Beth Said:

What are some good study technique/skills you can reccomend for a COllege Freshman?

We Answered:

well i would recommend keeping up with the material...when a professor assigns the homework, don't put it off but do it right away...also, when the professor teaches, make sure you have read the material already or read it right after and don't just wait to read everything the night before the test...ALTHOUGH you should also review all of the stuff you've read or taken notes on before the test or read it again so it's fresh in your mind...it also doesn't hurt to review the notes you have taken frequently

Annie Said:

What are skills for studying smart in college?

We Answered:

This is what worked for me
-I took good notes
-I asked what types of tests would be given
-I asked former students who had that professor for that course how he was and what to expect
-I used most of my studying time on the really important main ideas
-acronyms and cute sayings help
-study a few times a week instead of crashing. But try to do it at night. Scientists say that your brain turns everything into your longterm memory overnight when you sleep so studying before bed can help you remember important info.

That's all I can think of right now. I hope this helps!

Tom Said:

what are the effects of students working as office assistants in terms of their coping skills in their studies?

We Answered:

I think you should interview students who work in your campus as office assistants. Taken from my experience, I learned a lot in terms of organizing files and train me to become a responsible person. The bad side is during exams when i have to take a leave of absence in my work (department) because i have to review my lessons.
One good suggestion is, create a survey and distribute it to different student assistants working in your school.

Anna Said:

Study Skills Questions for College Students??

We Answered:

There is no good answer. You must reorganize your study methods. An hour of class requires two hours of study. If you attend all the classes and do all the homework you will have no need to 'pull all-nighters'. College students are easily distracted. Find a private place to study. Turn off all the TV, phones and such. Get up early and put in two hours..do two hours at night before going out! Your lifetime competition is doing this. Use the weekends to write papers.

Guy Said:

Study tips/sucess stories from College/University students?

We Answered:

Interesting question - and important!

I am a good student with a fairly high GPA. I'm also a student who's struggled academically and emotionally throughout my university experience. So, I'll start out with a brief explanation of my experiences these past 2 1/3 years, and then I'll give you what I think of as some "tips".

Basically, when I started college, I had no idea what to expect. I started out with a keen interest in Psychology, took a few courses, loved some, and hated others. I really wanted to become a psychologist (with a specific interest in psychoanalysis). But then I realized that practically no one respected Freud, and I felt a little alienated by the emphasis on scientific research. Later I took a few English courses and discovered a profound love of literature, and I began thinking that perhaps I should study to become a professor. In the last little while, I've taken a few Philosophy courses that are again making me rethink my path.

The reason I share the stages of mind-changes I went through is because I believe that is part of the process: I would encourage you to keep an open mind. Take different courses. Take your electives early. You never know what new interests you might discover. I never, ever thought I'd entertain the idea of majoring in Philosophy (or even double-majoring), but, lo and behold, now I am. I might not, after all. But the point is, I'm thinking about it.

The most important thing is that you study something you truly love. One of my favorite professors started out as a science major and then eventually switched to philosophy. He told me that he wasn't particularly hung up on what "career" he'd eventually have, so much as, he simply loved reading philosophy. And that really stick with me. Don't study something because you think you should. Study what you WANT to study.

I also encourage you to get involved on campus. I didn't the first few years, and it was very alienating. If your campus has a variety of clubs, organizations etc., I really think you should aim to join something. Your choice can be academically related, or not. But socializing with other interesting people who share some of the same interests you do will definitely save you from going insane.

If your university offers work-out facilities, a pool, yoga programs--anything like that--I'd say you should take advantage. Keeping yourself active (especially in the winter) will really keep your mind sharp, body looking good, and ease a lot of your stress.

Also, I don't know what you're studying, but get friendly with students in your classes: studying in small groups will really help you A) get your act together early (ie., before the exam, essay, presentation, etc.), B) get feedback and make the study experience less lonely and boring, and C) studies show that students who study with others score higher on exams (you'll also retain the information longer). A good technique is to get 2-3 people together, have everyone go over the material, and prepare practice exams that you'll exchange and complete a few days prior to your exam. This way, you'll figure out what your weaknesses are early.

Something else I'd urge you to think about is when your best "study times" are. If you are the kind of person who is most alert the first few hours of your day, then perhaps you should wake up an hour or two earlier and study in the mornings with a cup of coffee. If the middle of the day is best, then make sure your schedule allows you to study during that time. How "much" you study really depends on the type of courses you take, and your own habits and pace. But typically they recommend studying 2 hours for every hour you're in class (a day).

If your university offers free personal counseling, GO. Take advantage of the fact that you'll be able to vent to an objective person in a safe, confidential atmosphere. I often feel depressed (for different reasons), and having someone to talk to really helps.

A few extra tips:

1) Start assignments early. (Especially papers). And if your discipline requires you to write papers, revise, revise, revise. Good writing comes from rewriting.

2) Be prepared as often as you can, for every class. This means keeping up with your reading. If you've read and thought about the material, you have leverage to ask questions and share your ideas in class which is something professors (and other students) love. A good trick I've discovered is to summarize everything I read. For example, I need to read a lot of articles and, eventually, I forget which was which. So, I read them, then I briefly summarize them afterwards (just a paragraph, or so).

3. Make friends with your professors. This is very important. Go to their office hours. If they get to know you a little, they'll be able to write you recommendation letters eventually for grad school. Apart from that, if you get along with your professor, you'll have him or her as an ally in your course and you'll feel less like another "number" in it. If you struggle at any point, your profs are more likely to be sympathetic if they know something about the type of student you are.

4. Don't get too emotionally involved with your work. One of the big mistakes I made was to take my work waaaaaaay too seriously. I think this is because I started to let the academic work I produced define me. And that should not be the case. I agonized over every paper, and while on the one hand this helped me, on the other hand it caused me way more stress than what I needed to feel. I started to put off my papers to the last minute out of fear that it wouldn't be the "best" and I ended up shortchanging my grade.

5. Have fun. University is about researching and exchanging ideas. If you're open to it, you'll have the kind of conversations with people that might change your life. DON'T get down on yourself if ever you feel you don't say something intelligent enough. Say what's on your mind, listen to other people's ideas, challenge and learn from them. DON'T treat your experience as competition. I also did that at one point and the consequence was that I didn't enjoy learning anymore because my focus shifted from what was truly important.

6. Have hobbies. Go out. Have a few beers.

Cheers!