Practical Studying Skills
Some college students have a bad studying habit, they often read the course materials in a crowded place like a coffee shop, restaurant, and at the same time listen to music with earphones, or even eating or drinking then consider it is studying. But reading and studying are not the same. Reading is the first step when students read textbooks, or reference materials to know the “basic knowledge.” Studying is the next thing when students re-read the course materials, try to understand the concept, processing and analyze the logic to build a “deeper level” of knowledge, so they know it well enough to apply it.
I often advise my student to develop practical study skills by finding a quiet place to study that is not distracting their concentration. For example, they should go to the library or even in a quiet place to avoid being distracted. I said: “You should not listen to music, eating or drinking when studying. Time for the study is strictly for study, not something else. Each day, you should set up a specific time to study and stay with that schedule. The best time is after each class when the course content is still fresh on your mind. This is also the time to review your notes that you took in class and compare with the textbook for completeness. For every hour in class, you will need at least two hours to study on your own to process all information and develop a good study habit. During this time, turn off your mobile phone, so you can stay focus. If you use a laptop, make sure you do not go to your email or Facebook. Every night before you go to bed, do a fifteen minutes review of all the materials that you learn on that day, so you not just remember important concepts but also aware of what you have learned.”
Many students often delay studying until the last minutes. It is a bad thing as they do not have enough time to learn anything, and put them in unnecessary stress. By cramming at the last minute, they may memorize something just enough to pass the test, but they do not learn much and will forget most of it in the next few days. That is NOT studying, only memorization and they will never develop the knowledge or skills that they need to succeed in their career.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
