Whether you’re a fresh first year or a seasoned fourth year, a good study routine is essential to doing well in school. Here are some tips, that I personally follow!
Taking notes in class
Many people tend to use a notepad/notebook to lectures fore notetaking; however, I discourage you from doing this. This is an inefficient form of note-taking, because people tend to copy down what’s shown on the slides instead of paying attention to the lecturer! Instead, I encourage you to bring a device, where you can annotate the (usually posted) pre-lecture slides. By doing this, you can write down things that the lecturer mentions, which are NOT on the slides and be more engaged.
In this regard, I personally used an iPad and apple pencil. It keeps my backpack light and all my notes in one place. I strongly recommend investing in one, or a similar note-taking device.
studying for an exam
Credits: Flickr
There is no need to pull all-nighters or cram really hard to do well on an exam. Being on top of things is key to healthy and productive studying. I always give my lecture notes a second look ASAP, before the next lecture. It is always a good idea to give them a third or fourth read-over a week after to keep the concepts fresh in your mind. By doing so, you will retain enough information come exam season, so that cramming is unnecessary.
On a more obvious note, DO ALL THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS/MATERIAL. Don’t cheat yourself and look at the answers first. You’ll hear this time and time again. Additionally, the upshot of following the study tip in the previous paragraph, allows you much more time to practice applying concepts rather than memorize them in the first place 🙂