Study Tips to Get Ahead in Class

Have you ever started the year out strong, attended every class, and then out of nowhere – BAM – you get sick. You miss a class..or two..or three. You’re frantically texting that one girl who’s number you have in your phone from a group project two semesters ago who may or may not be able to tell you what textbook pages you’re supposed to read for homework and the stack of tissues on your desk piles so high you can’t see your planner.

Yup. It happens.

Not to mention the miscellaneous events that may cause us to miss class or may cut into our study time – a work event, computer trouble, flat tire, family emergency, you name it.

That’s why ya’ll see me on Snapchat every darn day working away at my desk for hours on end no matter what. I like to get ahead. I like to stay on top of things.

And maybe you never get sick. Maybe you walk to school, so you never have to worry about a flat tire. Maybe nothing ever hinders you from making it to class and studying. It’s still important to learn study tips that can help you to stay on top of things.

Today, I want to share some really simple study tips with you all that can help you to get ahead in your classes. (Nothing major, just enough to ensure that if you do miss a day because of the sniffles, you’ll be good to go.)

And don’t shy away from this post because they’re study tips. These tips can help you tackle your to-do list, complete your tasks at work, or even practice being more intentional and productive!

So let’s get into the tips….

Write it down twice. Once for the due date, and once for the date that you need to begin the assignment.

Let’s say I have a report for my Advertising copy class due this coming Wednesday. I flip to my beautiful agenda and write “REPORT DUE WEDNESDAY” on the correct date, right?

Yes, but that’s only half of it.

I’ll write a reminder to myself a few days before (let’s say, Monday) to remind myself that I need to make sure I complete this task so it’s ready to go by the due date!

You can try this with tests, quizzes, meetings you need to prepare for, and even date nights. (i.e. write yourself a reminder that you need to figure out your outfit…haha!)

Do big tasks in small amounts

If you have a big biology test coming up, professors may remind you that it won’t do you any good to study the night before. This is true. However, what they might not tell you is how beneficial it is to break up your studying by days.

Let’s say you make 100 flashcards for the bio test. Split those flashcards up into 4 groups. That would be 25 cards each day for 4 days! With me?

I like this method because if I get sick one day or something (like an unexpected 2 hour nap) cuts into my study time, I can just catch up the next day. (So I’d do 50 notecards one day to cover the day I missed.) You’re playing it much safer by doing it this way and not studying everything all in one night! You’ll retain the information better, too.

Do something small for each class every day.

So you have your MWF classes and your Tu/Th right? Cool. So I bet you do homework and studying for your MWF classes on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays and same with your Tuesday/Thursdays.

How about this? Try to touch on each subject each day.

I know, I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not saying you should study 2 hours for each class every day.

If don’t have any pressing assignments for a class, you can still take 20 minutes to read in the textbook, review your flashcards, or highlight your notes! You’re helping the information to stay fresh in your brain.

Utilize your days off

Ok, don’t hate me. I know that studying on your day off from school – be it sometime during the week or (gasp) the weekend sounds horrible. But just hear me out…

Just 30 minutes of work on your day off could possibly boost you ahead a whole day.

Think about it: maybe there’s an online homework for your Spanish class that will take only 15 minutes to do and you can get it done several days early. Maybe you have to read over a case study for your Ethics class and it takes just about 25 minutes and then you don’t have to think about it all week.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a good deal to me! Then resume Netflixing, football game cheering, and donut eating. 🙂

Study in places you never thought of

I tend to always be carrying a textbook and notebook with me when I’m running errands. (Ok – this sounds REALLY nerdy, but I promise it’s fruitful.)

There have been so many times when I’ve gotten a good 45 minutes or so of studying in instead of scrolling on my phone. Waiting in the doctor’s office, sitting waiting for my car to get an alignment, getting my nails done, waiting for my ride somewhere, at a restaurant waiting for my friends to meet me, you name it!

If you’re headed out to some waiting room for something, bring your study stuff! Nothing much better to do anyway 🙂

Have any great tips about getting ahead in your classes? Leave them in the comments; I’d love to hear!

X,

Cristina