Learning how to study for college courses is different than preparing for high school classes.
Susan Trudeau, director of the Student Success Center at the University of Detroit Mercy, offers these tips in her presentation, “How to Study in College” for ReBUILDetroit scholars.
“You have to work smarter,” says Trudeau. “Take a break after 25 minutes and reward yourself with a snack, stretch or check your social media accounts.”
Eliminating distractions, such as smart phone, social media, music and television, will help you focus on the subject at hand.
“Studying or better yet learning, is about making connections,” says Trudeau. “In the Success Center, we help students understand the importance of effective notetaking and making connections. The Cornell notetaking organizes your notes, allows for summarization and questions all on one page.”
Trudeau also offered tips on reading strategies. She suggested to pre-read the chapter objectives and headings. This creates an outline of the chapter. Another effective tool is to turn headings into questions. Finally, spend a few minutes every day to review questions and answers.
Want to learn more about the way we learn, watch the video series by Dr. Stephen Chew at Stamford University. He is a cognitive psychologist and offers ways to get the most out of studying.