Good Study habits

Study Habits DOs and DONTs

Let me start by saying that practicing good study habits is not easy, but it is necessary. Cramming is your enemy. Try to plan out your study times so that you’re not rushing to retain all this information at the last minute. Also, your surroundings mean a lot. You need a good productive place that offers little disturbances. Keep your phone on the opposite side of the room or in your bag. It is a huge distraction. Take breaks. Again, if you wait until the last minute to study, you have no time for breaks which leads you to either give up or not recall things like you should. Your brain needs rest just like your body does. Lastly, leave time to review. Scheduling is everything. You need time at the end to go over everything and give your mind a refresh.

Studying does not come easy to everyone. Especially when you’re taught one way to do it. Read your textbook, take notes, highlight key concepts. That might work for some students, but not all. Did you know there are four different types of learners? Knowing which one you are will help studying go a lot smoother. The four different types of learners are:

1. Visual Learner

2. Auditory Learner

3. Reading/Writing Learner

4. Kinesthetic Learner

The Visual Learner

The name probably gives it away, but the visual learner retains information easier when presented with visuals. These individuals want to see charts, graphs, images, or diagrams. They connect concepts by making those connections visually. If you feel this is more your style try taking your notes with different colors, drawing graphs, or paying attention to the images in the text. If this is you, you’re one of those lucky people that will benefit from highlighting galore. This will help things stand out in your memory.

The Auditory Learner

These people learn best listening to someone explain the concepts. These are those people you see in class that aren’t taking notes. You look at them and probably wonder “Does he even care? Why am I writing down every word, while this guy gets away with nodding along?” Well, that’s because these students make those connections needed to remember content by listening. They need to be immersed in the lecture. To do better on exams, these students should ask questions, record the lecture (with permission of course), repeat aloud any notes they did take, and avoid any auditory distractions. That means don’t sit with your chatty friends. 

The Reading and Writing Learner

You guessed it. These people read the textbook and write notes with ease. Okay, maybe not easily all the time, but this is the best way for them to retain information. Some important study tips would be take notes, rewrite those notes, use bullet point lists, write in other colors, turn diagrams or charts into words. If writing what you’re hearing or seeing is how your brain stores that information long-term, you have to get better at taking handwritten notes. Typing away on your computer might help, but not as well is writing it all out the old fashioned way does.

The Kinesthetic Learner

These people believe in “practice makes perfect”. They need to apply the concepts to real world situations. A real hands-on approach is needed here. They can read about how to bake a cake all you want them to, but what they really need is to practice it. They read, watch, or hear the content, but it means nothing to them until they can do the same. A study tip would be to learn the material and then teach it to someone else. This gives you the time to make the connection in your brain.

These are only a few ways students can study. I just want to reiterate that what works for one person, might not work for another. Also, cramming is NOT your friend. You need to start out with enough time to review in the end. With a little practice, these tactics will become habits.