Students are always looking for new or more effective ways to study, no matter what time of year it is! With extra- curriculars, sports, and our private lives occupying a majority of our time, it’s very easy to fill up the entire day. Hopefully, these tips will be helpful to students who are having difficulty with their studies and will assist them in improving their academic performance. 

Prioritizing Which Subjects 

While it may seem important to complete every homework assignment on your to-do list, it is best, to begin with, the ones that are the most urgent. It’s also vital to consider how much energy your brain has when you start, so it’s best, to begin with, the more work-intensive assignments and then go on to the easy ones. 

Time Management

What I find most helpful is to schedule my tasks by listing what I need to do and estimating how long it will take to finish them. This will provide an overall framework for your day and reduce the stress of not knowing if you’ll complete everything you need to do. It may also be helpful to study during lunch, free time in other classes, or while scrolling through your phone. However, if you have long-term projects or essays to do, it’s a good idea to set interim deadlines. For example, if a project on Google Slides is due in three weeks, do three slides per week. 

Active Learning & Recall

Simply rereading your notes doesn’t do the trick, even though I’m quite guilty of it myself. Active recall is a method that stimulates your memory for specific pieces of information,  which improves long-term retention and prepares you for tests or quizzes. One way to apply this method is to make flashcards on Quizlet or on paper to test yourself by looking on one side and trying to recall what’s on the other side. Another way is to create practice tests using questions from your textbook or the internet.

I know that while not all of these tips apply to everyone, it doesn’t hurt to try to use some of them. While I covered some of the basics of how to study, maybe you’ll find more in your free time!