TIP 3
Avoid test cramming
The proven method of successful studying
involves repetition. Thus, earlier review
of material covered and keeping up with class
assignments will serve to reduce the need
for cramming prior to examinations.
TIP 4
Seek assistance
Failure to comprehend a topic should not be a
source of embarrassment. Instead, you
should be motivated to secure help from
teachers, upperclass students, or other classmates.
TIP 5
Utilize free time
Free time between classes can be an occasion for
extra study. This time can be use-
ful because you may not be as tired then as in
the evening hours. Also, use the free time
for class preparation or review
purposes.
TIP 6
Listening is an art
When sitting in on a lecture, avoid being
distracted by a classmate or even by the
instructor's mannerisms. Rather, focus your
attention on the content of the talk.
TIP 7
Proper note taking
Students vary in their ability to take accurate
lecture notes, which can be sketchy or
disorganized. It is well worth the effort to
review and, if necessary, rewrite lecture notes
so that they will be legible, complete, and
accurate.
TIP 8
Review
Daily brief review and regular periodic review
of the material being studied will
serve to enhance your knowledge of the subject
matter and reduce the time needed for
study for examinations.
TIP 9
Proper reading
If you read an assigned chapter in its entirety
for the first time, you may be over-
whelmed by its detail. To get the most out of
your reading, skim the subject titles and
subheadings, opening and concluding sentences,
in order to get a knowledge of the main
ideas and to be better prepared to absorb the
details.
TIP 10
Underlining with purpose
If reading material is first "screened," as
noted above, and then read, you are in a
better position to judge what to underline. You
will then be able to underscore with dis-
crimination and to highlight passages that will
prove more meaningful when you review
them at a later date.
The following discussion covers (1) organizing
oneself, (2) writing term papers, and
(3) taking examinations.
Organizing for College Life
It is important to be aware of the fact that
during high school, competition may not nec-
essarily be very intense, because not all
students are considering college or postgraduate
careers. Under these circumstances, students
may not be motivated to acquire good
study habits in order to succeed. This is
especially true if they find that, with a modest
amount of work, they can attain adequate grades
to be admitted to a college, even the
one of their choice. Upon entering college,
where competition is usually much more
intense, knowing how to study is obligatory if
the student is to have a good enough aca-
demic record to get into a professional
school.
College life is very time consuming; it
preempts the largest block of one's daily
activities. It has built-in time commitments,
such as: (1) the need to attend lecture and
recitation classes, as well as laboratory
sessions; (2) library research and term paper
writing; and (3) study in preparation for
periodic midterm and final examinations. In
addition to these educational time demands,
there are those of a personal nature, such as
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