Study Prof

Another random family photo. I wanna party with these guys!

I recently received an email from one of my students with several great questions. I thought these issues, and their answers, might benefit everyone.

Hi Cody,

Some study issues that I have noticed that I have is not in how I study but when I study.  I have a horrible habit of procrastinating and only studying a minimal amount at the last minute…. Now, I will not say I have made bad grades by doing this, and actually much to the chagrin of my peers I always am one of the top scores in the class and normally manage an A in the course….

I’m with ya’. I used the same technique when I was an undergrad, back when the earth’s crust was still hardening. But–Danger Will Robinson!!!–The procrastinate and cram technique has several killer flaws, which (more…)

Are you overwhelmed with way to much work/study during finals?  Ever waited too late to start a big project?  Have a week in which there just isn’t enough time to do everything you need to do?

All of these can be fixed by properly using a very simple tool.  The humble calendar.  When used regularly and well, it prevents you from ever ending up with too much work and not enough week.

The perfect calendar?  First and foremost, the perfect calendar is one you will actually use!  It doesn’t matter how fancy, detailed, attractive, or expensive a calendar or day timer is, if you don’t have it when you need it, it’s no good!

I personally go for cheap but effective.  At the beginning of each semester, I print out a calendar from a site such as this one, and fill it out for the coming semester.  I usually punch holes in it, put it in my binder or a left over folder.  Then I use it!

Add…

1. Exam and project due dates from your course syllabi as you get them
2. Holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and Festivus
3. Special events, such as the Spring Formal or Dead Week
4. Anything that will take extra time, like crunch week at the place where you work, or that one week in April when three of your immediate family members have a birthday.  Nothing should catch you by surprise.

Then I make sure to check it and update it once a day at least!  I have to put it somewhere where I can’t avoid it, like over my computer keyboard are on the mirror above my bathroom sink.

I don’t, however, carry the calendar around with me.  That’s where my daily to-do list comes in.  More on that later.

I realize many of you are in the midst of finals right now.  Please, don’t make the mistake of trying to do an all-nighter to catch up.

You will actually get better grades if you go to bed at a reasonable hour and get a full nights sleep.  Study what you can in the mean time, but sacrificing sleep is completely counter-productive.  It will cost you more than it gains you.

Good luck!

Small, easy changes in your daily habits can lead to huge payoffs academically.  Small strokes fell great oaks, as the saying goes.

To expand on the metaphor, trying to cut down a great oak tree in a single day will wear you out!  It takes a tremendous amount of energy, and you’ll be sore and blistered for days.

On the other hand, if you pick up that axe every morning and spend thirty minutes or so chopping at the oak, the task is easy, invigorating, and effective.  Moreover, your body will strengthen with the regular exercise, rather than wearing out.  That means the next oak will fall even faster.

Apply the principle to your studies.  Break every task down into simple parts that you can accomplish on a daily basis. Many of the techniques discussed on this site boil down to this basic principle.

This is one of the main reasons I write so much on how to change your habits.  Consider, a simple habit change such as studying every day on campus between classes instead of waiting until the evening, the weekend, or the week before finals.  Studying between classes every day…

• leads to less (no?) study nights and weekends
• which leads to lots of free time to do the things you want and
• a better social life (or maybe carpal tunnel syndrome from playing too much xBox).

• It also leads to better comprehension in class
• which leads to needing fewer notes and less study
• as well as better grades on tests.

• It also leads to no need for cramming before the test
• which means no all-nighters and sleep deprivation
• which leads to better grades on tests and
• roommates and friends jealous of your seemingly effortless A’s.

• It also leads to putting the information into long term memory rather than short term memory (which is what you get with cramming).
• That means less study next semester in the second part of the course and
• that means more free time and better grades.

Those are all the benefits from one simple habit change! The trick, of course, is to actually make the habit change.  So make sure to learn how to get rid of bad habits and replace them with good habits.  It’s where easier A’s begin!

Start here to begin developing the habits of an excellent student.

Mid-terms and finals are the bane of most college students’ existence.  One final exam would be bad enough, but at the end of the semester we often have to take two or three exams in a single day!  It’s enough to make even the most studious among us pine for the life of a beach bum.

If you find yourself in this unenviable position, here are some tips and tricks to help you make the best of a bad situation.

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Imagine trudging down to the track three times a semester to wheeze through a 12 mile run. Maybe you would make it without blowing your lunch. Maybe. But for days after you would stagger around like a zombie on stilts (which … ya’ know … is pretty staggery).

Non-stop study marathons can likewise hurt your performance. Just like an athlete who overtrains and pops a kidney or deep fries their duodenum, overstudying can puree the gray stuff betwixt your ears. So you show up for the big test next day with a skull full of partially hydrogenated goo.

Yet this is exactly how most of us study. The week before midterms we embark on a mental marathon of round-the-clock cramming and then wonder at our painfully sub-par grades. (more…)