Study Tips Every Student Should Know

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Effective studying involves more than the use of proven study strategies. It also entails various aspects of our physical or mental state: our environment, state of mind and the conditions we create for studying.

I find that sometimes it’s not the study technique employed in studying that is ineffective; it is the condition of our environment or study space, our mindset, or even the schedule we follow that undermines how well we grasp and understand the material we are trying to study.

In this blog post, I will share some tips to make our study sessions more productive.

Happy reading!

The most effective study tip is adopting the right frame of mind for learning. The right mindset when approaching a task (in this case, studying) cannot be overemphasized. Our mindset is one of the most powerful tools available to us as humans, and we must always strive to use it to our advantage. We should always try to adopt a growth mindset (not a fixed mindset); this will ensure you view challenges as a way of learning – which it is!

1. Create A Study Schedule/Routine

Having a study schedule is important for effective time management and academic success. It helps you to organize tasks, prioritize workload, and allocate specific time for your study session. A study schedule helps to ensure that each subject receives adequate attention and enhances overall productivity. A well-structured study schedule fosters discipline and consistency, making it easier for you to study better and stay on track with your academic goals.

It is also beneficial to ensure that you schedule your study session around when you are most active or when you assimilate faster. Doing this will ensure that you spend your time effectively.

Having a schedule gives you a head start on your day. It happens to me often when I get up from bed, and I spend hours sitting there or mind wandering because I do not have a list or schedule for that day. Since I started to keep a schedule every night for my next-day plans, I have become more efficient and spend my time better.

2. Set Up Your Study Station/Get Comfortable

Do I have everything I need in my study station/desk?

Making sure you have everything you need to get your work done at hand is so important. How often do you stand up to get a material or an item you need? Doing this wastes your time and decreases your attention. When you ensure you have the items you need in your study station or desk, you are more likely to spend your time maximally. Getting comfortable can be having bottled water near you, your stationery, or even wearing the most comfortable clothes!

3. Set Specific Goals

What do I want to achieve from this study session?

Have a clear goal of what you want to achieve from your study session. A goal is like a map that gets you to your utmost destination. It helps to ensure that you are studying with a purpose and enables you to break your tasks into smaller manageable parts.

4. Engage in Active Study Techniques

You should always engage with the study material to ensure your study is practical. Discussing, teaching others, or applying concepts to real-life situations helps you engage with your study material. These help ensure you understand the idea you studied and can reproduce this information on your exam. Using mnemonic devices and memory aids is also very effective in ensuring active study.

5. Take Regular Breaks

Studying for long hours without taking multiple breaks causes your focus and efficiency to diminish over time. Avoiding burnout by taking breaks between study sessions helps you recharge, refocus, and return to studying with renewed energy and clarity. Doing this helps prevent exhaustion and enhances your ability to retain information and tackle tasks effectively.

Most recommend following the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of studying and a 5-minute break). However, I do not practice this because I sometimes focus on the alarm ringing rather than studying. Instead, I take a break when my mind wanders constantly, or I need to recharge.

You can always stick to the Pomodoro method if it works for you or develop a strategy to know when to take breaks.

6. Utilize Different Learning Style

While many claim to have a preferred learning style, no scientific evidence supports that aligning your desired style with studying will produce better results. Due to this, it is best to utilize different (or all) learning styles to see much better results.

You can use the following:

• Visual learning techniques like diagrams, charts, and color-coded notes.
• Auditory learning techniques like listening to lectures and podcasts or discussing concepts with peers.
• Kinesthetic learning techniques through hands-on activities, experiments, or role-playing exercises.

Diversifying study approaches and incorporating elements of different learning styles can optimize your studying and learning experience and improve overall academic performance.

7. Seek Help When Needed

This tip is one of the study tips that most students miss out on. You should always be open to seeking help from professors or classmates when you get stuck or need clarification. You should also join study groups or seek tutoring if necessary. Sometimes, there are better ways to study a particular course or topic, but you might only know once you ask others!

8. Stay Healthy

Health encompasses various aspects of physical and mental well-being. It involves engaging in physical activity, eating a balanced diet, prioritizing sleep hygiene and actively managing stress. All these are important for memory consolidation and cognitive function. By prioritizing health and wellness, you can optimize your ability to focus, retain information, and thrive academically.

9. Countering Stereotype Threat

How often do you struggle with a course or topic labelled ‘toughest’ despite studying it repeatedly? It might be due to stereotype threat—the fear of confirming negative stereotypes about oneself, which can hinder performance, not because of a lack of ability but because of the pressure to avoid fulfilling the stereotype. This fear can undermine performance and lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Let me give a personal example: students, professors, and academic advisors in my school label a particular statics course as the “toughest” for health science students. After enrolling for the class, I was so overwhelmed with not failing the class that I could not comprehend anything the professor was teaching, not even the simplest things. I constantly got headaches and anxious during this class until my midterm was approaching. I knew I couldn’t afford to fail the class and decided to give it my all. A few days before my midterm, I read a chapter about stereotype threat in my psychology textbook, and I soon realized that it resonated with how I felt about my statistics class. After studying hard and ensuring I did not listen to negative stereotypes about the class, I performed well on my midterm.

That experience has taught me to listen to reviews or opinions on a particular course or class with a grain of salt so that I do not end up fighting negative thoughts rather than studying.

So, the next time you find yourself struggling with a class or course, ask yourself whether you are affected by the anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype because that can impair your ability to perform well, even if you are capable of performing well on that course.

In conclusion, effective studying encompasses various aspects of our physical and mental state and effective study techniques to yield productive study sessions and lead to academic success.

Do you have other study tips? Please share them in the comments.