Nut's Academic Tip of the Week

[SATX*APhi]

Dang Gina! I don't know how I missed this! Great advice!

[XOMichelle]

Can I post a tip?

Along with going to class, and meeting your prof, the last of the golden trillogy of being a good student is..... DOING YOUR HOMEWORK!

So simple, yet so hard!

[James]

I always remembered it the first time . ..

Originally posted by NutBrnHair
Rewrite your notes by hand

You have five senses, as we all know (well, except for Haley Joel Osment). The more senses you use while studying, the stronger the information gets stored into your brain. Think about it: do you remember something better if you just read it, or if you read it AND copy it?

For this reason, one of the best study tips is rewriting ALL of your notes by hand starting two weeks before the exam, and as you recopy, say the words out loud. This way, you're reinforcing the information on many levels: you're reading the notes, processing them to physically copy them down, speaking the words, and hearing yourself speak the words. With all of these paths going, it makes it much more likely that you'll remember the information.



www.soyouwanna.com

[damasa]

We need more tips in this thread so feel free to post away.

Btw, I'm going to try to do a few things with this forum like make a page listing certain links to references for graduate school, law school, undergrad programs, etc. If you have any ideas or info that you would like to add just feel free to pm me.

-Blaine

[aurora_borealis]

Originally posted by NutBrnHair
When you are selecting your seat in the classroom, sit in the "T." (Anywhere on the front row or any seat down the middle ailse of the classroom.) Studies show the speaker will make eye contact with these areas most.

I realized this long ago, but another wonderful reason to sit exclusively in the front row, is to not have to see people's "backs & cracks" due to their low pants and short shirts.

Also, it is less distracting to not have people moving around in front of you, and you can easily see and hear.

Yay for back to school!!!

[WCUgirl]

Yes! Need more tips!!! I just signed on to be an academic advisor. Or, what are some good websites to use as an academic-tip resource?

[TxAPhi]

Great index for Dir of Scholarship to use:

http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/h...s/stutips.html

[KNOW-wun]

Originally posted by NutBrnHair
While Taking the Test...


(My personal pet peeve as a teacher were "bubble writers" -- those who would dot their "i"s with a circle! ARGH! Often they would use pepto pink pens -- which I also despise!)

Kinda picky, aren't you?

[honeychile]

Originally posted by Sahara
As a undergrad, I had one of those huge classes (you know) where the attendance dwindled. I went because I thought the professor was funny. He told personal stories that related to what we were learning.
On a day that some of us came to class during a storm, he gave us extra credits.
During the final exam, a LOT of the questions referenced his personal stories (eg. "The lost toy bunny story is an example of _______")

Great advice!!

I had a similar experience: I was taking a class on "American English", and the professor kept talking about the etymology of various American words. I found it fascinating, and jotted down the info just for kicks. Well, guess what was on the test? All the trivia!! I got an A+ in that class, and I guarantee you, it was the only one I ever got!

These are wonderful, NutBrwnHair!! We had Study Buddies, and paired up on similar classes to hold each other accoutable.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by James
I always remembered it the first time . ..

I'm going to go with Nut on this one. I took three different languages, and the only way to remember which was which was the re-writing the lessons on a daily basis.

[adpiucf]

Another Tip: If you've really enjoyed a class and aced it, and/or developed a good rapport with the instructor, ask the professor to write you a letter of recommendation and keep it on file. When you are about to graduate and applying to grad school or going out to the workforce, have him/her update it. This will save you precious time when you are scrambling for academic LORs either immediately post-grad or in 2+ years if you go on to another degree.

[wrigley]

This thread has great tips.

[NutBrnHair]

*Don't spend too long on one question. You might need to put a small mark by the question and move on. Come back to it later if there is time.

*Don't go too fast. Think about the questions.

*If you finish before time is up, check over your answers.

*Give just one answer unless the question calls for more than one answer. Most questions will call for only one answer.

*Answer each question in your head before you look at the choices.

*If two of the four answers are alike, except for one or two words, choose one of these two answers.

*Be sure that you mark the answer the right question. If you skip a question, be sure to leave that answer blank on the answer sheet.

*On true - false tests, mark the answer as false if any part is false.



source: www.learningbooks.net

[NutBrnHair]

How does one go about preparing for an essay exam? Probably the best way is to start the first day of class. Cramming is stressful, stupid, and unnecessary. Preparing for a test by cramming puts the information into short-term memory, like the phone number that you look up and remember only long enough to dial it. The material can be learned better by studying it over a long period of time. Repetition and reinforcement help you to store information in long-term memory.

