Moving into college life can be a big transition from high school, especially when the study material has suddenly tripled while exam periods seem ever so near. I'm currently in my first year at my university's Accounting and Financial Management program. And as an Arts student, my required reading per course just accumulates infinitely. Not only are the contents and key terms difficult to understand, the reading load can literally destroy my brain cells and my back ( if you know what I mean). To those of you with similar obstacles, what study method(s) did you use to help you achieve success ? Is note-taking really necessary?
This discussion forum is devoted entirely to college/university students of all levels of academic competence to share and learn from other more successful students
Although this is entirely based on my personal experience in high school, I find that you should take notes for only 2 of your most important, and most difficult courses. Better yet, DON'T TAKE NOTES AT ALL! After all, almost all of us have a tendency to just copy down the textbook word-by-word. If that's how you memorize your course materials, I ain't here to deter you from doing so, but I'm blunt enough to tell you that your comprehension of your course material and your ability to make connections with it will be very low.
There is a great different between copying notes and writing notes, and copying notes will only allow you to learn passively without really engaging in what you're reading. Moreover, I find that I have a great tendency to just zone out of my studying if I'm just copying down my textbook! I realized then, that not only do I felt like I haven't really learned anything, I couldn't even come up with the most basic concept of the chapter on the top of my head! So my point is, DON'T COPY YOUR TEXTBOOK or else you'll never learn properly!
Instaed...
1) read one section of the chapter
2) trying not to look at your textbook, summarize the information in point forms, in YOUR OWN WORDS
3) As you do so, quietly recite it out
4) Never copy definitions or side-notes! Not only is it time-consuming, it really is useless because you can always refer back to the textbook before the exam.
5) Try to come up with questions that you think have a great chance of being on the exam,then try to answer them by yourself. Studies show that most high-achieving students use this method to study for their exams.
One way to test how effective your note-taking is is by comparing the length of your notes to that of the paragraph you try to summarize. Your notes should be around half of its length. Remember, re-word everything! This really is the best way to retain information in your head, by using your own words!
A study method which I got out from one of my textbooks...The SQ3R method
Survey or as I like to call it, scan through the sub-headings before you begin reading.
Question. Keep in mind of a question or learning objective in which you will later reflect on to make it more memorable.
Read actively with a critical mind, this means coming up with plausible questions that may show up on the exam and use them to test your understanding.
Review. This encompasses looking over the marginal definitions and side notes and frequently quiz yourself. This also means glancing over your textbook and notes within one day after your lecture. You should always go over the material from time to time again. This is called "overlearning" and it really improves retention of memory!
Reflect on what you have learned. Even better is to present your learning to a friend or imaginary audience. Again, you have a better chance of remembering it if you use your own word. It works like a charm! What I also like to do is try answering the summary questions at end of each chapters, I don't bother with writing it down. I find it even more helpful to just say out the answer and see if it makes sense and it sure wastes a lot less time than writing it down.
Here are some final thoughts that I want to share with you...yes know I'm annoying
1) Diversify your studying.
Screw it with schedule planning, you'll just end up setting unrealistic and unobtainable goals for yourselves. This will totally, in turn, destroy your self-confidence. I recommend switching subjects for every one hour with a ten minutes break in between. Better yet, spend only about one to two hours a day for each subject,but study frequently throughout the week. In order to score good marks, your studying time per week should be the equivalent of one night's sleep. This means 7-8 hours a week.
2) Actively participate in class.
Not only do you have to devote all your attention to what the prof is saying, you have to participate in class discussions and answer and ask questions as frequently as you can. Chances are, you'll have a better impression of the material if you remember impressing your prof with it.
3) Overlearn.
Psychology reminds us that "overlearning improves retention", and quite frankly this is so true! One misconception that a lot of students have is a preconceived notion that they understand a lot more than they actually do. They constantly overestimate their knowledge of the material.This subsequently leads to cramming in the last minute or just studying a lot later than than they should after a lecture. What I suggest is reading the textbook before your prof get to it while reviewing it twice a week. This is also what my mom taught me.
By no means am I claiming to be a study expert or something. I am just sharing my studying methods with you because I want to help those of you who are struggling with your studies. Plus, I am eager to hear about your studying methods. You are more than welcome to comment on what I wrote but I will not tolerate insults and rude remarks. This is a discussion that I created so people who are interested in their academics can help each other in their future endeavors at school. Hope this helps 
Last piece of advice...stay away from soompi, it's too addictive...HAHA..
