Stop learning your lesson. Instead, start learning to learn your lesson using explosive study tips for college.
Thinking about my schooling, I realized that studies are as hard as we decide they are.
Low motivation, bad methods, bad teachers, boring and hard topics are some excuses we found among many to not succeed one of the most important step of our life. Because of all those factors, we tend to think they are hard. But in reality, it’s not what you study that is determinant, but the way you study.
I decided to write this article to transmit to students all the methods, hacks and productivity tips that moved me from a C to A grade and that I’m still using today to achieve 70 hours of efficient work, per week.
If you are interested about how to be able to work 70 hours per week you can download the free ebook “The Success Setup: Mindsets and Workflows for Motivation & Productivity”.
FIRST STUDY TIP: THE X10 MINDSET
Our memory is selective. Our brain reject useless and boring information. That makes sense right?
Most of the information from our study are painful to remember because:
- We don’t like them
- We don’t understand them
- We think they are useless
Think about it one second, how could you remember easily something that you don’t understand, you don’t like and think it’s useless? You can’t.
So here is the most powerful study tip, before learning something, approach it more friendly, try to understand it, and find yourself why it’s useful.
How?
Usefulness: If you are learning it, high chances that it’s useful, you just need to figure out how. There is certainly someone that is using the information in his daily work and making money with it. Try to relate this information to a skill and this skill to the work you want to do. Imagine yourself working, using this information.
Comprehension: Stop blaming teachers. Nobody succeed with blaming. Instead, find alternative learning paths, ask your friends, other teachers, online resources (Youtube for example)… The key is to able to reexplain it to someone that doesn’t know about the topic.
Likability: At this point, if you understand and think an information is useful, you should like it at this point. If not, you can listen passionate people speaking about it. Find interviews of experts, watch videos of projects realized around this skill, speak to friends that like the subject…
With this study tip you should feel much less pain studying, and even maybe some pleasure. Your brain will enjoy the process and memorize much quicker and deeper.
SECOND STUDY TIP: AVOID BEGINNERS MISTAKES
• Some obvious study tips for college important to recall: Try as much as possible not to skip classes. Majority of schools take attendance very strictly and it might even be part of your total grades. Aside from attendance being a part of your total grades, missing classes can make you miss important lectures and notes which may be vital during exams. Attending of classes is a sure way to increase your successes when in courses you find most difficult.
• Don’t stay blocked
Schedule an appointment with your professor during his or her office hour to tell them about what you find challenging in the course. Make sure to meet with them outside the classroom. Letting your professor know your challenge might make him/her understand that many are struggling with the course. You never can tell, you might be helping your entire class when you speak up.
THIRD STUDY TIP: ORGANIZATION AND PLANNING
• Start studying early
Studying for your Masters and Ph.D. is sure not same as studying for a high school exam. The course load and work in advanced classes are bulkier, attacking the workload like you did in high school will be a sure way to failure. Help yourself by studying as early as possible so you can cover the course work before the semester runs out.
• Manage the learning load
We’ve all been here, taking some unneeded extra workload because we feel they are important. We tend to bite off more than we can chew, and this increases our stress level because we have a little time for our massive workload. To increase your success rate in hard studies try to drop off some of those optional courses that are not necessarily needed for graduation. Doing this can create a lot of difference as you get extra time to prepare for your harder classes.
One important thing to understand about hard classes is that they require more time, efforts and focus than undergraduates’ classes. study tips for college can’t replace a good preparation. To be able to survive and succeed in time you have to be prepared.You can prepare yourself for your studies in the following ways:
• Give yourself a mental prep talk. Get your mind ready to face the challenge ahead.
• Go through your course module to get insights of what you will be taught. Doing this you visualize better the system in which the information are going to fit.
• Review your syllabus and assignment meticulously to avoid surprises.
• Plan your term and create a study time table.
FOURTH STUDY TIP: CREATE YOUR LEARNING LIFESTYLE
• Understand your internal clock
There are basically two types of people – the ‘day people’ and the ‘night people’. The day people are more effective during the day, while the night people are move effective at night. When planning your study time, you have to understand which category you belong to so as to increase your productivity and your memory.
• Connect with your colleagues / Create a team
It is a popular saying –“no man is an island.” You are probably not the only one in your class who’s having difficulties with some classes so you can progress together. Studying in groups can be a great way for you to gain insights to topics or areas you do not understand and also help your colleagues in their problem area. It can also be an avenue to share materials and resources.
• Constant revisions
It’s proven by neuroscience. More exposed we are to a stimulus, deeper we memorize it. While you may have covered the syllabus, it is important you constantly revise what you’ve read. Constant revision will enable you to be adept in your courses, it enables your brain create mental images of what you’ve read so you can easily remember them. Incorporating this habit to your study routine can rapidly increase your success rate in examinations.
• Read
Taking your assigned readings seriously and completing them on time will make your studies easier and save you the stress of cramming very long pages in a day or two. Completing your assigned readings also prepare you ahead for your next lectures.
• Don’t over stress yourself
Try not to worry about your workload, because worrying always makes things harder than they seem.Always make sure you eat properly, get enough sleep, and make out time for social activities.
PRODUCTIVITY STUDY TIPS FOR COLLEGE: BUILD YOUR SUCCESS SETUP
Procrastination makes you put off important things you should have done for smaller and unimportant task. If you find yourself always procrastinating doing your assignments or reading for a test, you are surely journeying the path of failure. You can avoid this trap building the right workspace. Here are some study tips for college to optimize your workflow.
•Clean any source of distractions, even the most innocent ones. It is important to give yourself time for social activities but do not let this become a distraction to you. There should be a balance between your academic life and your social life. Make it known to your friends that you wouldn’t like to be disturbed with petty talks when reading. Also, try to avoid constant distraction from your phones when reading.
• Use productivity apps
– Forest is an app and browser extension that gathers time pressure, gamification, social motivation, resistance to distraction, and positive loops.
– CrackBook, MindfulBrowsing and Delayed Gratification are a browser’s extensions (Chrome) that allow you to delay or block the access to websites
that you choose (Facebook for example). Leech Block does the same thing for Firefox.
– Todoist: organizing tool using gamification
– Habitica & EpicWin Gamified your life
• Use productivity tips and methods: Social pressure, Time Pressure, Reward and Punishments, Community Working, Positive Loops… find all of them explain in details in your free ebook “The Success Setup: Mindsets and Workflows for Motivation & Productivity”.
EXPLOSIVE STUDY TIPS FOR COLLEGE: TAKE AWAY
In conclusion, surviving as an advanced student is very easy if you know how to succeed hard studies. The right mindset, organization and planning, work environment and motivation booster are some of the main reason it can be much more easier and pleasant to study. Remember that you can always succeed with the right mindset, and those study tips for college are only here to support you.
