In the next few lines you will find tips and recommendations on how to study better, making the most of your resources and the time you have available.
1. Find your way of learning
The most important thing is to know what your most efficient way of learning is. Not all of us learn things in the same way, some of us are more visual, others more auditory, some have good retention, others not so much… What we should do is test how we better understand the concepts to be worked on, using several options and staying with the best. Depending on it, we will base our study plan on that characteristic.
For example, if we realize that we learn better by making diagrams and seeing illustrated images on some topic, then we have a tendency towards the visual, and we should take advantage of this tendency. We can then design a study plan based on mental maps, concept maps, etc. Elements where the content arrives through some significant visual stimulus.
If you are more auditory, do the same with voice recordings, or look for videos that explain the topic you need to learn (also applies to those who are visual learners).
After you have this information about your way of being, it will be easier for you to know how to be a good student, and you will be able to start designing your study plan in a better way.
2. Choose a quiet place to study
For the learning process to occur properly, the ideal will always be to do the process in a place where we don’t have too many interruptions in addition to making sure that it is tidy, in order to avoid the feeling of anxiety that messy places with too many stimuli usually generate.
3. Take breaks
The importance of taking breaks during study days is crucial for knowledge to be internalized in our minds. The new information you are feeding your brain takes time to fall into place, so to speak.
Therefore, the ideal is that if you have proposed a study schedule of 2 hours a day, you take a 15-minute break in the middle of the day in which you close your eyes and relax. The ideal is to rest for about 10 minutes every 45 minutes.
4. Take advantage of positive stimuli
In addition to the stimulus that passing the exams represents, it is proven that If we reward ourselves for studying, the process will be more efficient.
It is about making a daily study schedule, and at the end of the day rewarding ourselves with something meaningful to us; It could be a sweet, doing some activity that gives us pleasure, watching a movie, listening to music, etc.
Many times it happens that we feel overwhelmed by the extent of the topics we must study but it turns out that there are study methods with which information is summarized efficiently, in order to optimize the content of our learning.
You can achieve this after a first complete reading of the topic, beginning to underline what is most relevant to your evaluation. And making diagrams with it. So for the second reading you only have to review what you have underlined and written in these “concept maps”. You should always make sure you know exactly what topics are going for your evaluation.
6. Attend classes
This method is basically the sum of several methods; The first is to place yourself in a strategic place in the room, where you can pay attention to the teacher’s instructions. Secondly, avoid being distracted by the environment during class hours, and finally make sure to take the necessary notes so that you can later use them during your study day at home. And, of course, ask any questions you have.
This is one of the easiest tips to follow on how to be a better student, as it is based on spontaneity and the willingness to learn.
7. Keep track of your subjects
Don’t let your subjects dominate you, be the one who dominates them. This is one of the most important keys to a good student. You can do this by having a copy of your class schedule in a visible place in your room, so you can see it daily and become familiar with your academic load. And also, Be sure to write down all pending tasks in your agenda so as not to fall behind in studying the subjects.
This will serve as a guide to know which subjects you should dedicate extra attention to.
8. Surround yourself with good students
To be a good student, you must worry about building quality social relationships with people who are on the same page as you. By surrounding yourself with responsible people you are giving yourself a source of inspiration and example that will motivate you more. Of course, it is not about copying, but about exposing yourself to an environment in which the act of studying is valued.
9. Adopt the habit of reviewing in spaced repetition
A few days after having studied a part of the syllabus for the first time, review it again. Then, he lets a slightly longer period pass, and reviews again. Once you have done it, allow even more time to pass than last time, and review again. This way of studying is called spaced repetition, and It is the best way to memorize efficiently.
10. Sleep well
Sleeping adequate hours is necessary so that the information you have learned is well consolidated in your memory system.
