<p>What method have you found works best for taking notes in class? What about studying after class? How soon do you start studying for test?</p>
<p>I've had to experiment a little with this in college. In high school I thought it was the weirdest thing ever to study for a test more than a few days before it was given. I got to college with the same thinking, and it came back to haunt me. I'm looking for advice for me and any other students who might be wondering about the same thing.</p>
<p>It all depends on the person. I was in a class with a friend last semester where I only went to a few classes and simply outlined/studied the readings and did just as well as my friend, who went to every class and made hundreds of notecards. </p>
<p>What I’ve found best for me is (not going to that class was an exception, I almost always go to class): taking notes in class that are organized and in an outlined format (if it’s convenient to do so), making sure that if you feel lost/forget when something is that you know someone else in the class that you can study with & who is organized, and just producing study guides based on notes & the texts. </p>
<p>That has always worked pretty well for me, however I feel that format is much more conducive to the humanities and social science classes versus the hard sciences, so I don’t know. You’ve got a few weeks at the beginning of school to figure out what works best.</p>
<p>Different people have different learning styles. I suggest seeing if you can find an online test to determine yours. It should also give you some helpful hints about how to study effectively.</p>
<p>Google “Cal Newport Study Hacks”. Best college study blog in the world.</p>
<p>Your problems are solved! Take the summer to go through each of the proposed study plans in detail and see which one would work best for you.</p>
<p>For me, it’s best to go to class and pay attention. Most professors would give notes out or will post powerpoint slides up on their site. I remember most of the material from paying attention in class and I would write down notes that I think are important or he emphasizes it in class alot. Studying wise, I go to a quiet area like the library or the student lounge. I can’t seem to study in my room. You should study at different places and see what works for you.</p>
<p>Especially for my harder classes, it was important to go to every class and take notes. </p>
<p>For studying, I’ll use my Microbiology class as an example… aside from going to class and taking notes, I would read the material in the book (highlighting is great!) and also take my OWN notes straight from the book. Micro was ALL memorization, so I would make notecards from both sets of notes and if it was going to be a really big test I would make a study guide from my notes too. It may seem like a lot, but I never had a problem and I also worked 30 hrs/wk and had five other classes to study for. Doing ALL of that worked for me because as you write the material over and over, you memorize it! I think repetition is key in science classes, at least. </p>
<p>For English classes dealing with literature, after I read the story or poem, I would look it up on sparknotes (it’s not cheating!) to get a better understanding. Many teachers recommend doing this, actually.</p>
<p>For science classes, I attend all lectures and copy down notes. I always write down whatever goes on the board (especially diagrams and example problems). New material is always a little confusing, so I put asterisks next to particularly confusing topics and jot down questions that come to mind during the lecture. After lecture, I do the assigned textbook reading (if any) and then go over any Powerpoints/notes that the professor might have posted. At this point, I review the topics I noted previously and try to answer some of my own questions. If I can’t, I go to office hours. I usually also outline the textbook reading, since I retain more information when I write it down. However, sometimes I just read the textbook to get a more general sense of the material and not for details; in that case, I don’t bother outlining. In classes like physics and chemistry where conceptual understanding is critical, I make sure that I can explain to myself the rationale behind every equation. </p>
<p>In addition, when I do math and science problems, I always write down problem solving tips - basically, strategies that I find useful and common mistakes to avoid. If I find myself lacking in any area, I do more problems.</p>
<p>I’m also an English major, so for non-essay literature exams, I always study important passages/poems (the ones discussed in class) and try to anticipate possible essay topics (by preparing examples beforehand and brainstorming major themes). This is because at my school, the standard lit exam format is IDs, passage analysis, and essay. Only in English classes do I type up and re-organize my notes.</p>
<p>These methods work for me, although I’m sure that my performance wouldn’t suffer too much if I cut a couple of corners. (But I’m too chicken to try actually cutting corners.)</p>
<p>All the advice is great! </p>
<p>Repetition helped me a lot when I was studying for history exams. They would always be essay exams, and you would never know what topic you’d have until exam day. I would write out the answer to each question in exam form, or at least outline for, and just keep writing it out over and over. It helps a lot! I imagine I’ll be having to use some of these memorization techniques in my biology class next semester.</p>
<p>go to class and write down as much as possible. when i read textbooks i take notes writing down anything that seems important, which takes awhile, but creates a great studyguide plus increases memory as you’re writing it. I usually study 1 or 2 days before a regular exam, except for my higher level stats classes, those take like a week of studying. some books have online quizzes and stuff which may help you.</p>