When we think of university students, we tend to think of the chaotic nature that seems to follow. Late night study sessions. Parties that last into the wee hours of the night. Having to use a professional essay writing service at the last minute.
But let’s focus on the late night study sessions. What if there were a better way of studying that could leave students prepared for their tests without those chaotic cram sessions? Here are a few things that university students should be doing to improve their study habits.
- Flash Cards Can Be a Major Help
Part of avoiding those late night cram sessions – or having to rely on a professional essay writing service to help with those last-minute assignments – is being prepared. Having definitions and notes written down on flash cards can better help imprint them into memory.
Make sure to perform brief quizzes with that information each day. Eventually, it will become easier to remember. The key to flash cards is that the information is condensed down into bite-sized, digestible bits. That means focusing on the details of the information rather than several things at once.
- Study Groups Can Help
Sometimes studying is not necessarily about retaining information. Sometimes it is about trying to find a grasp on the subject matter only to struggle to do so. But one of the great things about university is that there is no need to go it all alone.
By working in a study group, there are several minds and perspectives at work. Perhaps one person can explain a certain topic in a way that helps the others to better understand. It also helps to reduce the workload on one person, making the material more digestible and the load easier to bear.
- Don’t Get Immersive
There is this school of thought that immersing oneself in the subject matter of that class can help with retention. But it turns out that it is far less effective when it comes to memory retention than it is to switch up the topics.
Try taking a break after about 30 minutes or so on a specific topic. Move on to another; there is always the opportunity to come back later. This way, coming back to that topic feels refreshing instead of like a slog through the same terrain.
- Cramming Is Really Bad
We have all heard the stories about cram sessions that went all night. But by waiting until the night before to study, it only makes things all the more difficult on the brain. Cramming can raise anxiety and a sense of panic.
Even worse, the information is not being retained. The brain needs breaks when bringing in new information to retain it. By just jamming in fact after fact, the brain will lose most of what is “learned” and the entire exercise will be for naught. Spread out studying over a longer period of time and in shorter bursts to get a more effective study experience.
