Five habits that will improve your studying

Practicing these tips will help you study more effectively

College is tough. Having to study for exams, do assignments and homework, work at part-time jobs, volunteer and above all that managing to have a social life despite the stress and work load.

It is overwhelming.

Here are some tips on how to develop some good study habits to boost up your GPA.

1. Time management
Time is the key. We all have 24 hours of the day. It might seem incredible how much other people can do within those 24 hours while you feel like you did not get any work done. Effective time management can make all the difference in achieving great exam results. Plan and schedule your activities. Stick to your schedule and make it part of your daily routine. Managing your time helps you prioritize and know which subjects you should study more.

2. Alternating study places
Although most students swear by the library, studies show that alternating different places of study helps to process and retain information faster. Your brain likes colors and visual images so changing your study locations helps your brain attach specific information with that location or image so you will remember it.

3. Study groups
When you study with a group, you can generally learn faster than when you are studying alone. This is because you grasp information that you missed during class from your study group. In addition, you get to see the material from another perspective. You also learn new study skills in the process. While your study skill might work perfectly, you would still find ways to improve your learning ability.

4. Making flash cards/notes
Writing notes and definitions more than once will imprint information’s in your brain more than just reading it. Studies show that you tend to forget almost 40 percent of new information within the first 24 hours of reading or hearing it. But effective note taking retrieves almost a hundred percent of that information.

5. Sleep
A tired mind is a slow mind. Getting enough sleep is important to getting good grades. Even though you study well for an exam, your mind unfortunately will not be able to process any information if you are tired. That is when you will be sitting in an exam hall and staring at the exam paper doing absolutely nothing. A good night’s sleep before an exam day is necessary so your mind can take the rest needed to retain information for your big day. Get enough sleep and watch your GPA rise.