So you're in college! Congratulations! It's fun and new and you have more friends and distractions than you have ever had in your young life. That's wonderful, but also kinda detrimental if you're interested in graduating…someday. If you have no intentions of ever earning that degree, then please happily continue slacking off. If you do however, want to succeed academically, make your parents proud, possibly even have a real job someday, you might want to consider amping up your study habits. With college being so darn fun, it can be quite a challenge at first trying to get your head in the game, but it must be done. You must succeed! You WILL succeed! Just read these tips…
Get Plenty of Sleep
College, more than any other time in your life, will teach you the importance of sleep. Sleep is a luxury, a precious time for you to rest your weary head. Your body needs plenty of sleep to function properly. Did you know that for every night of sleep you miss, it takes your body 7 days to compensate for it? This is why it's so important that you do everything you can to get a full night of sleep every single night. For college students, a full night of sleep means 7-9 hours of uninterrupted rest. If you can manage to give yourself this amount of rest every night, your brain will be electric, your body will float, and you will feel grand all over. If you don't sleep enough, you'll have trouble concentrating, your memory will decrease, and you might even feel a little depressed after a while. Whatever you do, no matter how much you party (or even study), make sure you give your body and mind proper rest!
Note Taking as a Way of Life
Even if you find yourself unable to comprehend everything in class, you should learn to take notes. Not only should you learn to take notes, note taking should be a way of life for you. Write down everything you see and hear, even if you don't quite understand what's going on. You can always ask questions later. When you take good notes in class, you not only force yourself to concentrate during a class session, but you allow yourself plenty of material to go over once class is over. Any confusion you might have can be addressed with the professor at another time, but it is vital that you write down as much as you possibly can. Note taking also helps you improve your listening skills, since you have to hear everything you write. It's also an easy way to keep your brain stimulated so you don't fall asleep in the middle of class. When it's time to go through your notes, you can jot down any questions that are floating in your mind (again, more notes!). Keeping up with your note s is like keeping up with your academic life. They go hand in hand since it is a record of your experiences. If you can be religious about note taking, you've already won half the battle on studying.
Stay Organized
This should be simple for most college students. Staying organized is a fundamental rule when it comes to good grades. Do yourself a favor and buy a stack of folders. Keep things from different classes in separate folders so you don't mix up your chemistry notes with your Latin homework. That will not help you succeed. If you have a messy backpack or an unorganized folder, you will become frustrated and may be less likely to study when it is necessary. A messy pile of stuff is intimidating, and the last thing you want is to be too frightened to approach your studies. Getting yourself a calendar where you can write down your deadlines and make to-do lists will also improve your organization and encourage you to stay on target.
Nature's Help
When you feel overwhelmed by school, look to mother nature to help you through your arduous tasks. Try doing your homework while sitting under a big, friendly tree, or bask in the sunshine while you catch up on your reading. Studying in nature is something that the ancient philosophers always did, so it very well could work for you. Another thing you can do is to take Ginkgo Biloba supplements, or drink plenty of green tea. These herbs are all natural and help stimulate your brain.
The One Hour Rule
If you're really having a hard time concentrating, one of the best ways to get through hours of work is to only focus for one hour at a time. For example, if you've got about four hours of studying to do, you can commit to one hour of study, followed by an hour of play, followed by an hour of study, and so on, and so on. It has been proven that the average person only has an attention span of about 45 minutes at a time, so it's alright if you find yourself dreading long hours of study. Maybe you're simply not meant to do it. That's why the one hour rule is perfect for improving your study habits. Not only will you get the study time you need, but you'll continuously refresh yourself for better intellectual performance.
Power in Numbers
Finally, it is a great comfort to know that you can always lean on friends to help you get through college. As naturally social beings, we are meant to help each other. Starting a study group for certain classes is a great way to motivate yourself to study. If you have problems with procrastination, scheduling a study group session will help you stick to your commitments since other people will be relying on you to show up. Facing difficult assignments alone can be scary, but working with other students will not only help you comprehend more, but you'll have a better time getting your work done.
Pacing yourself and being creative will allow you to find more ways to get through college and improve your work habits. Whatever you do, remember to be patient with yourself, and to do everything you can to make school work fun and interesting. As long as you balance hard work with play, you will be well on your way to a happy and successful academic career.
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