<p>I have a huge problem with managing my time when it comes to school. I was hoping someone could give me a brief overview of what you do daily when it comes to taking notes in lecture, participating in discussion, finishing lengthy readings, and studying outside of class (big problem). I just don't have very good study skills and I need to improve to increase my grades. I'm definitely intelligent, I just can't seem to get into a good routine. Any advice? tips?</p>
<p>btw I'm a Sophomore at a T20 Lac majoring in the Humanities.</p>
<p>I unfortunately haven’t had a class yet where I needed to do extensive studying or reading (only 29 credits in) so I don’t know how well this would work for you, but here goes…</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Go to the library: I am able to get my work done here better than anywhere else. My school has group study rooms that are usually vacant and I am able to go in there and do my reading, or do my homework while listening to music without headphones (really helps me as compared to complete silence).</p></li>
<li><p>Read ahead of class: That way you can go into the lecture already having at least glanced at the material meaning you can focus more on the professor talking and less writing everything down. You’ll have a good idea of what notes you’ll need to take, and what you might be caught up on so that when the lecture gets to that point, you’ll be able to clear it up.</p></li>
<li><p>Participating in discussion: This goes back to my last point, if you are already somewhat familiar with the material you’ll be able to focus less on taking notes and more on constructive participation. This also helps you grasp the material better. If you are actively reading the material and not understanding something you’ll feel more comfortable asking about it when it comes up in class.</p></li>
<li><p>Scheduling study time: I wouldn’t say you should just make a schedule of every minute of the day, but I would take time after each class (if possible) reviewing notes and at least starting on homework. For those classes later in the day you can “schedule” time beforehand to skimming the material that will be covered.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Doing this stuff is hard enough as it is in a Community College with all the distractions that come along with living at home, but I would like to think that this will all come easier when I am living on campus in the future.</p>
<p>My daughter said she would take her backpack/study materials with her to dinner so she could go straight to the library afterwards without going back to her dorm. Because if she went back to the dorm she would get drawn into conversations, card games, etc. – and never make it to the library.</p>
<p>She also read ahead or tried the work the day’s math problems before going to class.</p>
<p>And she would reward herself – food or Facebook time or whatever when she finished an assignment.</p>
<p>If you’re having trouble managing your time, I would recommend scheduling in your study time, and then obviously stick to your schedule. Schedule in times to study everyday–this can be during the day, between classes, after dinner, whenever you’re most productive. If you do it often enough, you won’t have to schedule huge chunks of time–just an hour here and an hour there. Don’t study in your room. Go to a new location. It can be the library, a coffee shop, wherever. I liked to either find an empty classroom or go to the local grocery store. Everyone has different places where they life to study–find yours.</p>
<p>Try to minimize distractions. If you get distracted easily by noise, go somewhere quiet. If people distract you, try to find a room or a space where there are relatively few people. If the internet distracts you, don’t bring your computer. There’s also an application in Google Chrome that you can download called StayFocused, where you can program it to block certain websites, which is another option if distractions are an issue.</p>
<p>Try to set up a study group. You don’t have to be studying the same thing, but it helps to have other people hold you accountable for going to the library or doing what you need to do. Set up specific but reasonable goals. You are going to read 20 pages and then you’re going to finish this problem set or whatever.</p>
<p>I’ve found that it can help to treat studying like exercising. It takes discipline. You need to do it often if you want to see results, and eventually it’ll become a habit. You need to hold yourself accountable or have someone else hold yourself accountable. You need to set specific goals, and even when you don’t feel like doing it, you have to finish what you committed to doing.</p>
<p>To be honest, I didn’t really do all of the above in college, and it’s sort of an amalgamation of what me and friends would try to do.</p>
<p>I know in high school reading ahead in class helped me big time. My Cornell tour guide said that he has read everything a week in advance to be best prepared. I highly recommend doing so.</p>
<p>Its great that everyone mentioned technical things you can do because I wasn’t headed in that direction at all lol. But with me, I think the true factor is your motivation. </p>
<p>With me, I just think about the nice car or house I want in the future. I think about wanting to move into and finance my own apartment straight out of college. I think about wanting to reach six figures only a few years out of college. I think about not having to not having to go back to the area in which I came from. I think that motivation is the umbrella and everything else falls under it.</p>
<p>Now of course all of our motivating factors will be different, but you gotta work hard now to be lazy in the future.</p>