Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you had great time and were able to rest and relax. Now that classes have resumed, it’s a great time to make a renewed effort to stay caught up in your classes, and win the battle with procrastination. Making a study schedule can make all the difference in finishing the semester strong.
Create a Study Schedule
Creating and sticking to a study schedule is easy to do. It will help you stay on top of your work, rather than having to drop everything to study for an exam. It will reduce your stress and improve your long-term retention of information. Most important, it will provide structure to your study time.
Creating a study schedule is easier when you can actually see time. Block out the hours for class/lab/clinic and work. Now add any other commitments you may have, like family time and exercise. This will set some boundaries and provide structure to your days.
Finally, add blocks of time to study. The number of hours needed will vary by College and by program, but all will require concentrated study time. Try to include study blocks every day. You may want to take a day off – like Friday, when you are exhausted at the end of the week – but otherwise, plan to study every day. This will spread your studying out over time, and give you the opportunity to process new information within 24 hours of its presentation. You will be able to stay on top of the work and still have time for reviewing and connecting the new information with what you learned previously. Planned daily study time is the best weapon you have to fight procrastination.
Get Help with Your Schedule
Creating and sticking to a study schedule is the first step toward staying caught up and improving your academic performance. If you want some help creating your own study schedule or need tips on how to study more effectively, the Learning Specialists in the Student Success Center would be happy to work with you. Just complete and submit the Academic Coaching Request form, and we will contact you to set up a meeting.