Study tips for College: How to get straight A’s
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College is all fun and games till it is time for tests or exams. A lot of students find it hard to study and make what they learn stick. There are no short cuts to this but if you want to pass with excellent grades, then you have to study some more but with a strategy.
When I was a freshman in college, my grades weren’t so good because I thought studying in college was the same as studying In high school. Don’t make that same mistake I did. I am currently in my 3rd year of college and I must say the way I study has changed completely. My grades are much better now and they keep getting better.
In this post, I will be sharing the 10 study tips for college students that helped me finally become an A student.
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Have a study plan
Having a study plan will make sure you are studying all your courses and not just a few. Create a study plan and include all your courses in it on different days you wish to study them. I am currently offering 9 courses so, in my study plan, I made sure the course I am studying that day is a course I will be having the next day.
Let’s say I will be having a chemistry class in the morning and a physics class in the evening tomorrow. What I will do is I will make sure I study both of them today so that I can refresh my mind about what was done during the last classes. It helps a lot because you’re studying and whatever you’re reading is sticking to your head. And if you end up having a pop quiz in class, you’re already prepared.
Find a study partner
A lot of students don’t like having study partners because some study partners stop you from studying because they always come up with the latest news around campus and before you know it, you just spend hours chatting and not studying.
Find a study partner who is as serious as you are. Revise together, ask each other questions, and solve problems together. This might sound strange but I understand a lot better when my study partner explains something to me. He knows how to set examples with things around us and always has a shortcut. The pros of having a study partner will always outweigh the cons so get one and see how it goes for you.
Studying during your best time of the day
find out when you’re most productive during the day is the perfect time to study. That is because you’re ready to focus and do what you’re meant to do. I am most productive early in the morning around 6 am so I try to study during that period for at least 2 hours. Scientists have proven that studying early in the morning makes you retain whatever you’ve read better because your brain has been refreshed.
Start studying early
Don’t wait till finals week before you start studying. You will fail. Start studying as soon as the semester starts. Even if it’s one chapter/topic you’re reading each day or week. By the time the finals are here, you would’ve covered everything and what’s left for you is to go back and revise.
Study past tests and exam questions
Those are well-hidden gems. Get At least 3 years past questions related to the course you want to study and try and solve all of them. This will not only allow you to test your knowledge and see how well you’ve understood what you’ve read but will also give you an idea of how the questions are structured and what you should expect.
If you see a lot of the questions are from a certain topic, study that particular topic very well. I spoke more about this in this post where I talked about 10 things I wished I knew before going to college so make you check that out as well.
Study everything
Selective reading will be your downfall if you do that. Study everything in your notes and study your textbook as well. Always go the extra mile. The problem with selective reading is that the questions might not even come from the topics you studied but from the other topics you left out. That will be the day you will realize that you’re a clown. Seriously, study everything.
Be an active learner during class
I know that some classes are very boring but try as much as possible to remain focused. If possible, always sit in the front row. Don’t go on your phone because you might miss out on vital information. Always ask questions when something is not clear.
Take good notes in class
Write down everything you think is important and neat. Please, write your notes by yourself. A lot of mistakes students make are they don’t write in class and just copy someone’s notes after the class is over. That’s a huge mistake you’re making. Writing your notes is also a form of studying and everyone has a unique way of writing. Did I even mention that some students copy the wrong things and then you end up making the same mistake? That’s very dangerous. Always take your notes.
Don’t pull an all-nighter
There is one popular phrase amongst students and that is “I study better at night”. No, you don’t and you’re just looking for an excuse, not to study during the day when everyone is. When you pull an all-nighter, you will end up very sleepy the next morning and when you get to your exam hall, you might doze off or not be able to concentrate. If you believe that you actually study better at night, study between 7 pm to 10 pm and then go to sleep. You need to rest well before taking any tests or exams.
Stop memorizing
Study to understand and not to memorize. When you understand what you’re reading, you will be able to derive the definition easily. Memorizing is just for a short time and sometimes immediately after writing that paper, we forget everything we’ve learned. But when you understand what you’re reading, you will be able to provide it whenever you’re asked. After all, we go to school to gain knowledge that will stay with us till we die.
Final thoughts on The best study tips for college
And that’s the end of this amazing post. I had so much fun sharing these study tips for college students with you.
Do you have any study tips for college students that work well which I didn’t mention above? Please share it with us in the comments.
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Wow thanks for your tips. I especially loved the one where you don’t memorize but actually learn the material.
I would even say connecting the material to other subjects and teaching others can really build mastery of the course!
I’m going to be a freshman in college this fall and was wondering could you make a post on tips for college students during covid? Thanks! Loved this post.
Hey there! Thank you for the sweet comment. I am so glad you enjoyed this post. I actually have planned a few college posts with covid in mind which will be posted in a few days so watch out for that.?