Crack the </code> for... Studying

Here are some key organization tips which helped me raise my GPA.

My first tip is for when you go shopping for school supplies. Always pick up supplies that match in color. This will make color coordination of the supplies a lot easier later on. If you have four classes pick up a binder/notebook in four colors. The magic of color coordination is the ability to sort information and objects quickly and easily. Use color coordination in your highlighting and in your binders/notebooks themselves. For example, make science all blue, math all purple, English all yellow and history all red. Science would, then, have a blue folder, a blue notebook, and a blue index card holder. This way when you see your blue notebook or blue folder you know already that it is for your science class.

The supplies you will need are:

1. Highlighters
2. A planner
3. Post - its
4. Index cards
5. Index card cases
6. Folders
7. Paper, lots of paper

A schedule is necessary to plan study sessions, extra help, office hours, tests, and time to relax and have fun to break out of the world of tests and homework. Also, knowing in advance you have a set time to study and get work done will help with lowering pre-test anxiety. The perfect way to remember your schedule is a planner. A planner to write down homework, tests, study sessions, and extra help/tutoring sessions. Don't forget about planning time to relax and see friends. Post-its help to optimize your planner. Post-its are movable reminders to keep you on track and help not forget to do any assignments. You can put post-it notes anywhere your heart desires, or wherever you will see them on a daily basis. A post-it note covered room is the key to never forgetting anything important.

Time to Study

Highlighters are important to highlight key terms and definitions while you are reading to make them stand out when you go back to review later. Highlighting the most important or difficult topics will help you plan what to focus on when studying later. Color coordinating highlighted material will add to the organization of the information. For example, highlight all definitions green, then concepts or theories orange, and more general information yellow. This will allow you to find what you are looking for quickly and efficiently without having to read every single note you have taken.

Index cards are small, portable, and easy to use whenever and wherever. You are to study on the bus, in the hallway, in the cafeteria or any quick break you have to get an extra review. The more little practice sessions you can squeeze into your day the more you integrate the information into your memory. Also, the more contexts you see and review the information in the more ways you will be able to recall it. If you read something on a test and you think about when you were reviewing your flash cards on the bus you have a higher change of remembering specific details.

Review sheets are essential! Take all of the test information and notes then, write it all on a sheet or two of paper. Then rewrite it until it all fits on one page. Once all the information is on one page, write it all on one side of a paper, finally ending with it all on one index card. Reducing it to the most important things and also by taking off the things you already know. Repetition and review of the material with help with recall and memorization. The more you rewrite it, the more you will know and the better you will do.