Secret # 11 Studying tips

This post will provide you with a variety of study tips. These tips and their explanations will be discussed at length in some of the posts that follow. Secret number 11's sole purpose is to merely inform you of the options. You can glance at this list to get an idea of how you should study, but for complete comprehension, you should read the explanatory posts that follow. The list below is broken into multiple sections. Each section lists tips that can aid you in every part of the studying process. 

Studying Tips

Class

1. Ask questions. Whether you're asking a friend or a teacher, make sure you ask about topics you are unsure of.
2. Read the text. Whether your skimming it or slowly dissecting it, as long as you have some general idea of what the content is, you will be familiar enough with the content to make the necessary connections.
3. Review your notes before and after every class.
4. Take good notes. If you have trouble keeping up in class rewrite/ retype your notes if they are unorganized.
5. Pay close attention to any term/concept that your teacher emphasizes.
6. Participate in class. Ask questions, even if you don't care find something to be curious about. If you're more involved, you're more likely to remember the lecture.

Before Studying

1. Use a study plan. What are you going to study and when? 
2. Set some small SMART goals
3. Clean and organize your study area
4. Draw diagrams to depict complicated process or hierarchies
5. Whether it's a word or a concept, learn something new every day. The key to true learning is forming meaningful connections. The more connections you make, the more you will retain.
6. Be aware of your meta cognition. Know what you don't know. Socratic ignorance. 
7. Break large tasks into small tasks
8. Study way in advance
9. Get plenty of sleep
10. Learn your teacher's testing style, and form your own questions. Basically, create your own exam. 
11. Review some test taking strategies; Beat the system.
12. Go to office hours. Research the exam. What format? How many question? What do most students generally have trouble with?
13. Make sure you have enough light to study by.
14. Eat healthy light meals.
15. Think positive and don't panic. Take deep breaths tackle one subject at a time. Don't get overwhelmed; you can do this!
16. Practice problems (math, chem, accounting) on a white board. you can get sticker boards online. 
17. Know your learning style and adjust to it.
    
18. Different subjects require different studying techniques. You wouldn't study for calculus the same way you study for English.
19. If a study guide isn't provided make one of your own.
20. Let people know you will be studying, then they won't try to get into contact with you. 

During Studying

1. Study in short, frequent bursts. Don't cram!
2. Practice problems in the back of your book.
3. Study complex things first.
4. Use index cards
5. Take advantage of any reviews or study guides.
6. Correct any previously graded exams, quizzes, or exercises.
7. Don't study near/on your bed
8. Study with silence or classical music ONLY
9. Study before bed.
10. AVOID any social media, email, or shopping apps. Avoid anything the will distract you. Turn off your phone if you have to.
11. Study in groups.
12. Use mnemonic devices.
    
13. Study when you are most alert. Listen to your circadian rhythm! If you are more alert at 9:00 at night, then study at 9:00 at night.
14. Sing, stand, talk out-loud, or walk. Whatever you do, just don't stare blankly at your notes.
15. Study smart, not hard. Don't spend hours studying a chapter in the text if you know the questions that will be asked are on the study guide (hypothetical situation). Study the important stuff first and with any leftover time study the text.

Post Studying

1. Reward yourself for reaching your study goals.
   
2. Never stop studying. You should be studying something every day, even if its just for a few minutes. Unfortunately, learning it once isn't enough. You have to continue reinforcing that newly acquired knowledge in order to place it in your long-term memory.

I will attempt to provide a detailed explanation for each of the aforementioned tips. These tips are backed by scientific studies and my own personal experiences. Are there any specific tips that need explained first? Are there any tips that you find helpful, that aren't on the list?

Secret # 8 Organized Notes Make Studying a Breeze

More often than not, the most important study tool we have is our notes. Whether your typing or writing, you will probably have to go back and look at them at some point during the semester. For this reason, it is important to keep them as organized as you possibly can. A little time organizing in the beginning, can save you countless hours of sifting through endless piles of crumpled up papers later. In order to help you organize your notes, I have provided a short list of tips and tricks. I prefer to hand-write the majority of my notes so these tips will be focused primarily on handwritten notes; however, since I can type faster than I write, I definitely see the advantages of typing your notes and as a result, have added a few extra tips regarding typed notes. Hopefully, after applying some of these strategies you will end up with organized notes that can be easily referenced.

• Separate and conquer No matter if you are typing or writing, you should always separate your notes by class. If you are handwriting, there are a few ways to do this. I personally use single subject notebooks, but below I have attached a chart that will break down the pros and cons of popular tactics.

  	Pros	Cons
  Single Subject Notebooks	·         Cheap ·         If you fill it up with notes, you can just start a new one	·         Too many notebooks to carry ·         Easy to grab the wrong one ·         Hard to scan
  Loose Leaf Paper in a Binder	·         Easy to take out and organize ·         Easy to scan	·         Messy ·         Easy to lose notes ·         Bulky
  Multiple Subject Notebooks	·         Everything is in one place, but separated ·         Less to carry ·         Can’t grab the wrong one	·         If you fill up one section you still have to carry it around for your other classes ·         Can be more expensive

• Practice file management If you are typing your notes make a file for each semester (i.e. Fall 2014, Spring 2014, etc...) inside each semester's file you should create another file, one for each class. (this may not be necessary for labs) Unfortunately, it's not enough to create the files. When you are in the middle of the semester and feeling lazy, you still have to make sure you take the time to save you documents under the correct folder. 

