Did last quarter not go how you planned? Are you feeling extra unmotivated after a relaxing spring break? Do you need to ace your classes?
Regardless of how you’re feeling about spring quarter, it’s here – along with UCSB’s new mask optional policy and mostly in-person classes.
While online classes are hardly a breeze, this long-awaited return to regularly scheduled lectures filled with students presents its own challenges. Staying afloat in an auditorium with hundreds isn’t easy, and with distractions from international politics to LGBTQ censorship threatening our sense of normal on the daily, school may be the last thing on your mind.
But hey, we’re all still here, and we’ve got work to do. Here are some actually effective tips to help all of us keep our sanity and finesse those A’s (or passes) this quarter.
- Keep Yourself Organized and Accountable
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Remembering deadlines is perhaps the first and most important step in starting off the quarter right. Let’s be honest, every single point and grade boost matters and those small assignments really add up in week 10 when things get desperate.
Notion is my preferred method to track everything – I’ve written an article rounding up some of my favorite templates. A quick YouTube search (“notion template college” yields pretty good results) can help you find a template that suits you best. If you prefer simplicity, stick to the Google Workspace; this video is a great starting point.
Regardless of how you track your schoolwork, what matters is that it works for you, be it digitally or analog.
- Spaced Repetition is Your Friend
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Spaced repetition is a strategy that uses intervals of review to help you retain information easier. Here’s a great article by College Info Geek to guide you through this powerful method. Essentially, by reviewing information you’ve learned at specific intervals of time, you can improve your retention and retrieval of it. When midterm season inevitably comes around, this is an invaluable tool. Here’s an article that boasts about spaced repetition’s efficacy in learning.
This notion template I’ve used for the past couple quarters has been a lifesaver. It’s already set up to display every note you need to review on a certain day and features a calendar view of your review schedule.
The takeaway? Don’t leave studying – especially for exams that make or break your grade – to the very last minute. Parceling out your review of class material can help you actually ingest what you’ve learned and improve your performance.
- Write Once in a While
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Ok, so you don’t like to write. Or, you haven’t written notes on paper since high school.
Still, hear me out.
Writing things by hand continues to be the better method for remembering what you’ve learned – read this article to see how a study of this played out with UCLA students. iPads and tablet laptops make it even easier to get the analog feel without the weight of multiple notebooks. Apps like Notability and GoodNotes make organizing digital notes easy and effortless.
Only have a laptop?
Typing out notes, especially in fast-paced lectures, is by far the easiest for most students. Handwriting may not be a part of your day-to-day routine, but it can help in reviewing material.
Something I’ve found incredibly helpful is writing down everything I remember from a class in a given week on a blank page (paper or electronic works), then correcting myself in reference to my lecture notes. Another way handwriting can be useful is in creating study notes for exams. Having a cheat sheet of all the material you’ve learned is not only useful for studying but also helps to embed the information further into your memory.
- The Pomodoro Technique (Or Something of the Sort)
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Perhaps the biggest hurdle most of us struggle to get past is time (or lack thereof). Jobs, internships, research, sports, clubs – countless things pull us away from schoolwork, leaving us mentally and physically drained. Efficiency becomes a priority in this case.
The Pomodoro technique is touted by countless productivity creators as a foolproof method to getting more done in the time you have, and staying focused for the entirety of it. At its core, this technique breaks up time into work and break segments to help maintain focus while tackling time-consuming work. Learn more about this method here.
By rewarding yourself for complete immersion in your work, it allows you to work longer without it feeling too much like a chore. If the standard 25/5 division of time feels too short, try the animedoro method adapted for those of you that like to enjoy shounen or shoujo in between problem sets. Regardless of how you use this technique, it can be a helpful tool for those easily distracted (myself included).
CLAS (Campus Learning Assistance Services) is a great resource if you’re in need of specialized advice and guidance for all things academic. From tutoring services to studying workshops, CLAS is an on-campus resource to help you get the most out of this quarter.
And remember, the most important thing when it comes to college is taking the reins on your experience: in life, love, and even school. Personalizing how you tackle schoolwork makes seemingly trivial tasks feel meaningful and turns academic achievement into something rewarding. Even if you don’t intend on making Honor Roll, these tips are for learning, regardless of where or how it happens – institutionally or otherwise.