Well, we are now into the 3rd week of the semester,
and for me it seems like the semester is already going by really
fast. As I was planning out my week last night, I realized that my
first round of exams is coming up next week. For those of you that
are freshmen, I know how overwhelming the first round of exams may
be for you. But don't fret! There are many programs around campus
to help you figure out the best way for you to study. Supplemental
instruction (SI) is one of the best ways to get help. Most freshman
level classes have an SI leader that sits in on your class and
takes notes. Then, the SI leader holds SI sessions three times a
week to help you with what was taught in class that week.
Supplemental instruction is free and a great way to get help and
form study groups!
You can also get help from the counseling center. Surprisingly,
there are counselors on campus that specialize in giving you
academic help. I actually spent most of my freshman year seeing an
academic counselor, and I am so thankful that I did because to this
day, I still use the strategies my counselor gave me. This resource
is also free and I recommend it to anyone that needs help in
figuring out how to study. Each subject is different and because of
that, there are different ways to study for each subject, and the
academic counselors can help you figure that out. They can also
help you figure out a study plan. Everyone is different and will
need a different study plan, but I will share with you what works
for me.
I like to use what I call the five-day plan. For each test that
I have, I count back five days from when the test is, and that is
when I start studying for the test. Each day I break my studying up
into chunks. On Day 1, I spend an hour studying a part of the
material for the class. On Day 2, I spend one hour studying a new
part of the material and an hour studying the material from the day
before. On Day 3, I study one hour of new material, and two
hours of the material from Day 1 and 2. On Day 4, I spend one hour
on the last part of the material I haven't studied, and three hours
on previous material. And on Day 5 I review all of the material
that I have studied. I normally study for four hours that day, and
I spend the first 2-3 hours on the material that I had a harder
time with, and then I spend the rest of the time on the other
material. I also found that this process becomes easier if you
spend time after your classes reviewing your notes and making
notecards. The more times you see the material, the better it will
stick!
But if none of this works for you, there are many different
workshops that the student learning center puts on throughout the
semester. They are free and can help you with study habits, eating
right, balancing your budget, staying healthy, etc. But no matter
what you need help with, there is always something on campus there
for you. So freshmen, get help now! Don't wait until the middle of
the semester when you aren't doing well in a class. Get ahead now,
and it will help you in your future!