Of late, the academic competition has dramatically increased. All are competing against another to excel in academics and advance in career. The key to becoming a successful student in college or university is learning smarter, not harder.

Most of your high school study tips won’t be effective in college. You have to understand the transition and modifystudy habits to helpyourself attain academic success. An hour or two of studying may help with assignment writing in school, but sometimes, 24 hours won’t be enough to wrap up a college project.

In college, you grapple with various changes, which make it all the more difficult for you to concentrate and progress. As a grad student, you must adopt effective study techniques to improve your information retention abilities and build substantial brainpower.

How?

You can begin by practising some of the tried and tested study strategies mentioned below.

10 Study Tips Every Student Must Know To Excel In College

Cramming isn’t the solution to complete your syllabus a week before the exams. Put into practice these study techniques to boost your grades.

1. Mark the Important Dates:

To become a successful student, the study tip you should keep in mind is to keep track of all the important dates and deadlines. Prepare a calendar to list out the dates for your exams, revisions, and assignment deadlines.

Don’t leave your calendar as a decorative piece on your study table. Review it every alternate day to stay ahead of the paper submissions. Also, you get to scratch off whatever task or exams you complete. Imagine the satisfaction in that!

2. Plan Your Study:

Whether it’s studying for a test or writing an essay paper, planning will help you keep track of what you have to research and how. Like most successful students, you too can create a study plan for the week – and stick to it.

If you are sporadic with your study routine, the chances of performing well in your exams are pretty low. No matter how tight your week’s schedule is with deadlines, set aside some time for self-studies. The habit of reviewing what you learn in class will help you succeed in the long run.

3. Regular Studies is a must:

Your study plan will be ineffectual if you are not consistent with your efforts no matter what you do. By this I mean you have to make studies a part of your everyday lifestyle. Keep at least 2 hours of the day to study whatever you learnt in class.

When you study at the same time every week, it will soon become a habit, and with each study session, you will develop more skills and become more productive.

However, don’t be too stringent with your routine. If you have to make some changes for an urgent assignment, do it. Complete your task in hand and get back on track ASAP.

4. Determine a Study Goal:

Having a specific study goal gives you a direction. It helps with assignment writing, study planning and keeps you motivated to reach the target. Each day, before you start your study session, set a personal study goal for the day.

For instance, target to complete your assignments within 2 hours and keep an hour to study for the upcoming spell bee competition. When you have a set goal in mind, you can divide your work and give your complete focus to complete the task.

Remember, everything becomes manageable when you break into manageable chunks – be it writing an assignment or studying for your term exam.

5. Listen and note it down:

If you don’t have the habit of taking notes in class, it’s high time to work on it. Your lectures aren’t only for staring blankly at the blackboard while your professor rambles on and on.

Pay attention in class, and take the right notes. It may sound pretty generic to you, but it’s worth repeating. That said; don’t write down everything your teacher says. Write important notes with comments, so everything remains fresh in your memory when you sit to study later.

6. Make the Most of Your Resources:

Nowadays, exciting study materials are available online to make learning more fun and engaging. If you are tired of learning about the respiratory system, search online for some video study clips of relevant subject material.

Audio, video academic resources can improve your learning abilities in more ways than you realise. Also, use a mind-map, study flashcards, quiz cards, and colour code your notes to make your study materials visually attractive. 

7. Don’t Bombard Your Brain with Information:

Unlike some, most humans have short memory power. You have to feed your brain the same information repeatedly so it remains fresh in the long-term memory.

Delaying your assignments will only doom you. Successful students and academic scholar NEVER procrastinate studying.

The pressure of completing your syllabus before the exam night instigates stress and anxiety, which will undoubtedly impact your recalling abilities. Bombarding your brain with last-minute studies will restrict your brain from recalling information when required.

8. Give More Time to Difficult Subjects:

Not all subjects are easy to learn and understand; some deserve more time and effort. That’s why I advice all my students to start with complex topics as early as possible. You can give more time without worrying about other deadlines.

Another advantage of starting with tricky topics is that it helps you analyse where you stand with the subject. You can identify the challenging areas and reach out to your professor and resolve your queries.

Believe it or not, completing difficult subjects first will boost your morale and improve your academic performance.

9. Keep all Distractions at Bay:

You are not alone who gets easily distracted by the notification tune of your mobile or the barking of your neighbour’s dog. Every student gets distracted with something or the other while studying.

Distracted studying will only lead to ineffective studying. The ideal way to avoid distractions is to find a study where distraction is minimal.

Another way to avoid distractions is by taking timely breaks. A lot of you might think that studying at a stretch is a sign of committed study. Well, no.

Take a short break of 5-10 minutes after one hour of studying and do whatever relaxes you – be it checking your Instagram or gorging on a quick snack. It will cut the monotony and help you refocus.

10. Do What You Have to do to Succeed:

Every student has a unique way of studying. Some perform better in group studies, while others prefer to study alone in a closed room. While some prefer traditional learning methods, many rely on the latest technology-based learning methods. Identify whatever way suits you best and be sincere.

Successful students stay connected with their professors and continually look for ways to perform better in class. If you need help, reach out to your tutors and professors. Tell them of your difficulties and allow them to help you.

While doing so, don’t ignore your health. Trust me; you cannot excel in academics if you don’t follow a healthy routine. Strictly avoid late-night studies. Your mind and brain need sufficient rest to process whatever you learn throughout the day, which isn’t possible without sound sleep.

Wrapping Up

Let’s take a glance at the points we discussed above.

• Mark the important dates
• Plan your study
• Regular studies is a must.
• Determine a study goal
• Listen and note it down.
• Make the most of your resources.
• Don’t bombard your brain with information.
• Give more time to difficult subjects.
• Keep all distractions at bay.
• Do what you have to do to succeed

If you follow these study tips, you will see improvement in your academic grades and achieve your goals. Good luck!

Author Bio:

Katie Joan is a professional blogger, full-time mother of two, and a part-time baker. She has years of experience in blogging and loves to blogs about a wide range of topics, from educational to travel and lifestyle. Katie is also associated with MyAssignmenthelp.com, where shehelps students with assignments on request.