Studying is a huge part of the college experience. A lot of the time students come to college with little to no study skills. I'd like to leave you with the knowledge of how to make studying less painful!
Here are a few great ways for you to study:
Writing a short story:
As a writer, writing short stories helps me to study. This particular skill is used to remember vocabulary because it focuses on your use of context clues. The key is to insert your vocabulary words into a short story that interests you. If you write a story that is boring you are less likely to remember the vocabulary words inserted. When I write my stories I tend to include characters from my favorite books, movies, or plays. A big problem with studying is the lack of interest. Writing an interesting short story that grabs your attention while enhancing your mind is a great way to go!
Quizlet:
Quizlet is another great way to study vocabulary, but you can also insert concepts and images. One of the many great things about Quizlet is that not only can you use it as an online flashcard, but you can also do memory quizzes and practice tests that come in many different forms. (Except essay style) Quizlet is also great for those people that are addicted to their phones, tablets, computers, etc.
Flashcards/Foldables:
Flashcards and foldables are great if you like the hands on experience. A lot of people learn by making things and writing out their ideas. Handwritten flashcards can be a great way to study in several situations such as, if there is no wifi or internet connection to use to study there would always be flashcards to pull out and review. Foldables have the same basic purpose as a flashcard, but the information is all in one area and it can be more fun to make for the people who have the time and desire.
Group Studying:
Personally, I've always had a problem with the whole group study idea, but it can be very helpful to many college students. College is a great place to make friends and a good place to do that is in the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying turn the classroom into a social event, but making friends in class is helpful. Group studying is a great way to get ready for a test or even a paper. A good way to balance everyone out in a group study is to divide the material evenly between everyone in the group. After everyone gets there fair share of work, they would go out and learn everything they could about their topic. The group would then meet back up and teach each other what they learned. This is a great way to study because in the real world there isn't going to be anyone there to coddle us and teach us every little thing. The better we get at teaching ourselves, the easier life will be in the long run.
Reading the Textbook:
I can attest that reading a textbook can be one of the most boring thing you can do, but it really is worth it. College is where you really should be reading your textbook. Look at it this way, you paid for that textbook and they aren't cheap, would you really want it to collect dust and that be the only thing you get out of it? Your professors tell you to buy these books for a reason, to learn. This ties into my earlier point in the group studying section. College is all about teaching yourself, so what makes you think you can teach yourself without textbook when a teacher can't?
