Tips to being a good student

Tips to being a good student
Dave Ellis
Issue date: 8/23/04 Section: Scallywag
PrintEmail DoubleClick Any Word Page 1 of 1 Compiled from "Becoming a Master Student" by Dave Ellis
Just as building a career in the job market is dependant on how much effort is invested in it, so is being a successful student. Developing good study habits to achieve great grades and success in education is highly dependent on the student.

Be responsible and active in your studies. Accept responsibility for your own education, and be an active participant in it.

Have educational goals. Have legitimate and achievable goals and stay motivated by what they represent in terms of career aspirations and life's desires.

Ask questions. Asking questions provides the quickest route between ignorance and knowledge.
Learn that a student and a professor make a team. Most instructors want exactly what you want: they would like for you to learn the material and earn a good grade.

Don't sit in the back of the classroom! Minimize classroom distractions that interfere with learning -- get a front row seat!

Keep all your class materials: syllabi, notes, papers, exams, and homework in a 3-ring binder. Many students spend half their time just getting organized. Do it as you go, and then use the time you have saved for valuable physical and mental recreation.

Take good notes and review within 24 hours after you take them. Since we tend to forget about 80 percent of what we read or hear within the first 24 hours, this first review is vital to retention. Equally important, it helps you to build a "framework" of knowledge that you continually add to instead of starting from scratch. Find a technique that works for you. If allowed, use a tape recorder.

Study: There is no substitute. Establish a regular study routine, and study during daylight hours. Divided periods of study are more effective than cram sessions. Begin preparing for exams from the first day of class. Then, use the time before the exam to review, not to learn.
Do not procrastinate. Time control is life control. Use daily, weekly, and semester calendars to keep track of appointments and assignments to plan how you want to use your time. Do not rely on memory to hold important dates and times. Write them down! This clears the brain for more important tasks -- like thinking!

Stay fit. Eat well and exercise when you can. A healthy body makes a healthy mind.

Overall, there is one basic trait that distinguishes successful students from those that are not: Successful students force themselves to understand.

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. -- Malcolm Forbes