Efficiency in Study
All too frequently students finish their schooling without having learned how to use their study time well. To complete one's, assignment in a minimum <,mount of time with a high degree of success, permUting sufficient time for ;eisure reading, sports, relaxation. and various extracurricular activities, is one important mark of a successful adjustment to college life.
That many students oversimplify the problem of how to study efficiently is shown in the frequently heard remark, "1 didn't study hard enough " Statements like this imply that study efficiency is entirely a matter of putting forth extra effort. "Try harder next time and you will make out all right," is the pat solution. Certainly effort is important, but many students spend a great deal of time in study and accomplish much less than others who spend less time, The reason may well be that the effort of the time consumer is poorly directed. True, differences in ability may be a contributing factor, but on the other hand, there is ample evidence that a person of average ability who uses his time well often surpasses in accomplishment a more capable but less efficient individual.
You should not make the mistake of assuming that study efficiency is a topic of importance for only the poor or average student. All students, regardless of their grades, can profit from an analysis of effective study principles and their application. Indeed, surveys show that the study methods discussed in this chapter help good students as well as poor ones. Significantly, the best students profited even more than the poorer ones:
