If you are used to studying for high school courses, then studying for university courses can come as a bit of a shock. University courses often jump right into new material immediately, and don’t wait for you to be ready. Also, you won’t be able to get away with just cramming the night before for a big test. Instead, you will need to set the foundations for good study habits that you will develop throughout your university career.
But, in reality, how do you study for an individual university course?
Well, that depends on the course.
I divided my university courses into three general categories, based on their workload: Light, Normal, Heavy.
Light courses require little attention. I could attend all of my lectures, and do most of the practice problems. However, I did not need to spend hours and hours figuring out the intricacies of the course. I was able to understand them easily. These are the courses that just make sense. I felt like I earned my credit(s) easily.
Be careful: These are the courses that you want to study for because they make you feel good about yourself! They’re easy! Don’t overstudy them. You need to focus your attention on the courses that you find more difficult.
Normal courses require a fair amount of attention. I attended all of my lectures, did all of the practice problems, and still got stuck on some concepts. I needed to speak to the TAs/professor sometimes, or watched some YouTube videos to clarify some concepts. A few things tripped me up. Struggling a bit is normal. I felt like I earned my credit(s). Go me.
Heavy courses suck. I could attend all of the lectures, all of the tutorials, do all of the practice problems (or at least try), and still felt like I knew nothing. I could spend hours and hours on a single problem. It felt like I was studying for 2 courses in 1. I spent hours watching YouTube videos and pulling my hair out of my head. NOTHING IS HELPING. Not even Rogaine. This course feels like it should be worth 6 credits, not 3. This is agony. Why am I in university? Maybe I should become a cat. I like cats.
Based on the above categorizations, we can start to come up with a general strategy for success:
Determine your light, normal, and heavy courses.
You will likely have 0-1 light, 1-3 normal, and 1-3 heavy courses in a typical semester. The proportion of heavy courses will increase as you progress in university. However, you will be better equipped to handle heavy courses as you progress in university.
Start sleeping properly.
You do not need to pull all-nighters in university to succeed.
I REPEAT: YOU DO NOT NEED TO PULL ALL-NIGHTERS IN UNIVERSITY TO SUCCEED.
All-nighters = success is a myth. There is enough time in the day to study and get all of your work done.
Go to bed before midnight. Wake up before 8 am. Your brain will thank you.
Turn off your phone. Turn it off.
Are you actually serious about studying? Turn off your phone. Completely off. I know I sound like an old fart when I say this, but I didn’t have a cell phone for the first few years of my undergrad. It was awesome. I got so much work done. And you can, too. Please, just try it.
Make a list.
Keep a running list of everything that needs to be done. Suggestions include:
I prefer to write down this list on a piece of paper and tape it to my wall (a whiteboard also works), rather than type it up on the computer or on my phone. Why? It’s more satisfying to cross off things on a piece of paper when they’re done than “tick” them on a phone.
Make a schedule.
Do you ever feel like you lose big blocks of time just doing nothing? Zoning out on YouTube or Netflix? Then a schedule would probably work really well for you. If you have ADD/ADHD, this is a proven technique to help manage your symptoms, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Print out your class schedule. Lecture, tutorial, and lab times can’t be touched, as you’re stuck in class. Then, block off segments of time for eating/travelling to-and-from class/getting ready in the morning. Determine blocks of study time during each day. What is reasonable for you? Designate certain blocks of time to your heavy courses, normal courses, and light courses. When should you take breaks? How long should your breaks be?
Don’t forget to schedule your weekends. Often, taking an entire day off may not be reasonable. You may have to give up your Saturdays and Sundays to study. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a few hours off here and there.
Remember: keeping to a schedule will help you to avoid all-nighters, and avoiding all-nighters is better for your overall health and your GPA.
Get in the zone.
You need to determine what is your best study environment. Does loud music blaring in your ears help? Do you need complete silence? Lots of coffee? All of the coffee? Set up a study zone that is free of distractions (ie. Cell phone, Insta, Facebook, Netflix) and has everything that you do need to study.
Bonus tip: Buy two of the same calculator that is approved by your faculty. Leave one in your backpack/binder/purse/manpurse/murse/bag and one on your desk at home. Yeah, it’s an extra $20-$30. However:
Reward yourself.
Did you get a really tough assignment back with a great grade? Did you ace your last exam? PSSSHTTTT. GO REWARD YOSELF. Take a break. You’ve earned it. Avocado toast? Golden latté? Get in ma bellay!!
But, in reality, how do you study for an individual university course?
Well, that depends on the course.
