4 Ways to Study Better
/It all comes down to this.
In only a few weeks, you’re going to make or break the grade you’ve been working hard to get all year. So, how do you prepare yourself for a gruelling final? Here are four steps to follow so that you can get the best grade possible.
1) Organize your notes.
This one’s obvious, but where do you start? I recommend giving the Cornell Note-taking System a try. You'd typically use this method to take notes during lectures, but I’m going to show you how to use it to study.
First, divide your page like this:
Start by writing the course and topic at the top of your page.
As you go through your course notes, write down the most important information. It will fit onto your paper like so:
You can learn more here: http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/cornell-note-taking-system/
2) Form a study group.
Find some close friends or a classmate you've found yourself clicking with during class discussions. Exchange notes. Create a master Google Doc. Studying is easier when you have more than one person going through a semester’s worth of material.
3) Make flashcards.
On one side, write the definition, on the other, the answer. Sounds simple, right? But what if you have complex theories to memorize or formulas? Write a prompt on one side of a cue card and write the answer on the other.
For example:
4) Quiz yourself.
I know this sounds like extra work, but hear me out. Gather some classmates and find out what topics everyone is having the most trouble with. There are websites (like https://kahoot.com/) that allow you to create your own quizzes. It’s a fun and competitive way to get everyone interested in studying.
You can also use your flashcards to quiz other people. Hold out the prompt to (or read the prompt) to your classmates and the first person to guess gets a point. Whoever had the most points at the end can win a prize (maybe a chocolate bar, or if you’re with your friends, everyone pitches in to get the winner a coffee).
Mary Jane's writing obsession started in 7th grade (writing low-quality fanfiction). Later, she discovered how to develop her own stories, and now she’s in Professional Writing at Algonquin college to take her fiction to the next level. Oh, and she’s still a huge nerd.