We get it. You’re a busy student with far too less time struggling to perform your best in the classroom. With sports, work, and other extracurricular activities, it can be difficult to maximize your study time. So in this article, I will share some tips that have worked for me and I hope they can help you too!
Prioritize Your Commitments
Believe it or not, this has been the most important step for me—scheduling blocks of time to study in the first place. At the end of the day, the best way to align yourself with your academic goals is to make time to work towards them. I’m not saying you shouldn’t attend the upcoming Model UN conference or go to your school’s next football game but do your best to pencil in some time to study around your busy schedule.
Eliminate Distractions
Now that you’ve allotted time to study, it is ultimately up to you to maximize that time. This might go without saying, but try to avoid any distractions. If your phone is a major distraction for you, try to set it aside. Accountability is key for academic success.
Space It Out
What I like to do is get up in the morning and review my notes the day before a test. Find out what works best for you. This might look different class to class but the general principle is the same: studying for an exam over the course of a week, for instance, is much better than the night before. Not only can you divide up the total amount of study time, but studies have shown that spaced out learning enables better comprehension. In other words, you’re much more likely to remember what you’ve studied if you review the material consistently.
Teach the Material
This is coming from a Schoolhouse.world tutor—consider sharing a concept you’ve learned with someone else! This is a great way to test just how well you know the material yourself. Personally, I’ve explained calculus topics, such as the disk and washer method, to my friends and as a result, it has just stuck with me much better!
Better Understand How You Learn
Take a second and imagine your ideal learning environment. Is it in your room, the library, or the coffee shop? Do you prefer to study in the morning or later at night? Are you a visual, auditory, or tactile learner? There is no right answer to these questions but considering them maynot only help you learn more about yourself but also assist in making a study plan that incorporates these factors. For example, if you are a visual learner, maybe color-coordinating your notes could help.
What’s Next?
Thank you Sharon V for editing this article!