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The first year at a university can be the most difficult for students. You’re no longer in high school, where teachers spoon-feed information and lay everything on the table. In college, you must push yourself to study harder than before to succeed.
Over time, this can add stress to your life and accrue to the point where you can no longer concentrate on studying. This is especially true if you’re used to coasting through easy classes from high school.
However, it’s possible to overcome this by building your study skills through practice. By practicing your skills, you can make studying much easier and your first year of college more tolerable.
Here are five study skills activities for college students.
1. Use a Weekly Planner
Time management is one of the crucial study skills you need to master. If you find yourself procrastinating when it’s time to study for a test, this may be because you need to learn how to use your time more wisely.
A weekly planner is an excellent way to organize your time. It can help you plan your goal for the week ahead and use it to reflect on your goals at the beginning of a new month. Then, you can make adjustments as necessary.
By using a weekly calendar, you can see how much time you need for homework, studying, socializing and sleep. It helps you visualize your short-term goals and gives you a clearer picture of what your week will look like — helping you balance it all.
2. Set Goals
Setting goals is an important study skill you must implement throughout college life. They enable you to keep track of your progress and motivate you to continue working towards success.
When establishing goals, they should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART). These types of goals give you more control over what happens during your studies. That’s because you’re establishing guidelines for what requires you to succeed.
Start by setting a goal for the semester and break it down into weekly and daily tasks. This will help you identify what to do to accomplish your goal and how long it will take.
For example, suppose your goal is to maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher throughout the semester. You can break it down into smaller goals by improving your “reading comprehension” skills to read faster and retain more information.
3. Find a Good Study Spot
Finding a good place to study is key to learning successfully. It should be an environment without distractions so that you can stay focused on your assignments.
One place that may work well for you is the library. This place will allow you to get real academic work done since it’s quiet and less active. On the other hand, a cafeteria is quite noisy and full of activity. A place like this may not be the most beneficial for downtime and studying.
Whether it’s a quiet spot in your home or a coffee shop downtown, you should always look for a place that provides you with minimal distractions.
4. Organize Your Lecture Notes
Unless you’re a professional transcriptionist, transcribing your notes can make it seem like a child scribbled in your notebook. That’s why recording your lectures is better to help you better understand your lessons.
Recording your lessons allows you to go back over material you don’t entirely comprehend. It also gives you a chance to revisit your notes. With the material being fresh, you can reflect and write them down in a way that’s legible and easier to understand.
5. Join a Study Group
It’s no secret that college is hard. Sometimes we need partners to support our studies to help us get ahead or keep up with the work. Because you may struggle to understand your coursework material on your own — having someone by your side can make it easier for you to learn.
That’s why you might consider joining a study group — a team of people who can help you get through a tough assignment. In a study group, you’re guaranteed to find someone to help you succeed, and you’ll be able to do the same.
Build Better Habits With these Top Study Skills Activities for College Students
The key to successful studying is developing habits that help you make time for studying and keep you focused on the task at hand. Use these tips to implement the best study skills activities for college students. That way, you can make the most of school and worry less about achieving higher grades.
