More On Studying
Let us add a few suggestions from several successful students.
- Study in the same manner as you will be expected to reproduce material. Memorize more for objective exams and study broad ideas in outline form for essay exams.
- Study the teacher. Some teachers (often intentionally) will all but give away exam questions on pretest lectures and reviews. One professor may emphasize one subject that another will gloss over
- Review notes with a classmate. Often someone else will pick up points that you miss.
- Do not cut classes. Even if you are not paying close attention in class, some things still get through that would have been missed if you were absent. The other person's notes are usually poor substitutes for your own; and one other point-some who teach feel badly that they cannot hold the interest of an audience enough even to get them to class. Physical attendance is easier to monitor than is psychological attendance.
- Do not overintellectualize in review. Review should be just what the term implies. Too much thinking at this stage often leads to confusion.
- Do not fall behind in your work. In some students this leads from a feeling of anxiety to that of panic.
- Help the other fellow study. Explaining a point to someone else helps fix it in your mind.
- Underline the text. This makes review easier, and textbook authors will love you!
