Bits of Life

X. Hate and Love Relationship with your Bed: Practical Studying Tips - Part Two

In the previous chapter I wrote about several practical steps and tips for effective studying for students. These steps are easy and achievable. From setting up the alarm clock to wake you up in the morning, to making use of your time while stuck in the road traffic. I also highlighted the usefulness of colored markers and a dictionary.

Let me continue with some more practical ways to achieve terrific grades in school.

(1) Turn your back from your bed
Most of my reasons for not being able to stick to my study schedule is because I am nailed to my bed most of the time. Whenever I see my bed, it has this strong force of attracting me and eventually lures me to sleep. These are the times when you have to hate your bed for a while. As much as you can, do not face the bed when studying. The less you see the bed, the more you forget about it. If we have the chance, study somewhere else aside from your bedroom. When I was in high school, my study area was our living room. During college when I was renting a room in a boarding house, me and my board mates studied in the dining room.

Good health improves grades, too. Always assess yourself if you have had enough rest before you review your lessons, or if you still have enough time to sleep even if you stay late at night to study. Remember that a healthy body equals a healthy mind. If you know you need rest or you have already deprived yourself of rest, go to sleep as needed and befriend your bed.

(2) Do your homework right away.
In college, normally subjects are scheduled either during Monday-Wednesday-Friday (MWF) or Tuesday-Thursday (T-Th). If a homework assignment is assigned to be submitted on the next meeting, do it right away during your break time while at school or on the night it was assigned. This is helpful because the topic/s have just been taught and are still fresh in our mind. Also, doing the tasks on the night when it was assigned makes you review the lesson right away. If you have no homework assignment, make sure to still review your lessons on the same day it was taught. This habit prepares you ahead of time whenever you have scheduled or even unannounced tests which means you'd only take less time reviewing the night before and more time to sleep and refresh before the exams.

(3) It's called REVIEW for a reason
When reviewing your lessons, especially for the exams, go back to the topics you are most unfamiliar with. Trust me, reviewing the topics you have already mastered is a waste of time since you already know the lesson. Fill up your cup with contents you haven't got in yet.

In high school and during college, most of our exams cover very long and comprehensive topics. If I read everything from my textbook again, I will only be wasting my time learning the things I already know. Textbooks also tend to tell stories in order to explain. Save your time by going back to your highlighted terms and definitions only. Also, make sure to check the chapter summary, everything you need to know is already there most of the time.

(4) Cram gracefully
Cramming is never advised, but can sometimes be helpful when worst comes to worst. There are times when we are caught with a very short time before exams. Cram if you must, but never do it unless it's done gracefully.

Whenever I am forced to cram, what I would do is just to go through the table of contents. I would then assess my knowledge for every topic listed on the table. By reciting the gist of each topic and the important terms that I remember can already give me confidence. The only time I go back to the discussion pages is when I get to the topics on the table of contents with lessons I cannot recall. Again, the end of chapter summary is most of the time a short and concise review material.

Also, learn to admit that you do not have enough time to review everything. Do not attempt to force yourself into learning lessons at the last minute. Forcing yourself to have more has the tendency to lose even those you already have. If you cram for a lesson and understand it the first time, well and good. But if you fail to understand the lesson when you cram, just let it go for the meantime.

Of course, as much as possible, avoid getting into situations where you have to cram for your exams.

(5) Choose the correct friends
There will be classmates and friends in school who will only make you spend your time doing enjoyable stuff but which are detrimental to your studies. Make sure to befriend those who encourage you to prioritize your studies first. Join study groups that are actually discussing hard-to-understand lessons more than discussing tv shows or mobile games and other activities unrelated to getting your grades up.

Trust me, it would be a great feeling reminiscing the things you have done right with the right people rather than regretting the things who could have done right because you were surrounded by the wrong group of friends. Surely, you can have time to talk about your favorite movie or coffee shop or the newly released bags and purses, but remember that there are far more important things than these. Secure your studies first and you will enjoy more of your favorite tv shows and fashion and hobbies when you yourself are already able to afford them in the future, and your terrific grades and good character will surely land you in such a position.

Let me point it out again that not everything in this list of steps and tips can be applicable to everyone, but if you believe these can help you boost your academic performance and get you those terrific grades, I think there is no harm in trying them first before saying no.

Also, as I have mentioned previously, high grades are not requirements for a successful future, but when paired with good manners and the right character, good grades will help you reach greater heights, too.