• Plan to receive loose papers Most professors will provide you with a few handouts throughout the course of the semester because of this, you will need to find a way to store them. I use an accordion folder, but there are many other options as shown below. 

  	Pros	Cons	When to use
  1 Folder per class	·         Everything is separate ·         Easy to color code ·         Small ·         Cheap	·         Could be too many folders to carry ·         Easy to forget a folder or bring the wrong one	This works if you don’t have many classes. As long you are careful, and make sure you are grabbing the right folder.
  Accordion folder	·         Everything is together so you can’t grab the wrong folder	·         Big ·         Can be pricey, if you want one that is going to last	This is great if you have many classes back-to-back.
  Binder(S)	·         Everything is separate and organized ·         Can add loose notebook paper and keep all of your notes in it ·         Can have one per class or one for all classes	·         Bulky (these take up too much room in backpacks) ·         Won’t fit on a small desk ·         Can get expensive ·         Heavy ·         If you have one that include papers from every class it will fill up quickly	This is great if you have one or two classes a day that aren't back-to-back.
  Notebook Pockets	·         Convenient ·         Don’t have to carry folders around ·         Small ·         Cheap	·         The pockets rip easily ·         Papers can fall out ·         Papers get folded	This is good if you don’t get many handouts.

   What you do not want to do, is carry one folder for all of your things. This never works! By the end of the semester your folder will be bulging out with loose papers crammed every which way. 

• Consider color coding This can take time and is not always an option but there are many ways to color code your notes in order to make them more navigable. You can make the color of your notebooks match your folders, or the pen you use in your agenda to mark down homework. If you don't want to do that, you can simply write in different colors. You can assign a color for different things that you write such as headings, subheading, lecture notes, reading notes, etc. If you're pressed for time during class, you can always go back and highlight your notes with different colors.

• Add a table of contents. If you have handwritten notes you should reserve the first few pages for a table of contents, by filing this out at the start of every lecture, you should be able to easily search your handwritten notes. If you are typing your notes you don't need a table of contents because you simply press "Ctrl F", and search for the keyword you are looking for. 

• Make a key and stick to it. If you are using certain symbols or colors to represent certain things you should write them down at the beginning of your notebook (you can use a sticky note) and be sure to use them consistently. This will not only make it easier to read for you, but also anyone who borrows your notes will be able to reference this as well.

• Pretend your are writing your notes for someone else to use. If you usually scribble your notes and then have trouble reading them later, pretend you are letting someone else borrow them. By doing this you will probably end up writing neater.                                                                                                    

• Always write the date. It doesn't matter where you put it, just be consistent. If you ever need to reference these (and you will) a date will be extremely helpful.

• Summarize your last class before a break. When you leave school for more than two days, you should quickly jot down what you did on your last day. This doesn't have to be long or even detailed, a bulleted list will do. When you return to class and can't remember where you were, all you have to do is glance at the list to jog your memory.

• Scan handwritten notes. Handwritten notes can easily be lost or damaged. At the end of everyday (or on the weekend) you should scan your notes. If you don't have a scanner, you can go to your library, or download an app. I use the Droid Scan app because it is faster than scanning with an actual scanner, and I can do it anywhere. If you don't have an android, fear not, there are many other apps that do the same thing.                                                                                                                                      

• Use technology made for note-taking. There are plenty of computer programs designed specifically for note-taking. I don't type my notes so I can't say whether one is better than the other, but they are definitely worth checking out. I use something similar to these computer programs, but instead of typing I write with a special pen. I use a Livescribe pen to write any notes that portray processes. (i.e. math, science) While I write, the pen records the professor. When I plug it into the computer it will show me a digital copy of my notes. If I was doodling and not paying attention, all I have to do is click on the doodle and it will start playing the recording that occurred while I was drawing.

Use these tips to keep your notes organized and speed up the studying process.









How do you organize your notes?

Secret #3 Digital Index Cards Are the Way to Go!

Index cards are always helpful if you need to memorize vocabulary terms. If you are the type of person that has to physically write down everything in order to memorize it, then this secret isn’t for you; however, I highly suggest it. There are a variety of websites and apps that allow you to make digital index cards for free. My personal favorite is StudyBlue.

StudyBlue is both a website and an app. With StudyBlue you can create index cards or use someone else’s. When you type a term into StudyBlue, the website will provide you with a variety of definitions. From there, you can either pick the one that best suits your class or create your own. This function saves an enormous amount of time.

With StudyBlue, you can also:

• Connect with fellow classmates You can easily share flashcards with your classmates
• Add pictures to help you better memorize the terms. This comes in handy especially if you are a visual learner. 
• Study in a variety of ways With StudyBlue you can flip cards, take a quiz, or glance at a review sheet.
• Track of your progress With graphs and statistics StudyBlue keeps track of not only how long you study, but how accurate your answers were. The site can even remind you when you should study again.
• Add audio clips This is particularly helpful with foreign language classes. If you are a verbal learner this can easily be used in any class.
• Transform notes stored in Evernote into flashcards With almost no work at all, you can turn your notes into flash cards. This saves valuable time.
• Post on Facebook If your the kind of person that gets easily distracted by social media, you can have StudyNote notify your friends when you are studying. This will enable you to study without being distracted by notifications. If you are a serial procrastinator, posting before a study session will make you commit to your study schedule.
• Save the environment By using StudyBlue you are saving trees! 

Digital index cards make studying a breeze; however, my only caution to you is that you must remember if you are using someone else’s cards or definitions, they may be inaccurate. Make sure to create your cards carefully!