Students with strong study skills for college can complete their courses successfully. It is necessary for students to be organized in order to remember important dates and when papers are due, and taking good notes in class can help students learn and stay involved with the material. Having a quiet area for study time allows students to develop their essential study skills for college. Students must also plan to study for exams ahead of time instead of waiting until the day before testing to review the material.
A calendar is a valuable tool for staying organized while in college. Entering all of the assignment due dates helps students to turn in assignments on time. They should check the dates frequently, to stay informed of upcoming deadlines. Papers received from instructors about classes should be filed away neatly. Recording graded assignments also helps remind a student of his current course grade.
Focusing in class and taking useful notes are necessary study skills for college. Sitting towards front of the class helps with improving mental alertness. Many professors give verbal cues about important information that should be recorded. Students who are not comfortable writing notes may choose to use an audio recorder. Using abbreviations makes taking notes easier.
Experts advise students to review course materials in a quiet place. Listening to music or watching television shows during study time is not ideal, as these things can be a distraction. Studies show it is difficult to multitask while studying. Subjects that are the most difficult for a student should be studied first. The easier or more enjoyable material can be studied later.
Avoiding procrastination can be one of the essential study skills for college. Managing time wisely before an exam helps to prevent cramming. Studying several weeks of material over just a few days, causes stress and anxiety. As a result, remembering information becomes harder. Waiting until the last minute can lead to poor performance on exams.
When an exam is scheduled, it is important to go to class on time. Students should look over the test first and plan an approach before beginning. Rushing through an exam can cause answers to be marked wrong, and reading the test questions first increases the student's chance of answering correctly. Since many exams have a time limit, it is important to be aware of the time. Leaving time to review answers before the exam is over allows time for making corrections.
