10 HABITS OF
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STUDENTS
By Mrs. Adebayo Temitayo (B.
Guidance and counseling (Hons))
The
key to becoming an effective student is learning how to study smarter, not
harder. This becomes more and truer as you advance in your education. An hour
or two of studying a day is usually sufficient to make it through high school
with satisfactory grades, but when college arrives, there aren't enough hours
in the day to get all your studying in if you don't know how to study smarter.
While
some students are able to breeze through school with minimal effort, this is
the exception. The vast majority of successful students achieve their success
by developing and applying effective study habits. The following are the top 10
study habits employed by highly successful students. So if you want to become a
successful student, don't get discouraged, don't give up, just work to develop
each of the study habits below and you'll see your grades go up, your knowledge
increase, and your ability to learn and assimilate information improve.
1. Don't attempt
to cram all you’re studying into one session.
Ever
find yourself up late at night expending more energy trying to keep your
eyelids open than you are studying? If so, it's time for a change. Successful
students typically space their work out over shorter periods of time and rarely
try to cram all of their studying into just one or two sessions. If you want to
become a successful student then you need to learn to be consistent in your
studies and to have regular, yet shorter, study periods.
2. Plan when
you're going to study.
Successful
students schedule specific times throughout the week when they are going to
study -- and then they stick with their schedule. Students who study
sporadically and whimsically typically do not perform as well as students who
have a set study schedule. Even if you're all caught up with your studies,
creating a weekly routine, where you set aside a period of time a few days a
week, to review your courses will ensure you develop habits that will enable
you to succeed in your education long term.
3. Study at the
same time.
Not
only is it important that you plan when you're going to study, it's important
you create a consistent, daily study routine. When you study at the same time
each day and each week, you're studying will become a regular part of your
life. You'll be mentally and emotionally more prepared for each study session
and each study session will become more productive. If you have to change your
schedule from time to time due to unexpected events, that's okay, but get back
on your routine as soon as the event has passed.
4. Each study
time should have a specific goal.
Simply
studying without direction is not effective. You need to know exactly what you
need to accomplish during each study session. Before you start studying, set a
study session goal that supports your overall academic goal (i.e. memorize 30
vocabulary words in order to ace the vocabulary section on an upcoming Spanish
test.)
5. Never
procrastinate your planned study session.
It's
very easy, and common, to put off your study session because of lack of
interest in the subject, because you have other things you need to get done, or
just because the assignment is hard. Successful students DO NOT procrastinate
studying. If you procrastinate your study session, your studying will become
much less effective and you may not get everything accomplished that you need
to. Procrastination also leads to rushing, and rushing is the number one cause
of errors.
6. Start with the
most difficult subject first.
As
your most difficult assignment or subject will require the most effort and
mental energy, you should start with it first. Once you've completed the most
difficult work, it will be much easier to complete the rest of your work.
Believe it or not, starting with the most difficult subject will greatly
improve the effectiveness of your study sessions, and your academic
performance.
7. Always review
your notes before starting an assignment.
Obviously,
before you can review your notes you must first have notes to review. Always
make sure to take good notes in class. Before you start each study session, and
before you start a particular assignment, review your notes thoroughly to make
sure you know how to complete the assignment correctly. Reviewing your notes
before each study session will help you remember important subject matter
learned during the day, and make sure your studying is targeted and effective.
8. Make sure
you're not distracted while you're studying.
Everyone
gets distracted by something. Maybe it's the TV. Or maybe it's your family. Or
maybe it's just too quite. Some people actually study better with a little
background noise. When you're distracted while studying you (1) lose your train
of thought and (2) are unable to focus -- both of which will lead to very
ineffective studying. Before you start studying find a place where you won't be
disturbed or distracted. For some people this is a quiet cubical in the
recesses of the library. For others is in a common area where there is a little
background noise.
9. Use study
groups effectively.
Ever
heard the phrase "two heads are better than one?" Well this can be
especially true when it comes to studying. Working in groups enables you to (1)
get help from others when you're struggling to understand a concept, (2)
complete assignments more quickly, and (3) teach others, whereby helping both
the other students and yourself to internalize the subject matter. However,
study groups can become very ineffective if they're not structured and if
groups members come unprepared. Effective students use study groups
effectively.
10. Review your
notes, schoolwork and other class materials over the weekend.
Successful
students review what they've learned during the week over the weekend. This way
they're well prepared to continue learning new concepts that build upon
previous coursework and knowledge acquired the previous week.
We're
confident that if you'll develop the habits outlined above that you'll see a
major improvement in your academic success.
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