5 Study Tips For The Study-Frustrated Student

We’ve all been there: you have so much to do that you barely know where to start. Maybe you’re frustrated because you haven’t figured out your studying style yet, or confused because the methods you used in high school won’t fly at uni.

Looking for ways to shake up your study routine? Everyone’s brain works differently; maximising your efficacy is simply a matter of finding out what works best for you. Here are five study tips that may help things click.

Recording lectures

Sometimes in a lecture, professors say so much so quickly that you’re too focused on jotting everything down to actually listen to what’s being said. Other people are good at taking notes, but find it hard to pay attention to the lecture itself.

This is where the good ol’ digital recording device will come in handy. They are relatively cheap and easy to use. Sit near the front, or ask your professor if you can leave the device near the fron, where it can pick up the sound loud and clear. Then focus on just taking notes.

This way, you can listen to the recordings back at home or on your way to somewhere. You also have the added security of rewinding and repeating something if you didn’t understand it the first time through.

One caveat: always make sure that your institution/professor is all right with you recording them!

Make a study plan

This might sound like tedious extra work, but in the long run it might help you organise your time better.  There is no right or wrong way to do this, and it all depends on what works best for you. The way to go about this is to first sort out when you have some free time.

Write down all your activities for the coming week. Include eating and sleeping times, shower times and so forth, and find out where you can slip a couple hours of studying. Decide what subject you want to study and, if you want to get real specific, add what topic.

This will give you an idea of how much you can accomplish in the coming week, and whether or not you have to make adjustments to your current schedule in order to accommodate your studies.

Flashcards

This is killing three birds with one stone. Flash cards are great because they force you to condense your notes in a way that they still have all the info you need, but are short enough for you to memorise it quicker.

The process of rewriting (from classroom notes to flashcards) also subconsciously helps your brain remember more information.

Finally, you can take notes in a variety of ways, including with pictures and/colours if you’re the visual type, or with questions on one side and answers on the other if you learn by testing yourself.

Study apps

If you’re the tech savvy type, this might be the thing for you. There are so many apps on the market nowadays that learning doesn’t only have to be a matter of taking notes and pounding your head trying to understand the materials.

Many apps have interactive features, further learning materials, additional explanations and integrated definitions. For overseas students, this might be a particularly helpful study method if English is not your first language.  However, this can be a double-edged sword that requires discipline in order to make sure you actually use your phone for good, and not for any other type of distracting activity.

Ask for help

At the end of the day, if worst comes to worst, just ask for help.  There is no shame in doing this. Waiting for somebody to come up to you and ask if you need help will rarely yield results. Uni is not a retail store; nobody is waiting in the wings just to swoop in and hold your hand.

The important thing is not to ask for help because you’re too lazy to find the answer out for yourself, but because you have genuinely hit a wall. Remember that both professors and often your own peers are also busy, and might not always have the time to answer your every query. Make your question clear, concise and tailored exactly what you need.

Good luck!

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