5 answers
Alex
Student
Lebanon, Oregon
1
Question
Updated
487 views
What are study habits that you have used for your difficult classes?
I'm going into my freshman year and have not had to study very much for my highschool classes. I want to build good habits early to succeed later down the line. #Spring26
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5 answers
William Vvuko
Retired engineer
240
Answers
Moyo, Northern Region
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Alex,
This is an excellent question.
Time management is one of the most important skills we need in all aspects of our lives. As humans, we need time to work, rest, recreate, travel, be with family, relatives and friends etc. The balance we create determines how much we achieve each day. This may be different for different people. You have to craft what works best for you.
To succeed, there are other important skills we need to master as well. These skills include, amongst others, the ability to plan, schedule & execute work, analyze & critically evaluate information, identify and resolve problems, communicate effectively and work effectively in teams etc. These skills particularly help us put knowledge to good use.
Our willingnesss to get things done is influenced by many personal qualities. Such qualities include: passion, commitment, diligence, attention to detail, assertiveness, curiosity, perseverance, positive mindset, willingness to take risks, empathy, self-control, self drive, honesty etc. Developing and mastering them puts one in a very good stead to succeed in life.
All the above considerations contribute to our levels of competence.
A culture of excellence is paramount in all our endeavors. This means that we must be at our best each day. Sometimes our best is not good enough - we take this as an opportunity to improve.
I hope you find this useful.
Best of luck.
This is an excellent question.
Time management is one of the most important skills we need in all aspects of our lives. As humans, we need time to work, rest, recreate, travel, be with family, relatives and friends etc. The balance we create determines how much we achieve each day. This may be different for different people. You have to craft what works best for you.
To succeed, there are other important skills we need to master as well. These skills include, amongst others, the ability to plan, schedule & execute work, analyze & critically evaluate information, identify and resolve problems, communicate effectively and work effectively in teams etc. These skills particularly help us put knowledge to good use.
Our willingnesss to get things done is influenced by many personal qualities. Such qualities include: passion, commitment, diligence, attention to detail, assertiveness, curiosity, perseverance, positive mindset, willingness to take risks, empathy, self-control, self drive, honesty etc. Developing and mastering them puts one in a very good stead to succeed in life.
All the above considerations contribute to our levels of competence.
A culture of excellence is paramount in all our endeavors. This means that we must be at our best each day. Sometimes our best is not good enough - we take this as an opportunity to improve.
I hope you find this useful.
Best of luck.
Chris Ramsayer
Sales Engineer
5
Answers
Apex, North Carolina
Updated
Chris’s Answer
Hi Alex,
I wanted to add to what William mentioned about time management. It's a key skill we need in every part of our lives. Like you, I didn't study much in high school, but that changed in my first semester of college. After getting some "C"s on my midterms, I realized I needed to study more. So, I started planning study sessions every day (except for Saturdays, which was my day off!) Sundays became my main study day. Having a set schedule for studying, like between classes and at night during the week, helps make it a habit and sets expectations so that you don't feel like you are giving up free time to study.
The second part of time management is how you use your time. Maybe you have already heard the "Big Rocks and a Beer" axiom, popularized by Stephen Covey. If not, look it up. Basically, it dictates that you must prioritize your most important tasks (big stones) first, or they will never get done. A professor first puts sand (representing small tasks) in a fishbowl (representing your time), then pebbles (medium tasks ), then some big rocks ( important tasks) which overflow the fishbowl. Then he repeats the demonstration with a second fishbowl,but this time he puts in the big rocks first, then pebbles, and then the sand and it all fits. For you and most people, studying for the difficult classes are the big rocks. It's human nature, or at least its true for me, to do the easy tasks first, thinking "I'll get them out of the way so I can then concentrate on the important tasks better". But that doesn't work as demonstrated in the Big Rocks and a Beer axiom. You need your mind fresh to tackle the difficult tasks as well as avoiding the pressure of running out of time. The "beer" symbolizes that even when your "fishbowl" is completely filled with "big rocks, pebbles, and sand", there is always time to relax, exemplified by the professor being able to pour the beer into the fishbowl even though it is full!
