What makes a successful college student? Is it only hours of hard work; is there something more?
If you want to be successful in college, you have to study smart. Hard work pays off; however, if you don’t plan your studies or focus on the less-important stuff, results may not be as good.
Develop these study habits to ace your grades in college:
- Create a timetable: Make a weekly schedule and stick to it. If you don’t have a plan in place and study whimsically, you can never complete the work. A weekly routine keeps you on track giving you enough time for revisions.
- Don’t cram everything into one session: Space out the work instead of trying to fit in a lot of work in one session. There’s no point in staying up late at night and struggling to stay awake. You expend more energy in staying awake than in studying! Stick to mini-study sessions and take breaks to relax your mind.
- Stick to studying at the same time every day: A timetable helps you fix a time for daily studies, and the timing should be the same for every day of the week. When you engage in an activity daily, it soon develops into a habit. Your mind knows when to concentrate and ensures that every study session is more productive.
- Set achievable goals: You know how long you will need to finish a chapter. So, set realistic goals for yourself each day, keeping the long-term goals in mind. When you study with a direction, you can become more effective as a student.
- Don’t procrastinate when you study: The worst mistake you can make is to let your mind drift when you have a study session planned. Sometimes the thought of taking up an uninteresting and complex topic may make you look for excuses to put it off for later. This attitude won’t work if you want to ace your results. You must stick to your routine, even if the task is challenging. Procrastination only leads to unnecessary delays and makes you rush through the syllabus later.
- Start with the tough topics first: The most complex subjects require maximum time. Instead of shelving these for later, take these up at the earliest opportunity and move on to the relatively-easy topics.
- Avoid distractions when studying: Whether the TV noise in the background or the smartphone in front of you, distractions will be there when you sit to study. Look for a quiet place far from the noise and disturbances, and keep your phone silent.
- Review notes: If you are already in the habit of taking notes in class, review them before you start learning from them. This practice makes your study sessions more targeted and effective.
- Study in groups: Two heads are usually better than one. So, find a study buddy to stay on track and get help when needed. You will find that you can finish your assignments on time, and by teaching others, you can revise what you have learned. Choose a study partner carefully because you don’t want to be stuck with someone who doesn’t take his work seriously.
- Test yourself: A habit of reviewing what you have studied during the week is the best way to prepare yourself for the week ahead. If your preparations in a section are not up-to-the-mark, you can work on it before moving on to the next.
These study habits are easy-to-follow and guaranteed to make you succeed in college and your career afterward.
