Just in time for finals, experts and students weigh in about the most effective study tips.
Gaza Odunaiya admits she has an odd studying habit.
“(I) eat candy. That’s weird,” the freshman studying sport management and marketing said.
She often pairs Swedish Fish — her candy of choice — with R&B or soul music blaring from her black headphones.
Her friend Alexis Alexander, on the other hand, said she prefers “slow music.”
Because modes of study differ among individuals, it is important for students to determine the most effective tools based on their personalities.
Sue Fletcher, coordinator of academic skills instruction for the Academic Advancement Center, said the center offers individual study skills appointments for students to strategize with an instructor to find the most effective tools for that particular individual.
Fletcher said the academic skills instructors have students create a personal semester map in order to prepare for the academic requirements ahead.
She also said many students tend to become overwhelmed when the “procrastination monster” becomes evident.
When studying, it is best to avoid cramming, Fletcher said. She advised doing 50 minutes of study followed by a 10-minute break.
“If you spend three hours reading a textbook and you know you don’t remember anything you just read, what was the point?” Fletcher said.
Fletcher suggested students in a time crunch find the areas in which they struggle and “be strategic.”
For example, students can talk to professors and review past tests in order to determine the areas in which to focus while studying, according to Sarah Mitchell, an academic skills instructor at the Academic Advancement Center.
“You can learn from your exams, and you should do this with all your exams,” Mitchell said.
Dylan Henry, a freshman studying computer engineering, uses that technique and added that he reviews old assignments and tests to study through repetition.
Katherine Martin, a freshman studying civil engineering, said she goes to tutoring for chemistry every Tuesday and Wednesday and attends study groups with her learning community.
As another study technique, Mitchell suggests self-testing — as in predicting potential test questions and reviewing them.
“(Self-testing) is something that is very effective, and there’s a lot of research to help support that,” she said.
Reviewing over time is proven by research to be helpful, Fletcher said, and can prevent cramming before an exam.
Along with time management and basic study skills, location is also important to studying.
Odunaiya said she is particular about the atmosphere in which she studies. When she studies in her room, it must be clean, and her bed has to be made.
Alexander, a freshman studying exercise physiology, said she either studies in the library or her room.
Megan Wheeler, a sophomore studying communication, said she prefers studying with crowds of people — such as in Front Room or the third floor of the library — and then “zones in.”
“(I study) by myself, but with people,” she said.
Jaida Sterling, a freshman studying journalism, said she changes locations and either studies in her room, the library, or a bench in Emeriti Park, though she said she occasionally gets distracted by the squirrels.
The Academic Advancement Center is the main source for study skills, but Jenny Klein, assistant dean for student success and persistence for the Allen Student Advising Center, said the Allen Center offers free “academic coaching,” which can serve as a form of accountability for students.
“Sometimes students feel like they just need to check in with someone more frequently about how they’re doing, and that’s what academic coaching provides,” Klein said.
No matter the circumstances, Fletcher had a main piece of advice — “I think we would all recommend: Do not cram.”
@halkile22