I divided my university courses into three general categories, based on their workload: Light, Normal, Heavy.
Light courses require little attention. I could attend all of my lectures, and do most of the practice problems. However, I did not need to spend hours and hours figuring out the intricacies of the course. I was able to understand them easily. These are the courses that just make sense. I felt like I earned my credit(s) easily.
Be careful: These are the courses that you want to study for because they make you feel good about yourself! They’re easy! Don’t overstudy them. You need to focus your attention on the courses that you find more difficult.
Normal courses require a fair amount of attention. I attended all of my lectures, did all of the practice problems, and still got stuck on some concepts. I needed to speak to the TAs/professor sometimes, or watched some YouTube videos to clarify some concepts. A few things tripped me up. Struggling a bit is normal. I felt like I earned my credit(s). Go me.
Heavy courses suck. I could attend all of the lectures, all of the tutorials, do all of the practice problems (or at least try), and still felt like I knew nothing. I could spend hours and hours on a single problem. It felt like I was studying for 2 courses in 1. I spent hours watching YouTube videos and pulling my hair out of my head. NOTHING IS HELPING. Not even Rogaine. This course feels like it should be worth 6 credits, not 3. This is agony. Why am I in university? Maybe I should become a cat. I like cats.
Based on the above categorizations, we can start to come up with a general strategy for success:
Determine your light, normal, and heavy courses.
You will likely have 0-1 light, 1-3 normal, and 1-3 heavy courses in a typical semester. The proportion of heavy courses will increase as you progress in university. However, you will be better equipped to handle heavy courses as you progress in university.
Start sleeping properly.
You do not need to pull all-nighters in university to succeed.
I REPEAT: YOU DO NOT NEED TO PULL ALL-NIGHTERS IN UNIVERSITY TO SUCCEED.
All-nighters = success is a myth. There is enough time in the day to study and get all of your work done.
Go to bed before midnight. Wake up before 8 am. Your brain will thank you.
Turn off your phone. Turn it off.
Are you actually serious about studying? Turn off your phone. Completely off. I know I sound like an old fart when I say this, but I didn’t have a cell phone for the first few years of my undergrad. It was awesome. I got so much work done. And you can, too. Please, just try it.
Make a list.
Keep a running list of everything that needs to be done. Suggestions include:
- Chapters that you need to read/re-read
- Workshops that you want to attend
- Upcoming assignments that are due
- Midterms/final exams that you need to study for
I prefer to write down this list on a piece of paper and tape it to my wall (a whiteboard also works), rather than type it up on the computer or on my phone. Why? It’s more satisfying to cross off things on a piece of paper when they’re done than “tick” them on a phone.
Make a schedule.
Do you ever feel like you lose big blocks of time just doing nothing? Zoning out on YouTube or Netflix? Then a schedule would probably work really well for you. If you have ADD/ADHD, this is a proven technique to help manage your symptoms, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Print out your class schedule. Lecture, tutorial, and lab times can’t be touched, as you’re stuck in class. Then, block off segments of time for eating/travelling to-and-from class/getting ready in the morning. Determine blocks of study time during each day. What is reasonable for you? Designate certain blocks of time to your heavy courses, normal courses, and light courses. When should you take breaks? How long should your breaks be?
Don’t forget to schedule your weekends. Often, taking an entire day off may not be reasonable. You may have to give up your Saturdays and Sundays to study. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a few hours off here and there.
Remember: keeping to a schedule will help you to avoid all-nighters, and avoiding all-nighters is better for your overall health and your GPA.
Get in the zone.
You need to determine what is your best study environment. Does loud music blaring in your ears help? Do you need complete silence? Lots of coffee? All of the coffee? Set up a study zone that is free of distractions (ie. Cell phone, Insta, Facebook, Netflix) and has everything that you do need to study.
Bonus tip: Buy two of the same calculator that is approved by your faculty. Leave one in your backpack/binder/purse/manpurse/murse/bag and one on your desk at home. Yeah, it’s an extra $20-$30. However:
- You won’t have to run to your bag and grab it every time you’re trying to study at home.
- You won’t risk misplacing it or leaving it at home when you need it in class.
- You’ll get extra practice on the same faculty-approved calculator when you’re doing practice problems at home that you need to use doing your exam. I see many students using two different calculators when doing practice problems and then doing exams. Bad idea!!
Reward yourself.
Did you get a really tough assignment back with a great grade? Did you ace your last exam? PSSSHTTTT. GO REWARD YOSELF. Take a break. You’ve earned it. Avocado toast? Golden latté? Get in ma bellay!!
