Study Skills

Study skills ... you can't survive college without developing good ones that work for you!As I scroll down my first day class roster, I see that you are all college Juniors and Seniors. If you've gotten this far, you must be doing something right!

However, you'll see that once you get into the Upper Division, expectations and workloads shift gears upward.  If you are having trouble concentrating, managing your time, reading the textbook, taking notes, or any other study-related area, be proactive and take the time to study up on studying! The sooner you do this the more these skills can help you out across your college years, and whatever you learn can be applied in all of your classes.


The Internet has a lot of fantastic resources. Here is a link to "The 10 study habits of successful students," here is a link to "10 tips for getting good grades," if test anxiety bedevils you conquer it here, and Virginia Tech has a great resource library of study skills available here (see especially the SQ3R method for textbook reading).

I have done a lot of undergraduate student advising, and you may find discussing your specific study-related concerns with me to be helpful. Come see me during office hours for a consult. Or, see your TA ... studying is a full-time job for them; they are pros.

Recent research reveals that, despite the variety of technological devices designed to "make your life simpler," the #1 best way to retain information is still the age-old "read book (or notes), close book (or notes), and repeat key ideas" strategy. Taking notes on your reading also helps (versus just highlighting the textbook), particularly if you type these notes up afterward. Finally, group study sessions can be helpful, but make sure they don't devolve into chat-sessions, and make sure to study with people who will pull you up rather than bring you down learning-wise.