Tips on How to Succesfully Study in College

Getting a good education is something not all are privileged to enjoy.

Considering the time that one has to spend and not to mention the expenses to be paid - it is just unthinkable to get it all wrong. That is why when you have a chance to get enrolled in a college, don’t waste it away. Like a soldier, be prepared with the challenges that come along the way. Sure getting to school may sometimes sound boring and monotonous, but would that outweigh the bright future that it ensures you?

Taking a higher education is not only a choice. It also involves determination and commitment. Like marriage, right before you enter college, make a promise to yourself that you will make it until the end. Be sure of yourself, be confident of your decision and have the right kind of thinking. Getting ready emotionally means that you have already thought of the possible hardships and stumbling blocks on the way and that you are determined to go through it all. Starting right greatly helps in ending right too. We may also call it goal-setting where one determines what he wants, pins it on the board and constantly looks at it as an inspiration.

You don’t need to have a superior IQ to survive college. What good does an Einstein-like brain if you don’t use it on the right time and on the right thing? Here are tips that will help you get-along with the books and lessons well. Maybe then you’ll realize that college can be a lot of fun too even with all the paperwork and exams.

• Organize- this may be a preparatory tip but it will surely fire you up. Organize means getting all the clutter and mess away from you. Once you enter college, your attention should be focused on the materials which you really need. Thus, get your room a make-over. Throw scratch-papers, not used things and make sure everything is in its place. It helps your mind think well, it promotes comfort to your body and most of all, it also creates harmony between your personal life and your school life. Get a bookshelf, a locker and furniture which you need in order to make your room pleasing to your eyes. Studying is more effective when your environment is just that clean.

• Choose your own study time- there have been a lot of questions on when is the right time to study. Some say early in the morning is healthy while others say nighttime is effective. Well, it actually depends on the person on when he thinks he can effectively concentrate. What is wrong it not getting the right hours of sleep, not eating at the right time - that is where you place your health in compromise. Choose a period when all the noises in your place have died down, when you find yourself most comfortable opening your book, memorizing and solving problems in your textbooks. Be it during midnight, at dawn or in the middle of the afternoon- the keyword here is when you find yourself effective. Sometimes, you just have to diagnose your capacity and effectiveness for you to be able to come up with the perfect timing.

• Keep a list of things to do- when you enter college, expect that you will be bombarded with a lot of deadlines. School matters are not all that matters. There are some other things that you need to do which will honestly steal time away from you. If you fail to organize your time well, you’ll end up drowning in pressure. Here’s a simple tip which you will find amazing. Buy a stick-on or anything like that. Or use a small paper and a pin. Write down the activities, assignments and events that you have to do in a particular day. Pin or stick it at the top of your bed, or at your door or your mirror so that you will be reminded on the lessons, topics and etc. that you have to finish on that particular day. Even activities like washing dishes, cleaning the room and doing laundry should be listed too. Check each work that is already finished. At the end of the day, you can assess how you did. It’s one way of making sure that you finish things on the allotted time so that piling and cramming will be prevented.

• It pays to read and do things in advance- only few people have achieved this habit of reading or studying in advance. That is why too there are only few who can answer questions even when the topic is still scheduled for the next week. Making a project that is due for the next days may not be practical but hey, imagine the luxury you will be having when all your classmates are so busy while you are doing nothing. With that you can concentrate more on things which you find hard. Besides, you’ll never know when emergencies will come right? Doing projects in advance can definitely save you from being rammed afterwards.

• Have the right materials before you- yes, you read it right. Materials also play an important role in studying. Books for the lessons, notebooks for taking notes from lectures, slides, presentations, hand-outs, samples and references- all these are necessary to get the information you need. Relying on textbooks alone will leave you half-ignorant. This is where your skill in researching for resources come in. There is a big difference between a man who relies solely on the books that the school gave him and a man who searches for more and fines more because he looked for it. More information means clearer view and better understanding.

Lastly , keep in mind that studying is not only about books, lessons and exams. It also means getting along with others, jamming with them and sharing time for leisure purposes. College life would be incomplete without these kinds of activities. The big BUT comes in choosing the right kind of friends to be with. Needless to say, they must be like you too, passionate in going to college and determined to work for it. Besides, getting in an intelligent and hardworking flock will motivate you to do more and achieve more. A little pressure from them is not harmful, right?