3. Take your notes to the gym. | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
College

13 Study Tips For Those Of Us Procrastinating Or Lacking Drive To Study For Finals

How to study as if you actually want to be studying.

165
13 Study Tips For Those Of Us Procrastinating Or Lacking Drive To Study For Finals

In This Article:

How to study as if you actually want to be studying. Which you don't, but...

1. Spread your flashcards out, placing a piece of your favorite candy or snack on each one.

When you get the definition or information right, reward yourself with your treat! If you don't, put it back in the flashcard and try again after doing some of the other flashcards.

2. Take turns helping a roomie/friend study.

This way, you'll have a build in study break when you are helping them memorize whatever they need to study!

3. Take your notes to the gym. 

Me, personally, I like to get on the stair master and read my notes while working out on a machine I know I won't fall off of. Multitasking can help you concentrate and hone in on what's important.

4. Rewrite your notes and color code different words or topics. 

Using color while studying has been proven to help you remember things better. Rewriting your notes, especially when you typed them originally, forces you to actively remember and retain the information.

5. Present or explain your study information to someone else.

This is one of my favs. When you present what you are studying to a friend and explain everything as if they have never heard of it before, it helps you remember it better because you have to explain it in your own words. Bonus points if your friend asks you questions and makes you think critically about the information.

6. Draw your notes as diagrams and pictures.

A lot of people are visual learners, which college tends to not cater to. Organize your notes as charts, diagrams, or pictures so that it's easier to study.

7. Study somewhere other than your room.

Studying in your room can be comfortable, but sometimes it's too comfortable. Go to a coffee shop, the library, or a nice place outside and study somewhere other than your own house. If you're like me, you'll start cleaning up or messing with other items you have in your room to procrastinate if you are studying something you don't want to be studying.

8. Create a personalized study guide for yourself.

Get all of the information you are really not sure about and put it all together one 1 or 2 pages of paper. Use different colors, pictures, and techniques throughout your study guide to help you remember the information. Not only will you be rewriting it, you will put it together in a way that you can understand it best.

9. Break up your studying in 30-45 minute increments rather than studying for hours. 

If you study in short groups of time, then you will have to remember the material to recall whenever you go back to study it again. If you study all at once, you don't really have to retain the information. Breaking up the information will help you remember everything better and force you to break up the material so you can concentrate better.

10. Sing your notes.

Sometimes if you come up with a jingle or an acronym about something you are studying it makes it a lot easier for you to remember. It might not make sense to anyone else, but if you understand it and can remember it to sing to yourself during your test as if it was your favorite Drake song, you'll do great!

11. Hang your notes around your room. 

Write definitions or little bits of information on sticky notes or little pieces of paper and hang them up around your house. This way, while you're doing your normal tasks you can see them and read them at random. Just like its important to visualize your goals, seeing your notes helps as well.

12. Come up with funny sayings to remember things. 

My friends and I use to do this ALL the time in high school and I have always used it as a study technique. For example, "8 times 8 went to the store to get enough food for 64". Works like a charm!

13. Study while multitasking. 

This doesn't work for some people, but it works well for me. I like to play with my dog, cook, and walk around while I study. It makes me have to focus harder, so I really remember the information.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
college just ahead sign
Wordpress

1. You will have that special "college" look to you.

2. You will feel like an adult but also feeling like a child.

3. You will have classes that are just the professor reading from their lecture slides for an hour.

4. You will need to study but also want to hang out with your friends.

5. Coffee is your best friend.

6. You don't know what you're doing 99% of the time.

7. You will procrastinate and write a paper the night before it is due.

8. Money is a mythical object.

9. It is nearly impossible to motivate yourself to go to classes during spring.

10. The food pyramid goes out the window.

11. You will have at least one stress induced breakdown a semester.

12. Most lecture classes will bore you to tears.

13. You will not like all of your professors.

14. You will try to go to the gym... but you will get too lazy at some point.

15. When you see high school students taking tours:

16. You will try to convince yourself that you can handle everything.

17. Finals week will try to kill you.

18. You won't like everyone, but you will find your best friends sooner or later.

19. You actually have to go to class.

20. Enjoy it, because you will be sad when it is all over.

girl with a hat

This is for the girls who have dealt with an emotionally, mentally, physically or verbally abusive father.

The ones who have grown up with a false lens of what love is and how relationships should be. The ones who have cried themselves to sleep wondering why he hurts you and your family so much. This is for all the girls who fall in love with broken boys that carry baggage bigger than their own, thinking it's their job to heal them because you watched your mother do the same.

Keep Reading...Show less
Blair Waldorf Quote
"DESTINY IS FOR LOSERS. IT'S JUST A STUPID EXCUSE TO WAIT FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN INSTEAD OF MAKING THEM HAPPEN." - BLAIR WALDORF.

The world stopped in 2012 when our beloved show "Gossip Girl" ended. For six straight years, we would all tune in every Monday at 9:00 p.m. to see Upper Eastside royalty in the form of a Burberry headband clad Blair Waldorf. Blair was the big sister that we all loved to hate. How could we ever forget the epic showdowns between her and her frenemy Serena Van Der Woodsen? Or the time she banished Georgina Sparks to a Christian summer camp? How about that time when she and her girls took down Bart Bass? Blair is life. She's taught us how to dress, how to be ambitious, and most importantly, how to throw the perfect shade.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

11 Moments Every College Freshman Has Experienced

Because we made it, and because high school seniors deserve to know what they're getting themselves into

673
too tired to care

We've all been there. From move-in day to the first finals week in college, your first term is an adventure from start to finish. In honor of college decisions coming out recently, I want to recap some of the most common experiences college freshmen experience.

1. The awkward hellos on move-in day.

You're moving your stuff onto your floor, and you will encounter people you don't know yet in the hallway. They live on your floor, so you'll awkwardly smile and maybe introduce yourself. As you walk away, you will wonder if they will ever speak to you again, but don't worry, there's a good chance that you will make some great friends on your floor!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

21 Things I've Learned About College Life

College is not what everyone expects it to be.

348
laptop
Unsplash

The college years are a time for personal growth and success. Everyone comes in with expectations about how their life is supposed to turn out and envision the future. We all freak out when things don't go exactly as planned or when our expectations are unmet. As time goes on, we realize that the uncertainty of college is what makes it great. Here are some helpful reminders about life in college.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments