Guide to Studying in College

Quick Tips

• Avoid distractions at all costs. It will interrupt your ability to retain information.
• Approach each effort with a willingness to study and do the work.
• Use highlighters to emphasize certain points for easier reference later on.
• Take notes as you read new material. This will help you retain what you read.
• Don't write down everything your professor says. Only make note of the most important points.
• Always review your notes after a lecture. You will be more likely to remember everything you've learned.
• Prioritize what you need to study, and get the most important work out of the way first.
• Take breaks every now and then while you study. A five to ten minute refresher every hour will help you work better.

Come to Terms with Studying

When you are in college, there is always something better to do than study. This is why you need to come to terms with the fact that you are in college and need to study. If you choose fun over study time every chance you get, you will be lucky to pass your required classes. If it makes things easier, think about college as a full time job. You need to put in at least 40 hours into classes, labs, meetings, study groups, and homework. If you attend a school based on a foundation of rigorous coursework and competition, you might need to bump that number up a little higher.

Create a Study Schedule

Once you get a syllabus from each professor, you should probably start planning your quarter or semester. Planning early may help you stay on track. There is nothing worse than being forced to chug caffeine so you can stay up past 3 o'clock preparing for the next morning's class. Scheduling can also allow you to spread out the work, thus helping you to feel less overwhelmed. When writing down your schedule, try to make it realistic as well as challenging. Make note of important days like when papers and projects are due and when you have midterms and finals.

Stick to Your Study Schedule

It's great to make a study schedule, but the next step is sticking to it. Staying committed to your plan will probably help you to be more successful as well as reduce your stress level. When planning your schedule, you should allow a little wiggle room for unexpected life events. You never know when a party or a date might come up. If you need to put something off, it shouldn't dramatically interfere with your plan. Flaking out too often will leave you behind and overwhelmed.

Find a Good Place to Study

Finding a good study haven is as essential as making a study schedule. Some students prefer reading out on the lawns where they can sunbathe as well as study. Others prefer the library because they have access to a variety of materials, not to mention silence. Many libraries offer group study rooms, tons of desks, and common rooms. Still, other students simply prefer studying in the comfort of their own rooms. Regardless of what place you choose, make sure you feel comfortable and can concentrate.

Use the SQ3R Method

If you want to study smarter, not harder, consider using a proven study method, such as SQ3R. The SQ3R method is based on simple principles:

Before you read, Survey the chapter:

§  the title, headings, and subheadings

§  captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps

§  review questions or teacher-made study guides

§  introductory and concluding paragraphs

§  summary

Question while you are surveying:

§  Turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions

§  Read questions at the end of the chapters or after each subheading

§  Ask yourself, 
"What did my instructor say about this chapter or subject 
when it was assigned?"

§  Ask yourself, 
"What do I already know about this subject?"
 Note: If it is helpful to you, write out these questions for consideration. 
This variation is called SQW3R

When you begin to Read:

§  Look for answers to the questions you first raised

§  Answer questions at the beginning or end of chapters or study guides

§  Reread captions under pictures, graphs, etc.

§  Note all the underlined, italicized, bold printed words or phrases

§  Study graphic aids

§  Reduce your speed for difficult passages

§  Stop and reread parts which are not clear

§  Read only a section at a time and recite after each section

Recite after you've read a section:

§  Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read, or summarize, in your own words, what you read

§  Take notes from the text but write the information in your own words

§  Underline or highlight important points you've just read

§  Reciting: 
The more senses you use the more likely you are to remember what you read Triple strength learning: Seeing, saying, hearing
Quadruple strength learning: Seeing , saying , hearing, writing!!!

Review: an ongoing process

Day One

§  After you have read and recited the entire chapter, 
write questions in the margins for those points 
you have highlighted or underlined.

§  If you took notes while reciting, 
write questions for the notes you have taken 
in the left hand margins of your notebook.

§  Complete the form for a critical reading review

Day Two

§  Page through the text and/or your notebook to re-acquaint yourself 
with the important points.

§  Cover the right hand column of your text/note-book 
and orally ask yourself the questions in the left hand margins.

§  Orally recite or write the answers from memory.

§  Develop mnemonic devices for material which need to be memorized.
Make flash cards for those questions which give you difficulty.

Days Three, Four and Five

§  Alternate between your flash cards and notes and test yourself 
(orally or in writing) on the questions you formulated.

§  Make additional flash cards if necessary.

Weekend

§  Using the text and notebook, make a Table of Contents - list all the topics and sub-topics you need to know from the chapter.

§  From the Table of Contents, make a Study Sheet/ Spatial Map.

§  Recite the information orally and in your own words as you put the Study Sheet/Map together.

§  As you have consolidated all the information you need for this chapter, periodically review the Sheet/Map so that at test time 
you will not have to cram.

15 things you should do in the 15 minutes before a job interview

Use the time before your interview to get into the right frame of mind.

The 15 minutes before a job interview can be harrowing, especially for job seekers who aren't sure what to do with that time. "Those 15 minutes are your opportunity to get yourself into the right frame of mind, and set your energy and focus on who you'll be meeting with, what you want them to remember about you, and what you want to ask them," says Deborah Shane, a professional branding strategist and author of "Career Transition."

Here are 15 things you should do in the 15 minutes before a job interview:

1. Stay calm

When you become stressed, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. Depending on the level of your stress, these can slightly or greatly inhibit your ability to think clearly, says David Parnell, a legal consultant, communication coach, and author of "The Failing Law Firm: Symptoms and Remedies."

"Ensuring that you remain calm, collected, and cool in the minutes leading up to the interview is necessary to avoid this hormonal elixir, and keep your mind clear," he says.

Career coach Anita Attridge agrees. She says staying calm before and during an interview allows you to listen better and to stay focused on how to best respond to questions.

"In addition, you are better able to think how you can best present your accomplishments in alignment with what is important to the interviewer - and being calm also demonstrates your ability to deal with stressful situations."

2. Breathe

This will help you remain calm. "Counting your breath is one of the most immediate and impactful techniques for calming your nerves," Parnell says. "Simply focus on your breaths, counting each until you reach 10, and repeat."

3. Arrive early, but don't go inside

Few things can shake you more than running late to an interview, so always arrive early. But be sure to wait in your car or a nearby cafe, as being too early can place unnecessary pressure on your interviewer and start the meeting off on the wrong foot, Parnell explains.

Rita Friedman, a Philadelphia-based career coach, says you shouldn't walk into the office building more than 10 minutes early. "It can come across as an imposition, as if you are expecting the interviewer to drop whatever he or she is doing to attend to you."

4. Be friendly to all receptionists and security guards

When you do walk into the office's waiting room (which should be about 10 minutes before your scheduled interview time), remember to be nice to the receptionist, security guards, or whoever greets you. "It's very likely that he or she will be reporting back to the hiring manager about how you behaved," Friedman says. It's always good to be nice.

5. Decide on one or two things you want to be remembered for

Is it your communications skills? Project management skills? Knowledge? "Keying in on a few things that will impact your memorability and likeability is a smart way to approach the interview," Shane says.

6. Stop rehearsing

You don't want to use this time to over-prepare or rehearse responses, which can make your conversation seem scripted and inauthentic. "You want to know your stuff, but remember your interview is a conversation. Trust that you know what you know, and that the interview will take on a flow of its own," Shane says.

7. Focus on your posture.

Sit in a power pose while waiting to go in for your job interview. "You'll come across as looking more confident and poised," Friedman says.

8. Don't check your voicemail or email

You may hear or read something that will get you all worked up, Shane says. It will distract you and throw you off your game, which is one of the worst things that can happen. Skip the email and head straight to the company's Twitter page.

9. But do check Twitter

"Take a glance at the company's Twitter feed just to make sure no major game changers or hot topics have popped up since you did your research," Friedman says. "If something relevant has started trending in the last couple of hours, you don't necessarily have to be the one to bring it up, but you'll want to appear in-the-know in case it's what everyone is focused on."

10. Briefly review your notes

Before the interview you should write on a few note cards some key information like your interviewers' names, titles, and relationships to the position, Attridge suggests. Also include answers to questions you hope you won't be asked so you can worry less about them, as well as your pitch for when someone says, "Tell me about yourself."

Take the 15 minutes before the interview to review these notes. "You don't want to walk in asking for 'Jim' when you really mean 'John,'" Friedman says.

11. But don't do any additional research

You should be done researching, preparing, and rehearsing. "This is not the time to be using your phone to look up the company's recent achievements or earnings report. Giving big numbers of projects a glance at the last second is a good way to misinterpret key information," Friedman says.

12. Look in a mirror

Duck into a nearby restroom or clothing store to check yourself out in the mirror, Friedman suggests. "You may have left the house looking like a million dollars, but you could still arrive looking like a vagabond." This is also a great time to wash your hands and make sure your fingernails are clean and your palms are dry. If you wore comfortable shoes and plan on changing into dress shoes, be sure not to do this in the office. No one needs to see this.

13. Organize your bag

"Make sure you can easily pull the copies of your resume out of your bag without rummaging through it or exposing any personal items," Friedman suggests. "You don't want to look disorganized while you're presenting your qualifications."

14. Notice what is happening around you.

Observe what the office environment feels like, what's on the walls, and what mementos are in the reception area. “These indicate what is important to the company," Attridge says.

15. Think happy thoughts

This may sound cliche - but thinking of pleasant things that make you smile and feel good will help put you in the right state of mind going in to the interview.