"After learning Spanish in high school, it opened up my eyes to the world. I became interested in learning other languages, traveling, and the academic field of linguistics." A lover of languages, blogger Elica helps us understand and shares a few tips on how to find our study personality.
original post date: March 25, 2019
source: http://www.travelengua.com/how-to-study-smarter-figuring-out-your-study-personality/
The first time I really learned to study was at a 4-year university. For me, that came a little later than others; community college wasn’t particularly difficult for me, and most people say that it’s just an older version of high school. But go time for me was when I challenged myself to take four classes per quarter at UCLA, and I knew I had to study smarter.
Finding out how to study smarter is, at least in my eyes, more about learning how you function. In learning about how you operate, you can optimize both your time and your brain power.
Main Questions to Ask Yourself:
Where are you most comfortable without wanting to take a nap?
Though anyone can technically study anywhere, many of us have preferences and ideal places to study. For most of the people I know, that’s the library or a coffee shop. For me, that was my bed.
When I told people that I would study on my bed, they ask me, how?! I can’t even study at home, and if I study on my bed, all I want to do is take a nap!
Studying on my bed was comfortable to the point where I could focus without wanting to sleep all the time. Studying in the library or coffee shop for me would be uncomfortable, particularly because I know I wouldn’t be able to focus with so many people around me. It sounds weird, but I would feel self conscious. I would rather be in the comfort of my own space, with ready access to my snacks, the bathroom, and whatever else I had in my dorm room.
This comfortable study space is different for everyone. So if you don’t know where you feel comfortable, experiment the first couple of weeks and figure out where you feel most productive. Popular picks would be the library or a coffee shop, and less popular picks might be in your room (on your bed) or at home in general.
How long is your attention span?
Some people can study for an hour without too much distraction, while others can only study for 20 minutes. One is not better than the other, just different. Finding ways to adapt your studying to your attention span will help you to not waste hours of precious time.
For those who have a shorter attention span, I recommend finding out what your limit is. Study in increments and take a shorter break in between, put your phone away completely, and have snacks waiting for you so you don’t have an excuse to get up because you are hungry and can’t concentrate. Ultimately, getting rid of all exterior distractions will (hopefully) help you to make the best of your time.
When is the best time to study for you?
College is famous for all-nighters. College may also be known for students guzzling cups of coffee.
But that doesn’t have to be you. One of the most helpful things I learned about myself was whenI was most focused. For me, my brain is most alert in the morning; I didn’t get distracted as easily, I had just woken up a couple hours prior, and I wasn’t constantly thinking about food because I had just had breakfast. I focused on sleeping at 10 or 11 pm in college so I could wake up early enough to study (crazy, right? Sleep is important!).
But this is not the case or everyone. Some people study better in the afternoon, others in the evening, and others at night. I recommend playing around with your schedule and studying at different times to figure out what time is best for you.
Another tip: This is a personal thing, but is a trick I used a lot. It may or may not work for you. No matter what time I was studying at, if I studied material before sleeping (nap or going to sleep for the night), I would retain information well and remember most of what I looked over after I woke up. I used this trick a day or two before I had a big test, but that’s along with studying leading up to the test. While this may be helpful, I wouldn’t suggest it as fix-all for last minute cramming.
Who do you want to study with?
The last major question has to do with who you want to study with. Do you prefer studying alone? With friends? Or both, eventually? I preferred studying alone because I only had to rely on myself to find the information if I didn’t know the answers. Doing study guides by myself allowed me to be accountable for my learning.
Others thrive on studying in a group. They are able to talk through their thought process and ideas, can be corrected on the spot, and you have the safety net of having more than just yourself if you completely get something wrong. Studying with others is also a huge help for those who need help staying on track (but also a downside if you get distracted easily. Pick your study buddies wisely!).
There’s also the approach where you can combine the two. Sometimes, I liked to do the work myself and come together with a friend to go over what we already know. That way I have the knowledge that I reviewed while studying, but also an extra person there to help me if I was forgetting something.
Bonus Tips:
Set Check Points/Mini Goals
I liked setting tiny goals for myself during reading or writing papers, or even doing homework. This helps to break up the monotony of doing one thing for too long. For example, if I had 10 questions for a homework assignment, I would do 5 and take a break, and get back to it after. For reading, I would set time limits (20 minutes of reading and 5 minutes of break) and for (research) papers, I would try to finish by sections or chunks: introduction, background, research participants, etc.
By setting these mini goals, there’s a greater sense of accomplishment and you won’t get tired too quickly. Or bored.
Take a Break, Take a nap
If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re thirsty, get a drink. If you want to stop, stop. If you need to take a nap, take a nap! Challenging and pushing ourselves can be a good thing, but being too tired or sleepy to continue studying only works against us.
If you’re too sleepy to keep studying, but push through it instead of napping, it may be counter productive. You waste time on studying material you won’t retain. If you do take a nap, you have something valuable (rest) going into the next study session and will have an easier time retaining more information (less work for you!).
Stay Organized
Don’t underestimate the power of staying organized. By staying organized, you know exactly where your papers are, which folder to find that research paper in, when that assignment is due, and by when you have to have that reading done.
By just knowing where all your stuff is and when it’s due, you save a lot of time and stress, and you’re better able to create an effective study schedule.
No comments:
Post a Comment