Get in the Habit
Find a Study Routine that Works for You

Many new college students are surprised to find that it is largely up to them to figure out how and when to study. College professors (unlike many high school teachers) do not check homework daily or give lots of quizzes to keep their students on their toes. Rather, they assign readings, papers, and long-term projects and let students work on their own, sometimes for weeks at a time, without checking on their progress. Unfortunately, many new college students do not handle this freedom well and don’t stay on top of their workload as well as they should.

What are some good ways to study? Frankly, the study techniques you already learned in high school are among the best. You’ve probably learned, for instance, to manage your time, develop plans for large projects and work on them in steps, and devote the time and attention necessary to reviewing course material. In addition to these age-old study techniques, here are a few more that my college students find to be especially helpful:

• Learn to identify what you know and what you don’t know. That isn’t as easy as it sounds. When you read a text or listen to a lecture, you may begin to feel that you don’t understand everything. That’s OK. In fact, confusion is to be expected when the material is difficult. The key when that happens is that you don’t panic, tune out, or give up. Rather, try to trace your learning to determine what you know and where, specifically, you’re getting into trouble. You have to keep a cool head to do this, and sometimes, break concepts down line by line, even word by word (equation by equation) to see where the trouble is. Once you know where you’re getting bollixed up, stop and try to figure things out. If you can’t do this on your own, seek help.

• Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re a great multi-tasker. Do you like to study while watching television? Instant messaging your friends? Talking to or texting friends on your cell phone? Many college students believe they can do many things at the same time that they are studying. In fact, I have heard some students argue that multi-tasking makes them better studiers. However, the truth is that many multi-taskers are not studying effectively. There’s a lot to be said for devoting exclusive time and quiet focus to your studies. The library is still a great place to crack open a book. Try it. See what happens.

• Read with a pen in hand. College students often believe that highlighting a text helps them identify and focus on key concepts. Judicious highlighting does help some students. However, a pen is generally a better study tool than a highlighter. You can use a pen to underline or circle key words and also to write margin notes or to take notes on plain paper as you read. Reading actively and taking the time to write questions, repeat key concepts, and make connections as you read with your pen will make you a much better reader. You’ll learn and retain much more if you read this way.

• Pre-read, re-read, and post-read. Don’t assume that all you need to do is pick up a text and read it through once from start to finish. Difficult texts often require pre-reading, multiple readings, and post-reading activities. A good pre-reading activity is to skim a text before you read it and create a of list questions you’ll try to answer. Then, try reading the text multiple times and in different ways. For example, you might read the text the first time for general meaning and seek preliminary answers to the questions you’ve asked. The second reading might focus on difficult vocabulary, dates and names, or other facts. The third reading might help you answer your questions more fully and serve as review. Then, try a post-reading activity. For example, try writing a paragraph to summarize the key concepts of the text in your own words. Imagine telling someone who hadn’t read the text what it is about and what you think they should remember about it. This paragraph will be an invaluable study tool.

• Become an excellent note taker. Come to every class with a notebook and pen, open to a fresh page, date it, and commit to taking careful notes of the lecture, class discussions, and activities. Be mindful that note taking can be especially challenging when the class is either very good or very bad. Students who are enjoying a class often forget to take notes and those who are bored silly often tune out and forget to write anything down. Commit to taking great notes in every class, no matter what. However, don’t try to take down every word you hear. Focus only on key points. Later, spend a few minutes after the class (or no later than that evening) to review and flesh out your notes. Make sure that your abbreviations and shorthand will make sense to you later.

• Work with a calendar. Students taking multiple classes must manage assignments for different professors that will compete for their limited time. The key to juggling these demands is to anticipate bottlenecks in your schedule and head them off. Therefore, review all of your syllabi at the start of the term and put all of your due dates and exam dates on your calendar. Look for hot spots and figure out ways to manage things. You may have to work ahead in one or more courses to handle your workload. That’s OK. In fact, it is much better to work ahead than to count on everything magically working out or having to pull all-nighters to handle a busy schedule. Use your calendar to be pro-active in managing your study schedule.

Editorial by Laura Hills, M.A., Executive Director of University/Professor of English
Virginia International University.