Improve Your Study Habits

Find a good place to study

Study in a place where you are able to get work done. Leave your dorm room because distractions like the internet, computer games, television, friends, and your bed can pull you away from studying. Consider studying in the library, an empty classroom, a quiet corner of Norris, or a café.

Identify your best time to study

Are you a morning person or a night person? Everyone has high and low periods of attention and concentration. Reserve your most productive times for focusing on demanding assignments. Use your down times to socialize and run errands. Do you have time during the day between classes when you could study? Do you find that you're most productive in the morning? In the evening? Why?

Study in short blocks

Study in short blocks of time (i.e. 45 - 60 minutes) and take a 15-minute break as a reward. This will help make your study time productive and keep you from getting tired and losing your concentration.

Get rid of distractions

Carry a small memo notebook with you. If you suddenly remember that you need something from CVS or are supposed to call your grandmother, write it down on a "distraction list" so that you don't forget. Then get back to studying.

Combine activities

If you're taking the shuttle downtown, take notes to go over or a book to read. If you're doing laundry, bring your psychology notes to study. If you're waiting in line for concert tickets at Norris, bring your foreign language flashcards to memorize.