The first few times I go through content, I explain it with the help of my notes, but I always make sure to go over it a few times without them to see if I really remember everything. If I really need to force myself away from my notes, I run into my shower, or leave my apartment so I can’t access them even if I wanted to. Explaining concepts has forced me to check for understanding and slow things down.Â
- Recalling
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What all these tips amount to is recalling information as many times as possible before the day of an exam. Not only has this technique come in handy for me and my friends, but it’s also been scientifically proven to be a more effective way of studying than repeated reading (Larsen et al., 2009). What this means is that repeated testing, followed by feedback and studying, is a more effective way to learn that intermittent reading.
By using the knowledge from classes in a practical way, you might have a better chance of solidifying your understanding. In terms of actual college classes, this looks like taking practice tests, using flashcards or online services like Anki or Quizlet, forcing yourself to write down equations or graphs from scratch, or quizzing your friends in the class.
Active recall has helped me study for tests countless times, but it does require studying for exams multiple days in advance. This idea was appalling to my high school self, but I know it has changed the way I remember information. I start by reviewing content the Friday before an exam (rewatching lectures and writing information) and then I spend the weekend engaging in recall methods (explaining and practice tests) so that I’m ready for my exam when the day comes.
While I would love to say these techniques have perfected my exam scores, I typically don’t have time to finish all of them, especially when I have multiple exams in one week. Despite this, I typically try to engage in at least a few of these techniques depending on how much I am struggling in the class, and I know that these techniques have served me well. And even if you don’t end up using any of these, remember to take breaks and take care of yourself. Good luck, and happy studying!