There are study techniques that will allow you to save hours of studying and at the same time reduce your levels of stress and anxiety - before you even begin.
While studying at university, you will often have several course books at the same time (not infrequently with hundreds or more pages each), along with access to thousands of databases on the internet. Do you now realize that trying to read everything, from cover to cover, would be impossible?
What to do then? Well, wouldn't it be nice if you could focus your efforts on only reading those parts that are actually important? And to avoid everything unnecessary?
Sifting means to search only for specific information, and it's practice is a cornerstone for coping and doing well in your university studies. But how do we know what is important or not during a course?
The solution is all about getting an overview of what will be expected of you at the end of term. Read more!
Each course has what is called a course syllable and it will show you exactly what you should have learned by the end of it. Finding and reading this should be the first thing you do, before the first lecture. The course syllabus is usually available online and are sometimes also issued at start of term.
But does the course syllabus tell the whole story? What do these, sometimes fancy words mean in a practical way? For this, you should also see if you can find an old exam and have a look at what questions they will be testing you on.
Having seen the questions so far in advance will make you more alert during the upcoming lectures. Maybe causing a jolt in your stomach when you suddenly recognize a familiar case or when a specific "buzzword" arises. (This also happens on an unconscious level, meaning you will automatically learn more this way).
But don't get too serious while reading old exams. It should be light and leisurely reading, as to not feel too tiresome or scary. Remember, you are not expected to understand any of its content yet.
A good exercise is to "pretend to do an exam", one of the old ones, by imagining that you already know all the answers and simply copying down the answer key.
It might feel odd at first, but imitation is a powerful way to learn and you are reinforcing the actions of using the correct solving method. This will make it easier for deep understanding to come, as it will later during the rest of the course. Also you quickly learn how to solve problems, resulting in higher scores on the exam.
Have you ever been terrified by suddenly realizing that your homework or paper is due tomorrow? (or even worse, last week...)
Let's not get ourselves into this mess in the first place. Using a calendar is an easy way to avoid unpleasant surprises. Just add all important dates and deadlines, with reminders, at the start of term and you don't have to worry again. No more need for late night panic-sessions.
But make sure that you actually check your calendar frequently, or it won't be of any use. My advice is to always keep it visible, in places you visit frequently, as to make it unavoidable not to look. For example, maybe on print and taped to a locker, or on the wall in your room? On the cover of a book? On your phone or computers home screen? Be creative and find a spot that will work for you.
Trying to write or type without anything to do so on, or with, isn't very effective. So make sure you have everything you need well before you even begin studying, such as course books, notepads, pens and more.
Then you are ready for the start of the course and can avoid having to do extra work later (such as catching up on chapters because the course-book was bought late. Or copying notes just because you didn't have a pen at the time, etc.). You will find being ready a worthwhile practice.
When do you feel stressed and unwell? In most cases it stems from having a feeling of not being in control, or limited control, over your own situation. See if this can this make sense in your case. And how does it feel now, having read the methods described above?
I hope this stress dissipates, since you are on a journey to learn real study technique. All these methods described above strive to give you more control over your learning, and how to get a proper overview.
To review, you now know:
Can you feel the changes beginning to happen? Real study technique is a way to success, and you are on it!