The best college study tips to help you get straight A’s!!
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With school back in session, everyone needs a little push to get back into the groove of studying. Even if you got straight A’s in high school, it can still be challenging to get those scores in college.
College classes are much harder and require a little extra effort and work. It can be hard trying to motivate yourself and setting aside time to study. I know I had a lot of trouble with this during my freshman year. I really just wanted to hang out with friends or watch Netflix.
But in order to succeed in college and get good grades, I had to push myself to focus. I am now in my sophomore year of college and can tell you exactly what I did to get good grades.
This post is all about college study tips!
COLLEGE STUDY TIPS:
1. STUDY DESK SETUP
The very first thing you want to make sure is to have an organized study setup. If you like to study from home, make sure your desk is nice and organized. I actually prefer to do my studying at a coffee shop because I just get a lot more done that way.
Occasionally I do stay home and study at my desk. I don’t recommend studying on your bed because you’ll get too comfy and eventually fall asleep or end up doing something else. Instead, go to a local library or a cafe to do your homework or study.
2. NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES
I highly recommend all college students buy a pair of noise-canceling headphones. I have one from Soundcore Anker which I bought from Amazon. If you’re in a noisy place and can’t focus because it’s so loud, these will come in handy.
You can prepare a playlist of music that isn’t distracting and just listen to that while studying.
3. STAY HYDRATED
You will be sitting down for a few good hours studying so make sure you have water on hand. I recommend getting a hydro flask from Amazon because it keeps your drink cold for so long. If you don’t like drinking water, get a cup of coffee or boba. Also make sure to bring a few snacks for when you get hungry.
Nothing’s worse than trying to study on an empty stomach. I like to bring cut-up veggies, fruits, trail mix, or a few bags of chips.
4. WEAR COMFY CLOTHES
This is another one of my favorite college study tips. ALWAYS make sure to wear comfy clothes. I know sometimes we’re dressed up all cute and can’t always prepare for that. But if you have time, go home and change or at least find a comfortable place to sit other than your bed (LOL).
I like to wear some sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt or some comfy leggings with a loose-fitted shirt.
5. TIME MANAGEMENT
This is probably one of the most crucial college study tips for all students. Try to give yourself multiple days to study or maybe even a week. I know for me personally, if I just study my notes for one day I will not remember most of the materials the day of the test.
So preferably give yourself a good 3 days to study at the LEAST! If you don’t have a lot of time to study, try to spread it out. For example, try to fit at least 1 hour of studying per day. Whether that be 15 minutes before class, 30 minutes in between classes, and 15 minutes before you go to bed.
6. BREAK DOWN WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO STUDY
Try to break down what you’re going to study in a certain amount of time. It can be for assignments, projects, or studying. I feel like breaking something down just makes it a lot easier to accomplish. This also gives you enough time to ask questions if you don’t understand something. You can ask your friend, your peers, or your professor.
The questions will come up naturally as you study. And if you don’t have any questions while you’re studying, it might come up later on. So it’s important to give yourself enough time to study before the day of the test.
If you are like me and extremely type-A, try time blocking. I like to break down each hour of my day and what I am going to do in that hour. It makes my life a lot easier and I won’t be scrambling to find out what I need to do.
7. TYPE YOUR NOTES
This is one of my best college study tips. ALWAYS type your notes! When one of your professors is giving a lecture, usually they go pretty fast, and typing just makes it easier to keep up. Don’t worry about having everything spelled out correctly or making it pretty. You can go back and edit that later.
8. REWRITE YOUR NOTES
When I wanted to make sure I would remember all of the material, I would rewrite my notes and shorten them. Use index cards or maybe even a notebook to write these notes down. Try to write down only the important stuff so it’s easier to remember.
Use lots of bright colors and highlight the heading. Also, make a star next to the most important notes you HAVE to know and then annotate.
9. EXPLAIN TOPIC TO YOURSELF
This is one of the college study tips my professor told me to do. If you think you have studied enough and are going to ace the test, then try explaining the topic to yourself. If you can’t, then you need to keep studying until you can.
10. TAKE BREAKS
It’s important to take breaks every couple of hours and give your brain time to rest. If you keep studying without taking any breaks, eventually you’ll be burnt out and lose focus. I also recommend you get at least 6 hours of sleep so you’re well rested.
- Go to the bathroom
- Stretch
- Take a snack break
11. HAVE A ROUTINE
I cannot stress this enough. Have a study routine and stick to it! Sometimes your friends will want to hang out or go places, but you need to be able to say no to succeed.
Always make sure your study area is neat and tidy, have snacks and water on hand, get rid of all distractions, be prepared, and have an open mindset.
12. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
You will have friends or classmates who have better grades than you. It is what it is 🤷🏻♀️. Don’t compare yourself to them. Just keep trying and working hard to get good grades.
I struggled with this a lot during my freshman year. Literally, everyone around me had better grades. I would always compare myself to them and feel bad about myself. I had to remind myself constantly that that’s not going to change anything.
Eventually, I stopped trying because it was easier for me to know that I failed without trying than trying hard and failing. Thank god, I had really supportive friends who helped me realize that it’s not all about getting straight A’s.
If you start feeling bad about yourself, just remember that C’s get degrees too!
13. ASK QUESTIONS
This is another great college study tip. In high school, all of your teachers will push you to do better and they will actually come to you and ask if you have any questions. But in college that’s not how it is. Before even the first week of school started, all of my professors sent out emails saying if we missed a due date for more than 2 assignments, we would get kicked out of the class. Even if it was late by 1 minute past the time.
They literally don’t give a sh*t. Their job is to teach and that’s it. If you don’t understand something, it’s your responsibility to reach out and ask for help because in all actuality no one else is going to do it for you. If you’re uncomfortable asking questions with so many people in the class, wait until everyone is out the door and then ask your questions. Or you can email them if you are more comfortable doing that.
14. FIND THE TIMES YOU ARE MOST PRODUCTIVE
It’s a lot easier to study if you’re actually motivated. Figure out what time during the day you are most productive. Maybe you’re more productive early in the morning or during the evening around 5 p.m. Even if you can only stay focused for a few hours, you’ll be surprised by how much you can get done during that time.
15. FIGURE OUT YOUR LEARNING STYLE
College study tips number 15 is figuring out your learning style. Some students learn better by doing hands-on activities, and others learn better by having everything visualized. Everyone has a different learning style. So, you need to figure out which one you are in order to study better.
16. MAKE PRACTICE TESTS
In order to get better, you need to practice. Make a practice test on Quizlet and test yourself over and over again until you get a grade you’re happy with. I know that we can’t know exactly what will be on the test, so make sure to study all the material even if you don’t think it’s important.
17. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
This is the most IMPORTANT college advice I can give you. Never say “I can’t”. Always try and try again. Sometimes you’ll fail and sometimes you’ll succeed. It’s just how life is. The important thing to remember is that grades don’t define who you are. YOU DO!
YOU ALL GOT THIS!
PIN FOR LATER
THIS POST WAS ALL ABOUT THE BEST COLLEGE STUDY TIPS
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