How do I study more effectively?

<p>School is about to start back, and I'm really worried about my study skills. In high school, I didn't really have to study to do well. In college, I know I do. And I can totally pay attention in class, but it's like, the second I get out of class, I don't want to really think about school. I still do alright, but I feel like I'm selling myself short.</p>

<p>How do people study? Also, does exercise cause people to concentrate better on stuff like school work?</p>

<p>If you attend all your classes, and take notes, regardless of how well you understand the material, you won’t have to study as much before the exams.</p>

<p>The difficulty in college isn’t always the material, but how boring the course or lecture is because of a “hard to understand” professor.</p>

<p>Stay awake, stay alert, and take good notes. That is a skill you will use for the rest of your life.</p>

<p>I usually just sit there with my notes and the reading assignments, and go over them. I find that if I set a goal for myself in terms of studying, I tend to stick to them. That is, instead of just deciding vaguely to study, I’ll tell myself, “I’m going to read through my notes x times and skim the chapters once.” Since I have a quantifiable goal, it keeps me from slacking because I know if I screw around, I’m just going to be up later doing the studying. </p>

<p>Also, studying with a friend taking the same class can also be good, especially if your friend is more focused than you are. Not only are you being social but you might get new perspectives and explanations of an idea that might make more sense to you than how the professor explained it.</p>

<p>^ i definitely say study with a friend or two, two days before the exam. just be sure not to talk too much, focus on quizzing each other (best to memorize terms and concepts before you guys study), and asking each other questions you don’t understand or asking hypothetical questions that could appear on the test.</p>