abcdefgh88

This may seem like somewhat of a naive question, but this is going to be my freshman year in college and I have no study skills. I never had to study in high school to get good grades, and college is probably going to be a whole different story.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what worked for them in terms of learning to study? I know different things work for different people, but does anyone have any suggestions as to what to try?

Thanks.

mikemac

There is a book I recommend all college students own before starting college. It's called "What Smart Students Know" by Adam Robinson, one of the founders of the test prep service Princeton Review. I have never seen a better explanation of the steps you need to follow to really *learn* the material, and if you've learned it well you will have no trouble with grades. The book explains how to study different kinds of material, take effective notes, prepare for tests, etc.

There is one other thing I'd add. It's be involved with the material. Don't just read the text and go "uh-huh, uh-huh, makes sense, yes"; question and test yourself to make sure you really understand. In math/science classes this is more obvious because every chapter has problems you can use to test if you can apply what you've just learned. There are also supplemental books worth buying; go to amazon and type in "calculus problem solver" or replace calculus with whatever subject you are studying. These books are a godsend! It's like having a TA sitting at your elbow asking you a question and writing out the correct answer. Simply cover the answer and try it yourself; repeat until you can solve that type of problem quickly and correctly.

In the social sciences there are some problem solver books, but often you're more on your own. But this can be fun; let your imagination be the limit! In a psych class, after you learn about a concept try to figure out how you could set up an experiment right at college to test it on your fellow students. Could you steer kids to choose vegetables in the cafeteria with reinforcement? In econ, imagine what would happen if the demand curve shifted up, left, rotated right?. What if it changed shape and looked like a W? In history try to compare/contrast the events you covered with those of another period; how was the decade surrounding the French Revolution different from that around the American Revolution, and why? Can you think of one thing that literally would have changed history? Another game to play is "be the prof". After class while the material is fresh in your mind, imagine you ran into a friend who played hooky. Try to give the lecture better than the prof but in only 5-10 minutes. This helps cement the material in your mind. If you've been taking notes correctly they only have key points in them; right after this game is a good time to review them and fill in more detail.

quaere

Take a look at some of the books mentioned in this thread.