College and University Blog
Effective Study Practices
Social development and independence not withstanding, study is the prime reason that one attends college. In this way, a person expands her/his knowledge and understanding of the world, gains insight on multiple schools of thought, and instills within her-/himself a particular set of skills that would prepare her/him for a career later on in life. Studying, therefore, is not only inevitable, but essential.
The thing is, though, that effective studying is a necessary skill in itself that every student must learn and practice on a regular basis in order to succeed academically. The glitch, however, is that not all study habits provide results; some habits are preferable over others. Of course, each student is different, so what works for one student might not necessarily work for another. Still, generally speaking, some common practices have proven themselves very effective over time, and so these are promoted through academic circles for achieving the best results.
One of the most well-known practices that have been taken for granted in college is the study group. This is because such a practice addresses several issues at the same time. First, the obvious, is that the social interaction that takes place prepares the students involved for the team play where each member focused on a particular aspect of study. In the real world, this scenario is common in many sorts of jobs, and so such skills are essential for that reason, aside from growth as an individual. Second, as alluded to above, is that in a group, the stress level is reduced because each member of the group is designated to a particular topic or aspect of study so that not everyone need focus on everything. Learning becomes easier and challenging this way. Finally, when studying with other people, the interplay of multiple perspectives will take place, which is healthy as well as important. Gaining insight from different perspectives on a subject facilitates a student’s in-depth understanding on that subject, so that when the test time comes, confidence is heavy and cemented and thus nervousness and uncertainty are minimized. All of these contingencies ensure that the study group would serve as a recommended and preferable means of learning in many levels.
Another study practice that has shown results for a wide array of students is the assistance of media presentation. Video and DVD features, like movies and documentaries, as well as audio presentations can stimulate learning. Since humans are sensual by nature, they are drawn to and absorb images and information quite perceptively through the senses, especially visually. This is why the entertainment industry is so popular throughout the world. Such means make studying fun and enjoyable, so not only do students learn easier and retain more, they look forward to giving their studying sessions more attention, whether they do so alone or in groups.
Rewriting notes is a common means of study as well. Visually, students absorb the information directly from their note pages, and they simultaneously organize the information in their memories as the rewrite and rewrite again. The constant revisions are important, if not only for the sake of making the notes themselves legible and presentable to readers than to allow the students to become familiar with the subject through continuous and in-depth review.
Whatever the case, each student must go the way that is comfortable for her/him. The important thing, though, is for every student to know why s/he studies the way s/he does so s/he can select the best method or combination of methods for her/his particular needs.