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Success Starts Here!

Give yourself a chance to be a successful student. Practicing good study habits will help you get on the right track to earning grades of which you can be proud. If reassurance is what you need, call a counselor or advisor!

  • First, get organized. Keep your syllabus or procedure sheet, handouts, and notes for each class together in a folder or binder. Know where everything is.

  • Keep a written calendar of test dates, due dates, work schedules, and other personal obligations from the start of the semester so you can easily anticipate time crunches.

  • Manage your time effectively. Use a daily organizer to list all errands, classes, family obligations, work hours, etc. Anticipate how much time each will take. Schedule them according to priority. Block off time for studying each day, and try not to let other obligations eat away at that time. It's not as easy to waste time if you have a visual reminder of what you need to accomplish each day.

  • Take good notes in class. Listen actively to what your instructor says in class. Use a tape recorder, if necessary, to help you fill in information you missed (ask your instructor's permission, of course). At the end of each day, reread your notes and add information you remember but weren't able to write down in class. Organize your notes every day by writing topic headings in the margins, highlighting important information, and writing a short summary. (Yes, it's a lot of work. You'll be glad when test times come around, though; each of these exercises helps you remember, prioritize, and classify information.)

  • Stay on top of reading assignments. Buy your textbooks before classes start; look them over and begin reading. Read each assignment slowly and take notes (you can use a highlighter in the book if you don't plan to sell the book later). The table of contents will not only show you where information is located within the book, but it will show you how it's organized, giving clues as to what information is most important and how one piece of information relates to the rest.

  • Attend all your classes. The temptations will be great to miss class when other obligations demand your time or you're feeling tired. But missing class means that you're missing important information that can help you succeed in the class. Sometimes missing class is unavoidable, but try not to let it become a habit. Make school a top priority! It is always your responsibility to arrange to get notes from classmates or to make up tests or in-class work in any classes you miss. Your instructor may want to be informed ahead of time if you must miss class and may have special instructions regarding make-up work.

  • Begin work on large projects or papers early. Breaking up big projects into a series of smaller tasks can make the assignment seem far less overwhelming. For a research paper, for example, 1) find a topic, and 2) research it early in the semester. Then 3) take notes from your research sources, and 4) write an outline for your paper. Now you can 5) begin work on a first draft. Beginning these tasks early will leave you time to 6) research more information if you need to, and to 7) revise and refine your work in later drafts at the end. Your grade will reflect your extra effort!

  • Devote enough time to studying. Experts estimate that for each hour you spend in a class, you should be spending two to three hours studying outside of class. Some classes will be easier or harder for you than others and will require less or more study time. Ask your instructor for an estimate of study time for success in his or her class.

  • Take frequent study breaks. Experts say that you study more efficiently and more information is retained if you take a 10- or 15-minute break between hours of study.

  • Study every day. Disciplining yourself feels good! Learning to discipline yourself will help you succeed in other areas of your life as well as in school. And, studying every day will help you remember information so you won't have to “cram” for tests. Study skills experts agree that “cramming” leads to burnout and poor grades.

  • Find your time to study. Some people concentrate better in the morning, others in the afternoon, and some very late at night. Find your optimum study time and allot that time for study every day if possible. Leave errands and less important tasks for times when you are naturally less sharp.

  • Find a place to study. Some people prefer to study at the library or another quiet place. Others prefer to or must study at home. If you find that you are distracted by phones and family, you may have to negotiate a room or area where you will be alone to study with no interruptions. If you have children, consider making your study time a time when the kids can also study or quietly read in the same room with you. This will help them develop good study habits, too.

  • Ask for help before it's too late. Talk to your instructor as soon as you feel you are having problems. If you feel that a class is way over your head, you may need to start with a lower-level class. Perhaps you'll need individual tutoring to help you with some of the more basic or the more difficult concepts in a class. Whatever the situation, don't wait until it's too late to do anything about it.

  • Start a study group. Get together once or twice a week with members of the same class. This is a great way for classmates to clarify information, ask questions, and share notes and observations.

  • Don't forget to exercise. It's important to keep yourself from feeling stressed out, overtired, or overwhelmed by too much mental work. Make daily exercise a part of your routine. It will actually help to keep your stress level down as it increases your circulation and helps you feel more alert and productive. Besides, you know it's good for you! If you find it difficult to stick to an exercise schedule, sign up for a health/physical education class or arrange to meet friends regularly for team sports, swimming, racquetball, or tennis.

  • Reward yourself occasionally! Plan on doing something special for yourself after you've studied or worked hard on a project. Some people treat themselves in small ways at the end of each day; other people plan a special outing during the week; still others budget one day each weekend to spend with friends and family completely away from schoolwork.


Overcoming Test Anxiety

Follow the study tips in the section above, and you'll be more prepared and less likely to feel anxious about a test. If you still do, though, here are some relaxation techniques to combat that anxiety. Try each in a practice situation, and choose the one that seems to make you feel the least anxious. Spend one minute before and after each study session and each exam performing the exercise.

Research shows that these techniques can improve test scores by 10 to 20 percent! Visualization. Sit comfortably. Breathe gently and relax your muscles. Pretend you are sitting in your favorite place. Imagine everything about it - what it looks like, smells like, etc. Concentrate on each sense in turn to help you really “be” in this place.

Memory. Sit comfortably. Breathe gently and allow your muscles to relax. Let your mind drift toward a pleasant, restful, and reassuring memory. Let yourself experience the memory; don't concentrate too hard on it.

Progressive Relaxation. Sit comfortably, relaxing each of the five major muscle groups in turn. First, tense your feet and lower legs by pushing your feet “into” the floor. Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Then tighten the thighs by pointing your toes; hold for 10 seconds and relax. Follow this same tensing and relaxing procedure for the stomach, arms, shoulders, hands, and facial muscles.

Deep Breathing. Sit quietly with eyes closed and all muscles relaxed. Slowly breathe deeply, filling your lungs with oxygen. Exhale slowly. Repeat this procedure five or six times. You will feel calmer, and the oxygen will increase your brain's thinking ability.

Thought Stopping. As soon as a negative or anxious thought (“I don't know the answer”) enters your mind, tell your mind to "Stop!" Replace that negative thought with a positive one. (“This is a challenging problem. I'll be able to solve it if I come back to it.”)

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 Last Updated On: 3/14/06