Dennise's top 5 Study tips:
- Read 10 times, Say it 10 Times & Write 2 times. It helps me memorize any definitions or small detail information. This helps when trying to memorize any type of vocabulary and short information.
- Labeling any types of diagrams need can be very helpful. When in labs my group and I would take pictures of the models and label them. Labeling them helps you study them but also know where they are and you can look back at the labeled models and study them.
- Watching any additional videos or reading extra articles that can help me better understand the information. Watching videos on youtube or other sources to help me better understand the material. This helps because maybe you just need some other way of explaining a transition.
- Study groups can be helpful because if you don't understand something maybe someone in your group might and will be able to help you. Study groups help because if you struggle to understand the material maybe someone else in the team might have a better understanding on the subject.
- Take breaks. It's okay to take small breaks between studying so you don't feel overwhelmed. Your mental health comes first. When you overwork yourself it doesn't help your brain function. Sometimes taking a moment to step away to grab a snack or maybe listen to music and come back to it.
Tatiana's study tips:
- Quizlet! It is free to register for and it provides you different tools to quiz yourself on questions you create. It's a fun way to study using your electronics! Quizlet has features where pictures could be added to the questions, statements, T/F, etc that you create so you have a text and visual card to look at.
- Flashcards! Flashcards are another useful resource I have learned to love over my college experience. As a commuter, it is a hassle to bring out a notebook or laptop/iPad while on the bus or train in cases of wanting to study on my way to campus. So, having flashcards on hand with questions, definitions, statements, etc. is also very helpful because they are easy to hold and use on public transportation!
- Rewriting notes! Although some might think it is time consuming to rewrite notes or go over lectures while rewriting notes, it is very beneficial as it allows you to reinforce the information you learned in class. I have found that I better remember material when I go over the lecture and rewrite my notes later in the day of the class or even the day after.
- Practice Questions! There are MANY questions that can be found online, given by the professor or in the textbook associated with the specific class. Utilizing this tool to test yourself gives you a sense of what needs to be focused on!
- Study with a group! Get together with peers via zoom or even in person -- having people in the same class to study with is helpful because you have others to help when you may not understand certain material.
Grace's Study Tips:
- Rewatch recorded lectures. By doing this, you can watch and write down the material at your own pace. As someone who likes to know material thoroughly before moving onto the next topic, I have found this to be very helpful!
- If you have an iPad, take notes on that. I got one in the spring of 2021 when all of my courses were online, and it was a lifesaver. The Goodnotes app in particular allowed me to save a GREAT deal of time by allowing me to paste graphs and other visuals I needed directly into my notes without having to print them and paste them into a physical notebook. It also allows me to keep my notes all in one safe place.
- Find the study techniques that work best for you. I have always found it difficult to be begin when I sit down to study because I don't know where to turn, but experimentation was the best way to figure out what worked and what didn't. For me, I found that when I didn't understand a topic, especially in biochemistry, it was very helpful to peruse the plethora of videos on Youtube that explain the topics in great detail and even provide mnemonics to help with memorization. Just a simple Google search of a broad topic can lead you to many clear-cut and visually appealing graphs, tables, charts, and photos that can really sticking your brain.
- Don't avoid difficult topics. Face them and conquer them!
- Make friends in your classes! They can hold you accountable, and also provide support for you when you're all going through the same struggles.
Emily's Study tips:
- Going through every powerpoint slide for the specific exam and writing down important notes from each slide. This process helped me find the main key points of each chapter and allowed me to retain more information since I did each slide one by one. It also allowed me to not miss any factors within the chapter since I had looked over all of the given material.
- Redrawing visual aids is a main study tool that I use. I'm a very visual learner so with diagrams I tend to redraw them out and then label all of the factors that go with it. After I redraw the most important diagrams the first time, I tend to go through them again but instead I try to label the diagrams based off of memory. I do this to test myself if I remembered what I drew out previously and it tends to stick after I've redone them a couple of times.
- Since I am a visual learner I also tend to write out key concepts a lot of times. The first time I follow the notes to make sure I'm writing down the correct information and then I rewrite the concept about 3-5 more times off of memory. A main way that I remember things is from the first letter of the terms. When I'm studying the concepts after the first round of writing them down I tend to put the first letter of each word within the concept off of memory and then I go through to fill out the rest of the concept. This works out the best for me within exams since when I think of the set of letters for each concept then the entire group of concepts that go along will pop up. It definitely is a different way of studying but maybe this will work for you too!