Practice

Learning to study effectively takes time and effort. Utilizing a defined study method will increase your learning ability, but you must practice. A good study strategy will take more time at first. However, as you get better at your study habits it will become like second nature and you will find that you are learning and retaining more.

Make A Study Schedule

As a college student you will be extremely busy. It is important to make a schedule to budget your time. In your schedule, you should allocate study periods. For each hour spent in a classroom you should expect to spend two hours studying. For example, if you are taking twelve credit hours plan on an additional twenty-four hours of study time per week. Make your study schedule and stick to it. This practice will help you stay on course and allow you to keep up with your classes.

When to study

Study when you are rested, alert, and have planned for it. Do not waste your time cramming late at night or just before class. Understanding and retaining information takes time, but when you got it you will be able utilize that knowledge to best serve you in class.

Studying For Lecture Courses

Be sure you have read all the materials and take notes. Yes, notes are not just for in class time. These notes should be structured in such a way that you will have an abridged version of what you are studying covering all of the important points. This practice will also help you in compiling a good study/review guide for exams.

Studying For Recitation Courses

For classes that require you to recite things such as communications or foreign languages you should allocate some of your study time just prior to class. During that time practice the information you may need to recite during the up coming class period.

Where To Study

It is best to study alone in a distraction-free private area. This will allow you to follow your plan and effectively use your time. After you have studied and have a decent grasp of the material it may be beneficial to review with a partner. During this time, try to teach the material to your partner. This will reinforce the material you have already studied and allow you to have a deeper understanding of the subject.

Critical Thinking Skills

When studying, a good way to develop analytical skills is to ask questions while reading.Critical thinking and the ability to think creatively is essential to success in college.

Specific Study Techniques

There are numerous studying techniques that have been developed. An excellent technique that is ideal for the college student is called the SQ3R method. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review:

• Survey before beginning your reading by looking through the entire chapter and grasping the basic hierarchical structure of the chapter.
• Question briefly what the chapter is all about.
• Read one section at a time looking for the answer to the question proposed by the heading.
• Recite/write key phrase that sums up the major point of the section and answers the question.
• Review from previous steps.

You should now have a list of key phrases that provides a sort of outline for the chapter. Test yourself by covering up the key phrases and seeing if you can recall them. If you can recall these key phrases try talking about their meaning.

Reading

A primary means by which you acquire information is through reading. In college you're expected to do tons of reading. Reading through a chapter is not enough. You must actively engage the material either through methods such as SQ3R or by other means such as reading material a few times each with a different purpose. If you intend on reading material a few times, each time through should focus on different goals. For example, you read the material once to get the main idea of the chapter. Then the next time you read the material you focus on extracting the details of the material. Then you may read through another time to highlight the text in a detailed outline format.