Establish a good study space.
College students should have a designated space in their homes where they can study. This is especially important if you live with others and need to study late at night or early in the morning. The space should be quiet and free from distractions, but also comfortable enough that you can relax while studying. You might consider setting up a desk lamp, as well as some decorations that remind you of your academic goals (such as diplomas from past exams).
If possible, find a study buddy who lives close by so that whenever one of you is studying, the other can watch them for potential problems or distractions—the same goes for if someone else watches over how well each individual student performs at his or her own task.
Allow enough time to study.
It is important to allow enough time to study. Your course load, the number of classes you are taking, your job responsibilities, extracurricular activities, and other commitments can make it difficult to manage your time effectively.
It is therefore necessary to create a weekly schedule that will allow you to allocate specific periods of time for each task that needs to be done. You need not plan every minute of the day but rather have an overall idea as to when certain tasks will be accomplished.
For example: if one assignment takes two hours and another takes three hours then there should be some overlap between these two assignments so that they can be completed at about the same time instead of having one assignment take place before or after another with too much gap in between them. This way you save on travel and waiting around for other people who may also be using facilities such as libraries or photocopying machines etcetera., which could cause delays in finishing up your work on time (or even worse lead[ing] into procrastination).
Be consistent with your study routine.
Consistency is key to effective learning. A study routine that you stick to will help you develop the habits needed for long-term success. It can be easy to get distracted or discouraged, but if you stay focused on your goal and make the most of each opportunity, you’ll see results faster than ever before!
Benefits of consistency:
- You’ll notice an increase in performance immediately after implementing a new study schedule. Your grades will improve immediately!
- The more consistent your schedule becomes, the easier it becomes to maintain and stick with it over time.
Make a study schedule.
It’s essential to create a learning schedule for yourself. This will allow you to manage your time and be more productive. Here are some tips on how to do this:
- Organize the tasks into categories. For example, if you’re taking a class about art history, then make separate lists of readings, quizzes and assignments due each week or month. If there are any labs or projects scheduled in class, add these as well so that they don’t slip through the cracks when it comes time for them.
- Prioritize tasks by importance (not necessarily chronological). You should plan out your days based on what needs to be done first while leaving room for breaks between long-term tasks such as studying ahead of an exam instead of cramming at night before one hits; this prevents burnout and helps retain information better because we tend to retain what we’ve already studied over new material
Make yourself accountable by setting goals and recording your progress.
One of the most effective ways to make yourself accountable is by setting goals and recording your progress. This is a proven method of self-improvement, as it gives you something specific to shoot for, which can lead to better results in school and other areas of life. You may find that you’re more motivated when working toward a goal (like improving your GPA), or that having an actual result helps keep you motivated when things get tough.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in doing, here are some tips for getting started:
- Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Attainable, Relevant/Realistic and Time-bound (i.e., set a deadline).
- Track your progress on paper or digitally so that it’s easy to see how far along the road you’ve come (and how far there still is left). Be sure not just work toward one overarching goal—make sure each individual task has its own “I’m going to do this” moment!
Reward yourself when you achieve your goals.
Reward yourself when you achieve your goals.
Sometimes, the best way to stay motivated and focused is to give yourself a little reward when you finish a task or complete a project. This can be as simple as buying yourself a treat at the coffee shop down the street (or even making your own coffee), taking time off from studying and reading something fun, or treating yourself to something bigger like going out with friends or getting that new toy you’ve been eyeing. The most important thing is that whatever reward you choose fits into your budget and lifestyle so that it’s not too difficult for you to obtain.
The key here is not just in giving yourself rewards after completing tasks, but also to learn how not to punish yourself if those tasks aren’t completed on time or on schedule. You might find it easier than expected—or harder—to stick with this kind of structure when learning strategies are involved; however, don’t let this discourage or demoralize you because there’s no reason why learning should feel like work all of the time!
Stay organized.
The first step to staying organized is to use one. A good calendar, planner, or notebook will help you keep track of your assignments and due dates. If you have an assigned textbook for each class, consider purchasing a separate binder for each subject and keeping your notes in the binder so that they’re easy to find when you need them.
If there are any other items that you always use during class (such as notebooks), consider keeping those in a separate folder so they’re easy to access. Make sure all materials are organized by subject and saved in an area where they won’t get lost or misplaced easily: under your desk is not the best place!
Learn to say no when you need to.
Learning to say no is a good skill for college students to develop. You need to learn how to focus on your priorities and not get distracted by things that aren’t directly related to them. Don’t feel like you need to be the life of the party or help everyone else out with their problems. You don’t have all day, so prioritize what’s important for you and stick with it! If someone is asking for your help on an assignment, set boundaries about when they can expect it back from you before agreeing. If other people are trying too hard to involve themselves in your life, politely tell them that you have some things going on right now and would rather keep them separate from each other so they don’t feel pressured into spending time together outside of class.
Get plenty of sleep every night.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Getting enough sleep is important for learning because it gives you time to process what you have learned and make new connections in your brain. It’s also the best way to ensure that your body has enough energy to function properly throughout the day.
A good way to tell if you are getting enough sleep is by checking how refreshed and alert you feel when getting up in the morning. If you wake up feeling more tired than when going to bed, then try changing up your routine or sleeping environment (for example: keeping electronics out of the bedroom).
Eat well and exercise regularly to stay healthy and energized.
As you know, one of the best ways to improve your academic performance is to stay healthy and energized. Eating well and exercising regularly are two good ways to do this. But it’s important that you distinguish between eating healthy food and exercising for fitness.
- Eating well: You should try to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains), but don’t overdo it on processed foods or sweets—they can end up doing more harm than good.
- Exercising: There’s no need to get obsessed with exercise; just make sure that you’re getting enough activity each day. It could be as simple as walking around campus during breaks between classes!
Research has shown that these strategies can help you improve your grades and reduce the time it takes you to complete a degree
There is a lot of research that shows that students who use these strategies tend to be more successful.
- Organized and prepared: Students who are better organized and prepared tend to do better in college classes than those who aren’t. This means starting assignments early, taking notes during class, keeping up with readings, etc.
- Consistent: Being consistent can mean different things for different people (e.g., getting enough sleep vs eating well), but the general idea is that being consistent will help you stay on track and avoid falling behind in your classes/assignments/homework/etc., which makes it easier for you to get all A’s or B+’s rather than just C’s or D’s because something got missed along the way due to inconsistent effort from either yourself or others involved (e.g., professors).
- Accountable: Being accountable means owning up when something goes wrong or an obligation isn’t met (e.g., procrastination). It also involves being honest with yourself about where your priorities should lie so that when they come into conflict (i.e., having fun vs working hard), there won’t be any excuses as far as why one took precedence over another; instead, see what happened last time this happened so maybe next time we’ll do it differently…