Preparing for a test can be broken into a number of easy steps that are sometimes called "studying."

Lecture notes
Notes on the readings
Relate the lecture notes to the readings
Prepare a sample exam.
Look up the answers to your exam questions and memorize the details necessary to support those answers.

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1. Lecture notes
Ideally, one should take notes in class and transcribe them into a readable form very soon after class. Notes that are not transcribed are often impossible to figure out several months later when you need to study for a comprehensive final. Transcribing class notes into a neat and understandable form is also an opportunity to be certain that one understands the lecture. Write down any questions that you have as you transcribe your notes so that you can ask the professor during the next class period or get clarification from others during a study group session.

2. Notes on the readings
Read all assigned material before the class it is assigned for, and take good notes on your readings. You will rarely have time to reread this material before the exam (and it would be foolish to wait to read it until the night before the test). Your notes should be your own version of commercially available "Cliff Notes" or "Monarch Notes" (which don't exist for most textbooks). Making notes on the readings also gives you the opportunity to see what you don't understand so that you can write down any questions you have. If your questions are not answered by the lecture on this material, you should ask them in class.

3. Relate the lecture notes to the readings
It may seem strange to take notes on your notes, but this is a good tool for helping you to see the relationship between the lecture notes and the readings. Sometimes the relationship is not entirely clear. If this is the case, try to put yourself in your professor's shoes. There is a connection; you just have to find it. Think about it and write down your thoughts. This will help you to prepare for the exam. Often, college professors do not refer to readings in their lectures. Often they do not go over the readings in great detail as your high school teachers did. This is because they are expecting you to use your critical thinking skills to find the connection between the readings and the lectures.

4. Prepare a sample exam.
About three or four days before the exam, make a list of the topics that your professor spent a lot of time lecturing on and about which topics s/he was very animated and lively. These topics will most certainly appear on your exam in some form. Think yourself into the mind of your professor and try to make up questions that s/he might ask. Come up with a minimum of five essay questions.

5. Look up the answers to your exam questions and memorize the details necessary to support those answers.
Students usually object that learning the answers to their exam questions won't help them on a test. However, in my experience, the details that you memorized to support the answer to your sample question can usually be used to answer the question that does appear on the test if you prepared well.

The biggest mistake students make in answering exam questions when they know the answers is in failing to supply the details. Details make the difference between a correct answer that is a "C" and a correct answer that is an "A." The "C" answer may be accurate but will lack specific examples, quotations, or dates that the "A" answer supplies. Too many students see only that they did not make any mistakes and try to argue that a "C" answer should be a higher grade. If you get a "C" on an exam question, look in your lecture notes and readings for the details that you might have supplied. This will help you to do better the next time.

6. Get enough sleep the night before the test.

source: Copyright © 1998 Pennsylvania State University
Contact: Kathleen Nulton Kemmerer kxk30@psu.edu

[NutBrnHair]

*Establish a routine time to study for each class
For every hour you spend in class, you will probably need to spend two hours outside of class. Study for each subject at the same time every day/week and in the same place if possible.

*Studying includes more than just doing your homework
You'll need to go over your notes from class- labeling, editing, and making sure you understand them. Look at your syllabus to see where you are going and where you've been. Be sure to do reading assignments and read ahead whenever possible. Prepare for class as if there will be a pop quiz that day.

*Establish a place to study
You should have a comfortable place to sit with good lighting, all the supplies you need, and of course, it should be free of distractions. It should not be a place where you routinely do other things.

*Do as much studying in the daytime as you can
What takes you an hour to do during the day may take you an hour and a half at night.

*Schedule breaks
Take a ten-minute break after each hour of study. If possible, avoid long blocks of time for studying. Spread out several short study sessions during the day.

*Make use of study resources on campus
Use the tutors, find out about labs, videos, computer programs, and alternative texts. Get to know your professors and other students in the class so you can feel comfortable asking questions.

*Study the hardest subjects first
Work on your hardest subjects when you are fresh because putting them off until you're tired compounds the problem.

*Be good to yourself
Studying on four hours of sleep and on an empty stomach or a junk-food diet is a waste of time. Avoid food and drinks containing caffeine just before or after studying.


Adapted from Practicing College Study Skills by Carolyn H. Hooper