Studying Tips
What are some reasons we study?
Less stressing over tests and exams
Easier to recall the material later on
Need high GPA for Grad and Med school
Makes your resume more competitive
Specific GPAs
How many students should be in a study group? Why?
4-6 people
It minimizes the socializing compared to smaller groups and encourages everyone to participate compared to larger groups.
What is procrastination?
The action of delaying or postponing something.
“I don’t want to be an A-Grade student because they don’t ever have any fun or free time”
The more balanced you are, the better you will perform academically. This means that to do well in your studies, you actually need to take some time off from studying and go do something fun.
Name 3 resources found at UMD that help you be a successful student.
Professor
TAs
Peer Mentor
Major Advisor
Counseling Center
Tutoring
Visual Learner
Kinaesthetic Learner
Audio Learner
What characteristics do ideal students should have in order to be part of your study group?
They should have common goals of earning good grades.
They should have different talents or knowledge.
What is the role of the rationale-decision maker in a procrastinator?
Get work done on time and effectively.
“I don’t have to make any notes, all the work is already summed up in my textbook”
Taking notes actually helps you to memorise the course information. This is why summarising work in your own words, or making mind-maps, are such effective studying methods.
Think of making notes as a revision process.
What are the best ways to approach a professor about a question?
Have a clear question (written down).
Email them.
Go to their office hours.
What are 2 tips for Visual Learners?
Use color coding when writing notes.
Use pictures and sketches.
Watch videos.
Sit in the front of the room, minimize visual distractions.
Where is an ideal place for study groups?
No distractions
Open to communication
What is the role of the instant-gratification monkey in a procrastinator?
To get easily distracted doing unnecessary things in order to avoid getting work done.
“It’s better to finish one thing at a time — before moving on to the next”
Varying the type of material you study in a single sitting leaves a deeper impression on the brain than just concentrating on one subject the whole time.
What are 2 tips for Kinaesthetic Learners?
Participate in group activities.
Build models.
Create a game.
Walk around as reading over notes.
How long should group studies be? Why?
2-3 hours.
Studying for less than 2 hours might feel as if you are rushing through the content, while studying for more than 3 hours could make it easier for distractions to happen.
Who can be a procrastinator?
Everyone can be a procrastinator in different ways. Some procrastinators are more messy than others.
“I take better notes on a computer than I do by writing them down”
A study done at Princeton University actually found that “longhand note takers engage in more processing than laptop note takers, thus selecting more important information to include in their notes, which enables them to study this content more efficiently
What kind of academic resources you find on the UMD Counseling website?
Videos, apps, handouts and links to:
Time management
Studying
Test Preparation
Math Learning
What are 2 tips for Audio Learners?
Read out loud.
Record yourself.
Participate in group discussions.
Create songs and rhymes.
Study in a quiet room.
What are 3 benefits of study groups?
Improve notes
Share talents and knowledge.
Get more content covered in less time.
Create a support system.
Makes learning fun!
What can you do to avoid procrastination?
Plan ahead.
Start with bigger or more difficult projects first.
Split project in small sections.
Use resources to get work done on time!
“If I start revising for exams too early, I’ll just forget the work before I actually need to start studying”
When the brain revisits old material you thought you forgot, the information is re-learned and thus reinforced. This is why you should start revising early for exams!