Every semester I set a new list of goals for myself and I tend to achieve some of them, but not many. I figured I would share with you some of my tips for time management, studying, and test taking strategies. The rule of thumb is that you spend two to three hours outside of class studying for each credit hour you take. So this means, if you take 15 credit hours a semester, you should spend 30- 45 hours a week outside of class studying.
To me this is mind boggling. Honestly, if I spent that much time studying each week I would have no life outside of class. This is where good time management strategies come in hand. First off, buy an agenda. Map out your weeks every Sunday and see what you have coming up; even plan weeks ahead if you like to stay super organized. Prioritize your time according to your toughest subjects. For example, I am a Public Relations major and I know that I have many chapters of reading a week, but only tests to take for a grade.
On the other hand, my writing minor classes consist of weekly readings and three papers each. I would like to admit that I take my writing classes more seriously, but to be honest it does not take me long to write a paper. Therefore, I factor in a little more time for Public Relations and a little less for my writing courses. When studying for Public Relations I like to make flash cards. Flash cards are the best study aid for a college student because they are portable. You can take them almost anywhere: on the bus, to the gym, standing in line in the cafeteria, and flip through them before bed at night.
If you write out your flash cards at least a week in advance you can spend an entire week just flipping through them a few times a day and I guarantee you will be set on your vocabulary words. The last tip I have for you is to take advantage of your professor’s office hours. They have them listed on your syllabus for a reason, and they will notice those who come to visit. Even if this class is your least favorite and you may not necessary be the best at this subject, those visits could be to your benefit. All in all, just remember to take your time when taking an exam and read the questions very carefully. Nine out of ten times teachers really do not want to trick you and are only testing to see what you have learned. If you know the material you will do well, do not second guess yourself, and be confident!
