How to Study Long and Hard and Still Fail…or How to Get the Most Out of Studying

Here is a wonderful set of videos from cognitive psychologist Stephen L. Chew, PhD of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. I highly recommend watching all five videos. I found them to be instructive, entertaining, and good food for thought going into a new school year.

Are your beliefs about learning holding you back from making the most of your classes? Check it out in Beliefs That Make You Fail.

What goes into the process of learning? Dr. Chew discusses the levels of processing theory and how it can boost your study power in What Students Should Understand About How People Learn.

How can the levels of processing theory be used by students? Cognitive Principles for Optimizing Learning breaks the levels of processing theory into four components for developing study strategies.

How do the levels of processing work in the real world of the classroom? Dr. Chew uses common study situations as examples in Putting the Principles for Optimizing Learning into Practice.

It's likely to happen to most students sometime in their college career. You failed an exam. I Blew the Exam, Now What? offers solid advice about what to do and what not to do in the face of this unfortunate event.

Many thanks to Dr. Chew for his research and passion to help students succeed.

Be There

One of the best ways to do well in college is to be there. It's not enough to simply physically be there -- you need to engage your mind and your attention so you can benefit from the learning experience before you. Some classes will hold your attention easily; others may be a struggle. Regardless of whether you are in a class that captivates you or if you're in a class where you feel like a captive, it is your responsibility to learn.

You should be well-prepared to learn each time you enter the classroom. Here are some hints:

• Get to class on time.
  

• Reading the textbook or other material ahead of time will make the lecture easier to understand and enhance your ability to take good notes.

• Reviewing prior chapter notes before you go to class, especially where information in newer chapters builds on knowledge in older chapters, enables you to more readily grasp new concepts presented in lecture.

• Writing questions about reading materials and assignments and bringing them up in class gets you and other students participating actively in the learning process.

• This may sound simple, but have paper, pens, pencils, scantrons, syllabi, and whatever else you need to take notes and complete assignments and tests in class.

There are things you can do to anchor your attention while in class, such as taking notes, highlighting text, asking or writing down questions, and actively participating in class activities. Put away all possible distractors (especially cell phones) and concentrate on the class you are in. If other students are behaving in a distracting manner, focus away from them -- even change your seat if necessary.

The more you are truly there for each class meeting, the more you will get out of it.

Adding A Class After It's Started

For the most part, you can add a class all on your own up until the first day of class. After that point, however, you will generally need instructor permission. Keep in mind that instructors are not obligated to add students to their classes on or after the first day. If an instructor tells you he or she is not adding students, you need to respect that.

If you've just missed one class and you are added to the class, you probably are in okay shape. If you're adding after that point, you may be putting yourself at a disadvantage. Here are some reasons not to add a class after the first class session has occurred.

• You may have missed points that you will not be able to makeup.

• You will have missed the review of the syllabus, which can give you important information and an overall understanding of the instructor's teaching style.

• You may find yourself taking a quiz that you've had no time to prepare for.
  

• You will need to catch yourself up on the class material you've missed. The instructor has no obligation to do anything special for you when you add a class late. Plan on getting missed notes and other information from other students.

The Frugal Student

It's no great secret that college is expensive. In addition to obtaining financial aid, here are some things to consider to help you control expenses.

• When shopping for supplies, don't forget your local Dollar Tree, Big Lots, 99 Cents Only, and other deep discount stores. There will be some supplies that you will want to spend more money on (computers, graphing calculators, and the like), but for others, a less expensive version will work just fine.

• Consider renting your textbooks. Most college bookstores and many websites offer this option which will typically save you 50% off the cost of a new textbook. Get your textbook information from the instructor as soon as you are registered for the course and you can start shopping. If you order your texts from a website, remember to allow enough time to get them before the first day of class.

• If public transportation to and from campus is a reasonable option for you, this could save you a lot of money. Many colleges have arranged for discounted or free student transportation via public transit. If you must drive to campus, think about carpooling with other students to save money and keep campus parking lots less crazy. If you only come to campus a couple of days per week, look at the costs of daily parking passes versus semester parking passes.

• Working on campus in a job specifically designed for students can help save money and time. Such jobs are usually designed around your class schedule. If you can obtain a full time staff job on at your college, tuition is often discounted deeply. Keep in mind that full time staff jobs are difficult to obtain in the present economic climate, but student jobs still seem to be plentiful.

• The cost of housing can be overwhelming for students. If you are a college student who can live for free or for reduced rent with your parents or other family members while you attend school, it will save you considerable money. You also may want to consider having roommates in an apartment or house. Another option is to rent a room in someone's house. You may also find some situations where housing is provided in exchange for work for the homeowner. For instance, in my area (Inland Southern California), it is possible for one to find such arrangements at horse or livestock facilities.

• If there is some item you need, check out the local Craigslist or Freecycle listings. At times you can find goods that are barely used at all for great prices.

• If you have some particular talent or ability that is marketable, you might want to check into doing a bit of freelance work to earn some extra money.
  

Just for Fun: Some Unusual Majors

I ran across this article about some unique majors in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Enjoy!

What's Your Major? Probably Not One of These