Study Tips for the Semester

Here is a scenario many college undergraduates find themselves in: So, you’re sitting in your room, eating instant ramen noodles and thinking to yourself, “Hey, I’m here to learn something!” You pull your books out from underneath your bed and try to read a few chapters, only to discover that it’s not going so well.

Many of us didn’t have to spend so much time studying in high school and so now, we just don’t know how to do it. At least that was the case with me when I first got to college. Here are some tips that I have learned along the way. This is  for all of you who are new to this whole college thing, and also for those of you who might have been here for a while and are still trying to figure it out.

• Get Out of the Dorm Living: Living in the dorms is a great experience, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not a place conducive to good study habits. There are far too many distractions. People can knock on your door and ask you to go out, or you might find yourself falling asleep . You’re better off finding a quiet corner of the Meriam library, the BMU 2nd floor lounge area, or my personal favorite, pulling up a chair at a coffee shop and sipping a cup of tea as you get your work done.
• All Nighters = Bad Idea!! I’m sure this comes as no surprise to most of you, but all nighters are BAD. Not only does it mess up your sleep schedule, but when your brain is deprived of sleep it doesn’t work as well. You won’t remember most of what you studied during an all nighter, and if you’re writing a paper the quality will be far less than if you’d done it at 3 PM rather than 3 AM.
• Choose Study Groups Wisely.  Studying with others is a good idea. Turning a study group into a party group, however, is not. If you study with people you know you’re going to spend most of your time chatting with, you’re not going to get much done. You’re better off studying with a group of acquaintances that are in the same class than a group of friends you’d normally go out on the town with. If you study with people from your classes who you didn’t know prior, the one thing you’ll have in common is that you’re in the same class so you’ll find yourself talking more about that class and less about who is dating who among your group of friends.
• Turn off your computer if you don’t need it. Facebook can wait, but that ten page paper due tomorrow cannot.
• Procrastination does NOT make it happen!!

Be patient with yourself if you’re a freshman – adjusting to college coursework is tough. And if you have been here for awhile, it’s never to late to learn. You can get good grades if you put in the time and effort.

I post it because RIGHT NOW i have a national exam! so I just want to share this. and for all, i'm sorry i cannot post a news because i must study :)