does anyone have any good study or note taking tips??

Question

so i am kinda of a procratonator [[s/p]] sorry. lol
i never seem to get things done on time-- and i cant stand studying so i usualy put it off and then never do it.

any study tips?
or note taking tips??

Answer 1

You have to try different things before you find your own. Do this...
Many of us are not good at reading before class, so forget about that.
Go to class, write down the key words and phrases that instructor lectures on. Write down anything you find interesting. Mark X in front of the topics that you find your instructor spent a lot of time on.
Now go home, read the assigned chapter and make notes or some people highlight it. I used to make my own notes. When you re-write, it stays in your memory. Now start reading the Chapter. Now read and see which topics your instructor gave lecture on. Make thorough note son them and try to understand them.
Some professors like to quiz you on some topics that he didn't cover. But it depends on each professor. Talk to your professor and ask him, if he will going to test you on the things he didn't lecture on. Then don't read them. In my life, I have had classes where professor surprise us with questions from topics he didn't discuss in the class, but they were in reading assignments. So find out

good luck.

Answer 2

Exactly what Ericbryce said...a good small way to start out is by recopying your notes. For example, I have terrible handwriting, but would write down everything I could from class...get home, start recopying and either can't read my own handwriting or don't really understand what a particular 'note' means...call a friend from class, find out what it means, and copy it properly, along with the rest of the stuff. Or if a friend doesn't get it, ask the teacher before class the next day. I definitely learned more this way, and it was so much easier to study from my notes when I could read and make sense of them.

Also, I assume you are a teenager, and forgive me if I am wrong. Many teens think that studying with music is the way to go. While for a small minority this may work, it is proven time and time again that for the majority of people, music or television in the background is a huge distraction. So turn it off for just a half an hour if you are used to having it on. See if it helps your concentration. When I did this, at first it was weird to be working in the quiet, but now, I really cannot have any background noise or I can't concentrate.

For memorization material, flashcards are king, no matter how old you are. There is no shame in making them for any and all subjects.

And finally, once you know and feel comfotable with your teachers, ASK them what would be the best way to study and take notes for their class. I would hope they would have already told the class this, but if they haven't or if you still aren't sure what to do, just ask. I LOVE when students ask me this question...I answer them privately and am sure to do a refresher with the rest of the class in case anyone else is having this same problem.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

Put some time off every day to study, with no distractions. If you get into this routine, soon, if you don't do you daily study time you'll feel weird. Try to study a little before bed also, this helps your body retaing info alot.

As for note taking...

Always have a well written notebook, copy down important parts oif what the teacher says, and if s/he says it twice..underline it, it will most likely be on a test.

Have neat handwriting, and you should do OK. Also, copy things down in a seperate notebook. This should help you retain information better.

Good luck!

Answer 4

In college, the only thing that worked for me was recopying my notes.
Reading a text book is often like getting injected in the butt with a horse tranquilizer. My penmanship was not good so I would take notes as best I could in class and then go home and recopy everything as neat and organized as I was able to in a separate notebook. In the process the information sank into my brain in a way that even I was amazed at. After I started do this I started making top grades and aced every test I took.

Answer 5

Please Vote!
The best way to remain organized, is to prepare yourself for each class. DATE YOUR NOTES EVERYDAY!

Color code the different classes. A different color note book and note cards for each class. It might sound silly, but when you prepare for exams, and you have your notes on colored index cards, your brain will remember the colors of the index cards first, and the answer will follow easily.

Put all your history notes on red index cards. I usually cut my index cards into fourths. This makes the index cards smaller, so your questions do not overwhelm you. Write questions on the front of the cards, and the answers on the reverse.

Use a different index card color for Math, Science, English etc...

Scent your study area with a floral spray; listen to classical music while you study; and eat fish. These three things combined will increase your memory recall by 33%. If you are allowed, chew peppermint gum while taking your tests. The peppermint helps with memory recall, and the act of chewing gum brings blood up to the brain. Take deep breaths after each question. Harvard Study.

It sounds like you already have a jump-start on things. Good bye and Good Luck. Please VOTE!

Answer 6

Study when you are alert so do not study right after you get up in the morning or anytime after you know that your eyes and body start feeling tired. Always study when you are not famished but when your tummy is empty and definitely not after you have eaten or at least 2 hours afterwards. The reason for this is that when your body is digesting food, the brain is at work on that project and it isn't going to concentrate on memorizing something else. Repetition works good for some things, but an even better way to remember things is to identify them with something else. For example, if you need to remember a person's name, picture someone else who also has that name that you do know. Then every time you think about the one you do know, it will trigger your memory about the person you need to remember. That is known as association studying. Another very good study habit is to sing or recite what you need to remember to the tune of a song you like or in the form of a poem. Remember the story of Hans Christian Anderson? He taught kids about fairy tales by singing the stories to them. When my kids needed to memorize their addition, subtraction, etc. numbers, we made up songs for the entire set of each one. When they had to learn things like the Preamble to the constitution, we made up a poem about it. Parts of the poem didn't rhyme all the time, but the girls to this date can still recite it and they are both grown ups with kids of their own. Think about it. I'll bet you can sing a ton of songs that you have sang for years. For example, all the christmas carols and church hymns. You have never forgotten those. And there are all the songs you know from your favorite artists too. Well, put your learning to song or verse as well and you won't forget it either. And, if you make them funny songs or poems, you will remember them even better. As for organization ideas, I suggest you use 4 x 6 cards for note learning cards and keep them in boxes labeled on top or the front with your class name. They are much easier to cart around in sections. For example, you can list them in the box according to the topic you are learning at present in that subject... example: History on the front of the box. Civil War, Presidents, etc. on the inside. Then you only need to take those cards with you that you are currently working on. 4 x 6 cards all come color coded too for extra organizing help. It also helps to keep your study area neat. Believe it or not, you will study better if you are in a neat, organized environment, so get some office boxes and book and paper holders, etc and keep your work and study area in an organized state. You will find those items in department stores like walmart or in office supply stores. Also, study in good lighting so that your eyes stay bright and do not become tired or blurry. That helps keep your brain active as well. Studying can be a lot of fun if you take the time to remember something about it. You are learning something you have never known before and that will have an important impact on you and your future. If you learn it well, it will advance you greatly someday because you have gained knowledge and wisdom. If you do not learn it, you may not get very far in life and may also have just missed an opportunity in the future to be something or do something important and be a part of history in the making. If everyone had the same thinking and feelings about studying that you currently have, the world would have never advanced. It was people who studied and hit the books and researched the problems over and over again that became our teachers and schollars and musicians and writers and doctors and scientists and inventors. It was because they worked at it when they didn't want to so that they could make themselves better people and the world a better place. Good luck with whomever you become because of the effort you put forth to be your best.

Answer 7

take notes of everything in class, and to study write down all the important things in the book, thats what wokred for me it takes time and discipline but it works, it helps you relearn and remember it

Answer 8

sticky notes on important, highlighted, or asteric marked definition words and certain areas that seem important. sticky notes help, alot.