The most common mistakes people make when studying Monday, Apr 4 2022 

Features and study and studying Madelin Shelton 6:49 pm

By Jacob Maslow — Branded Content

Do you have a difficult time keeping up with your studies? Whether you are in high school, college, or graduate school, you need to stay on top of your academics. As long as you keep up with everything going on, you will give your brain plenty of time to process the material. When it is time to recall it on test day, you will have an easier time getting a good score. If you aren’t scoring as well as you would like, you should look at your study habits to see if you are making mistakes. What are a few common mistakes people make while studying?

Waiting Too Long To Start Studying

One of the most common mistakes people make when studying is waiting too long to get started. Even though you probably have a lot of other things you would like to do, it is important not to procrastinate. If you procrastinate, you will have difficulty studying fast enough to learn all the material. While it might be helpful to look at a few tips for studying more quickly, these will only get you so far. The best way to put your mind in a position to succeed is to give your brain time to learn the material. Instead of waiting until the night before a test, try to start studying a few days or weeks in advance. Learn the material slowly, and make sure it sticks.

Not Studying in a Manner That Works Well for You

Another mistake people make when studying is not studying in a manner that works well for them. Are you a visual learner? Or, are you an auditory learner? The proper study method for one person is not necessarily the correct study method for you. If you are a visual learner, you may benefit from drawing a few diagrams or flowcharts. If you are an auditory learner, you may want to listen to the lectures again. If you are a tactile learner, you may want to think about making a few sculptures or designs. You need to find a study method to help you retain the material. 

Not Asking for Help When You Need It

Finally, you do not need to go through this on your own. If you are having difficulty keeping up with your academics, you should reach out to a professor, a teacher, or a tutor who can assist you. You should not wait for someone to reach out to you if you are in college. You are responsible for your learning, and you need to take control. There is no shame in asking for help because everyone has difficulty with certain classes. If you ask for help sooner rather than later, you can rectify the situation. 

Get More Out of Your Study Sessions

There are a lot of mistakes people make when studying, but the good news is that you do not need to continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly. You need to take a close look at your study schedule to see if you need to start studying sooner. There is only so much information your brain can ingest simultaneously, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to learn the material. Do not forget to reach out to a tutor if you need help keeping up with your classes.

Photo Courtesy // The Louisville Cardinal 

The post The most common mistakes people make when studying appeared first on The Louisville Cardinal.

 

Kick high school study habits to the curb Tuesday, Oct 5 2021 

academic success and Emily Sutter and freshmen advice and freshmen tips and Geoff Bailey and Madison Oser and Opinion and REACH and studying and Valerie Strauss Catherine Brown 12:00 pm

By Catherine Brown–

As first-year students transition into college, a lot of students have to learn how to get rid of old study habits from high school. 

Why do so many freshmen start off their first college semester on a low note?

The answer is simple: High school teachers generally don’t require the same level of attention to academics as college professors.

Valerie Strauss, a writer for The Washington Post, wrote that the reason first-year students often struggle upon transitioning into college is that they aren’t familiar with the importance of studying.

Strauss suggests that a big problem with first-year college students’ studying habits is that they don’t know how to approach studying correctly. Where a student might benefit from quizzing themself over the material or questioning the material they read, they might instead only read a chapter out of a textbook or skim through notes.

Another reason students might not utilize the strategies that they need to do well?

Inadequate feelings of “belonging” in college, according to Strauss.

She said that feeling outcast can be a tell that a student is struggling in their first year at college.

“Feeling out of place is usually triggered by a setback freshman year: the student fails a test, for example, or feels he doesn’t have any close friends. Any student would be discouraged, but a student who is the first in his family to attend college, or is a member of minority stereotyped as “not academic” may construe the experience as evidence he’s not college material.”

Geoff Bailey, Executive Director of U of L’s REACH and Testing Services, said that first-year students struggle with adjusting to college study habits for a multitude of reasons.

“First, like most of us, first-year students have gotten into certain habits that may have worked in the past (or that they’re simply comfortable with even if they are not the most effective),” said Bailey.

“When they find that a study habit isn’t working as well for a particular class at UofL (e.g., they’re not understanding concepts thoroughly, they’re not earning test scores they want, or they’re having trouble retaining information and recalling it accurately for class or tests), students have to choose whether to keep trying the same approach or be open to new possibilities that will create less stress and improve performance.

“Second, students may know they need to try something different but aren’t necessarily sure where to begin. Third, students sometimes assume that if a strategy works for one class, it should work for all classes. However, the reality is that different courses require different levels of thinking and application.”

Poor study habits can contribute to poor academic performance. First-year students should establish good study habits when they enter college so that they can start their first semester successfully.

Freshmen Madison Oser and Emily Sutter have had differing experiences regarding their own study habits.

Oser, a music therapy major, said that her major doesn’t require her to change many of her study habits from high school. She said that most of the time she could study for tests by reading her notes before class or making flashcards.

On the other hand, Sutter, a social work major, said that her go-to study method is also using flashcards because she believes that it helps her to retain information. She also said that once she got to college, she had to learn to adapt to a fast-paced environment.

U of L offers many resources for students of all grade levels who want to improve their study skills. Bailey recommends that students utilize REACH’s offerings such as tutoring, the Hackademic Workshop series, and academic coaching.

Graphic by Eli Hughes//The Louisville Cardinal

The post Kick high school study habits to the curb appeared first on The Louisville Cardinal.

 

U of L students prepare for finals week amid pandemic Wednesday, Dec 2 2020 

Cardinals and COVID-19 and Features and Finals Week and Louisville and Online and students and studying and UofL Joseph Garcia 2:00 pm

By Nick Mattingly —

Finals week is here at the University of Louisville during a time of uncertainty and social distancing. COVID-19 has placed an immense amount of pressure and stress on students, professors and staff at the university. Hybrid classes have made up most of the semester this fall, and as finals week approaches, the university is shutdown.

This state-wide shutdown reduces resources available to students to help them study for their finals.

“I think that this lockdown couldn’t have come at a worse time,” said U of L sophomore Justin Roberts. “I have never felt the amount of stress I do now, especially with finals around the corner.”

As a sophomore, Roberts has seen how a normal semester functions, and he says that this semester is far from normal.

“All of the university resources are shutdown due to the pandemic, and I rely on some of them to help with my studies. Resources like the University Library, REACH and the Advising Office are some of the things that have helped me every semester, and without the face-to-face access, this semester has been particularly difficult for me,” Roberts said.

However, despite the lack of access to these resources, U of L students are finding new ways to study, in part thanks to the online resources U of L provides.

“I think it’s great the university is at least trying to help students the best they can, junior Alex Gomez said. “Online class meetings aren’t as helpful as face-to-face meetings, but they are better than recorded class sessions. Also, the amount of compassion that has arisen from my professors and them being very flexible with their assignments has helped me a lot.”

U of L is doing the most to help their students in these difficult and scary times. Though not all student resources are currently available, the university is still attempting to give its best services to their students. Students themselves are connecting with others virtually and using all the available technology to pass all of their exams this semester.

“I think with campus being shutdown, many are relying on their study groups, online lecture slides and e-mailing their professors with any unanswered questions before their finals come around. These troubling times are hard on everyone, not just the students at this university,” Gomez said.

Finals week, along with an online winter graduation, are all right around the corner. As students scramble to their computers and textbooks, the university is doing all they can to help their students and gift their graduating students their diplomas with the highest amount of celebration they can give them.

File Graphic // The Louisville Cardinal

The post U of L students prepare for finals week amid pandemic appeared first on The Louisville Cardinal.