To succeed in college, you must spend a great deal of time studying.  You should plan on studying for two to three hours outside of class for every hour you spend in a classroom.  However, the amount of time you spend on studying is not as important as how effectively you use that time.  So, in this section, let's look at ways to increase the effectiveness of your study time.


_____1.  Find some locations where you can study without being distracted.

    If you have a two hour block of time to study, you don't want half of that time wasted because you got distracted by a friend dropping by or by the sounds of your dorm neighbors partying.  Campuses typically have lots of nooks and crannies where you can hide out to study, so seek them out.  Check out the library, learning centers, and alcoves.  Have a variety of places you can go in case someone else is using your "special spot" at a time when you need to study.


_____2.  Avoid getting distracted by the Internet.  

    I am notifed when I receive new e-mails by a message that pops up at the bottom of my screen.  I find I need to turn that feature off when I really must concentrate on something (like writing this!).   Otherwise, I get distracted and lose my momentum and valuable time.


_____3.  Realize that learning new information involves several steps, and each step is important.

    You must:   

•  Be exposed to the information.  This means you have to read it, hear it, see it, and maybe even touch it.  If you miss the lecture, labs, or reading assignments, you'll definitely reduce your exposure!
   
• Get the information into your brain.  You must focus on what you're learning to get nerve cells in your brain to make new connections with each other.  You can't just move your eyes across a page when reading, for example, while thinking about the party you're going to attend the next night, and get anything out of that time.  
   
•  Move the information from short term memory to long term memory.  Without repetition and handling of information, memories are usually lost.  You can put information into your long term memory by repetition and by "handling" it in different ways.  A great way to do that while you're reading is to take meaningful notes.  Also, stop after short sections and answer review questions if your text provides them.  You'll find this more effective than reading large amounts of text at one time.
  
  
• Organize the information so that it's meaningful to you.  This will help you recall it later.  Think about your brain as a set of filing cabinets.  You want the information stored in such a way that you can "find" it later.  Some students find that they can easily locate information in their brain if they have outlined it while reviewing their notes or text.
  
  
• Practice recalling information.  When you write your own study questions, and practice answering them, you'll find that really helps come test day.
  
  

_____4.  Make a plan for your study time.

     Set definite goals for your time to help you stay on track.  For example, you might plan to rewrite your lecture notes for that day's anatomy lecture, re-read any parts of the text which covered material you found difficult, and answer the comprehension questions at the end of the chapter. 


_____5.  Take breaks when you start to lose your concentration.

    The brain can only focus on one topic for a certain length of time before it becomes less productive.  This may vary depending on your interest in the material and its difficulty.  When I was in college, I found I could concentrate for about 50 minutes before starting to fade.  At that point, I needed to take a 10 minute break.  If you need to, switch to another subject so you don't get stuck or waste valuable time.   Short walks are a great way to break up study times as they'll usually help you feel more alert.  When you eat a healthy snack, that often helps the brain re-focus, too.


_____6.  Use your most productive time for the coursework you find most challenging.

    If you have a great memory and can memorize lists of body parts easily, but find wrestling with algebra problems a real trial, work on your algebra problems when you're feeling most able to cope with a challenge.  On the other hand, some people like to solve math problems for fun and find them easy, while learning to spell and identify parts of the body require more energy for them. 


_____7.  Practice explaining complicated concepts to other people.

    When you read, hear, and write down the same information, you strengthen your ability to recall it later.  When you say it out loud, that also helps you understand and remember information.  Explaining information to others is a great way to do this.  Not only do you have that sensation of saying it, but thinking about how to explain a concept to someone else forces you to really understand it.


_____8.  Make up memory tricks that are meaningful to you.

    These can be silly sayings that help you remember lists of information.  For example, in physical therapy school we learned this saying, "On Old Olympus Towering Top, A Finn and Virgin Viewed Some Hops" to help us remember the names of the cranial nerves.  Each nerve started with the first letter of the word in the sentence.   I know the process of transcription (getting the code from a DNA molecule to an RNA molecule) comes before translation (the assembling of proteins) because c (after trans) comes before l (also after trans) in the alphabet. 


_____9.  Continually monitor your learning.  

    Use metacognition (the awareness of your own learning process) to help you plan your study strategies and to evaluate their success.  Research indicates that expert learners "know" when they truly understand and can recall information, while unsuccessful learners hope for the best.

    To learn more about metacognition, visit this site:

http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/metacognition/start.htm