(originally posted on The DZSH Group)
If you’re struggling with your grades or with procrastination, then you’ve probably found yourself thinking that there’s no way to fix it. That the situation is hopeless. You’d be very wrong about that. It’s not hopeless at all, and there are easy fixes to every situation. For context, I’m currently studying in university. Back in high school, I had a perfect GPA and it got me into many competitive programs. Here’s some studying tips from a college student that can help you succeed in whichever year you happen to be in:
Procrastination is a big NO
I know how tempting it feels to procrastinate. I procrastinate too sometimes. But you can’t always procrastinate. Not only does it lead to stress due to deadline pushing, but it lowers the quality of your work, and can really negatively hit your grades.
You always have to remember that doing your assignments earlier is less of a headache than doing them later. That’s because you get your important work out of the way and have more time to relax and focus on doing things you love and yourself.
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Procrastination is such a difficult obstacle to tackle, but if you hold yourself accountable and get your work done early and on-time, you’ll see an improvement in your grades. Plus, when you get work done early, you teach yourself commitment–something you need in college.
Don’t focus too much on the way your notes look
I used to frequent studying videos on YouTube, but I found myself bothered by something: Many studying videos didn’t focus on the quality of notes, but rather the aesthetic of notes.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting pretty notes, but there’s something wrong with focusing too much on look and not on what goes into the notes. Many people think that if they buy fancy notebooks and pens that their notes should improve. That’s not always the case. You can take quality notes using a piece of paper and a pencil. What you take your notes with and the style you take them in doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’re writing in those notes.
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When you take notes, make sure to highlight the important things and worry more about what you’re jotting down instead of what they look like. I guarantee you, once your class is done, you won’t even think about those fancy notes.
But if you can take pretty and effective notes, by all means, go for it!
Study proactively
If you don’t think you’re going to have a test over a subject in your class soon, think again. Teachers can easily spring tests on you at any point in time. That’s why you need to be prepared for a test anytime, any day.
Studying proactively means that you’re studying ahead of time, right when you learn something new. It keeps the information fresh in your head and gives you an advantage come test time. This way, when your test is tossed at you suddenly, you’re already prepared.
Plus, pop quizzes are a thing. It’s happened to me before. That’s why being prepared and studying frequently is the best thing you can do.
Avoid distractions while studying
When you’re studying, one of the biggest issues many people face is the problem of distraction. Human beings have short attention spans, which is very normal. Where this becomes a problem is if you allow yourself to be distracted all the time. This leads right back to my first point about procrastination.
You can eliminate distractions by putting your phone far away from your study space, sitting away from TVs, using timers to give yourself periodic breaks, and listening to soft sounds like LoFi music. Also, instead of using your phone during breaks, take a walk around your room or get some water, but try to avoid using devices because you’ll find yourself in an endless scrolling loop.
Overall, staying productive and getting your work done is not easy by any means. But if you take these practices up and start to really work on your habits, you’ll find that studying won’t be as difficult or daunting anymore.
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