University Studying Tips

Attending post-secondary education may sound promising and great but the amount of workload and stress that comes along with it is an absolute killer.

courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

1) Try to attend all your classes! You pay thousands of dollars a year to attend school, so why bother skipping (for no reason) - most of the time, profs will drop hints and clues about upcoming midterms/quizzes/assignments and exams and they will tell you exactly what to study.

2) Before enrolling and registering in classes, check out your prof's rating on ratemyprofs (ratemyprofessors.com). This will tell you how good the prof is, how easy they mark, and just what to expect overall and save you the trouble of having to drop a class after the first couple classes after realizing your prof sucks.

3) Time management is key - I know, procrastination seems to be the go-to way of studying for things (even myself) but just try to keep up with your workload (e.g. doing readings when they're assigned) instead of having to cram 20 chapters the night before an exam. Even just reviewing your notes after class for 30 minutes will help to ensure you understand the material.

4) Focus on understanding the material rather than memorizing it. This is a mistake I've made in the past and I've come to realize that rather than memorizing it, it is way easier to try to understand it (use the 5 q's where, what, when, how, why..). Always try to relate your lecture material with life examples - it will help you understand and remember it.

5) Start studying for exams a couple days before - try not to cram it all the night before. Just study like 3-4 hours a day for a couple days leading up to the exam and just review the day before and get a good nights sleep. It's better for your body and brain to have enough sleep the night before a big exam.

6) Don't rely on coffee/energy drinks/any kind of caffeine drink. Do they help you to stay awake - YES. But it's better not to rely on any kind of caffeinated beverage because if you drink too much, your body will just crash. Focus on getting enough sleep and drink maybe one cup of coffee or green tea a day.