I wanted to add to what William mentioned about time management. It's a key skill we need in every part of our lives. Like you, I didn't study much in high school, but that changed in my first semester of college. After getting some "C"s on my midterms, I realized I needed to study more. So, I started planning study sessions every day (except for Saturdays, which was my day off!) Sundays became my main study day. Having a set schedule for studying, like between classes and at night during the week, helps make it a habit and sets expectations so that you don't feel like you are giving up free time to study.
The second part of time management is how you use your time. Maybe you have already heard the "Big Rocks and a Beer" axiom, popularized by Stephen Covey. If not, look it up. Basically, it dictates that you must prioritize your most important tasks (big stones) first, or they will never get done. A professor first puts sand (representing small tasks) in a fishbowl (representing your time), then pebbles (medium tasks ), then some big rocks ( important tasks) which overflow the fishbowl. Then he repeats the demonstration with a second fishbowl,but this time he puts in the big rocks first, then pebbles, and then the sand and it all fits. For you and most people, studying for the difficult classes are the big rocks. It's human nature, or at least its true for me, to do the easy tasks first, thinking "I'll get them out of the way so I can then concentrate on the important tasks better". But that doesn't work as demonstrated in the Big Rocks and a Beer axiom. You need your mind fresh to tackle the difficult tasks as well as avoiding the pressure of running out of time. The "beer" symbolizes that even when your "fishbowl" is completely filled with "big rocks, pebbles, and sand", there is always time to relax, exemplified by the professor being able to pour the beer into the fishbowl even though it is full!
Dima Vizelman
Software Engineer
27
Answers
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel
Updated
Dima’s Answer
Hey Alex,
Here's a tip: try not to wait until you're really confused. If something doesn't make sense in class, spend just 15–20 minutes on it that day. It's much easier to sort out early rather than the night before a test. For engineering and math, practicing is way more important than just reading notes. You need to solve problems, make mistakes, and learn from them—that's where the real learning happens.
Also, studying in shorter, focused bursts is better than long, tiring sessions. Try 30–45 minutes with little breaks in between to keep your mind fresh. Another good trick is to explain things out loud without your notes. If you can explain it simply, you probably understand it well.
And remember, being consistent is key. Studying a little every day works way better than cramming before exams.
Hope this helps,
Dima
Here's a tip: try not to wait until you're really confused. If something doesn't make sense in class, spend just 15–20 minutes on it that day. It's much easier to sort out early rather than the night before a test. For engineering and math, practicing is way more important than just reading notes. You need to solve problems, make mistakes, and learn from them—that's where the real learning happens.
Also, studying in shorter, focused bursts is better than long, tiring sessions. Try 30–45 minutes with little breaks in between to keep your mind fresh. Another good trick is to explain things out loud without your notes. If you can explain it simply, you probably understand it well.
And remember, being consistent is key. Studying a little every day works way better than cramming before exams.
Hope this helps,
Dima
Martha D. Kramer
Corporate Training and Communications
97
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Martha D.’s Answer
Hi Alex.
Yours is a great question asked at a good time. Some thoughts:
- Start studying/doing projects early enough to spread it out. This is less stressful and gives your brain time to store what you have learned, which will help with recall later.
- Related: Break bigger goals into smaller, more do-able chunks. This makes studying less daunting and, therefore, more likely you will do it. It is fine if you get on a roll and want to keep studying. :-)
- Some courses do focus on memorization, but for many courses, the key to learning is being able to explain the content in your own words. Therefore, as you study, see if you could do that.
- If you are having trouble focusing on your own, consider studying with someone else. It's okay to be social but make sure most of your time is actually studying.
- Don't be ashamed to seek help from your professor, teaching assistant, and/or tutoring center on campus. Everyone needs assistance from time to time.
Below, I put a link to a related question on Career Village that I found helpful; you may want to search CareerVillage more.
Wishing you good luck!
Related CareerVillage question - https://www.careervillage.org/questions/1204675/study-tips-for-college
Yours is a great question asked at a good time. Some thoughts:
- Start studying/doing projects early enough to spread it out. This is less stressful and gives your brain time to store what you have learned, which will help with recall later.
- Related: Break bigger goals into smaller, more do-able chunks. This makes studying less daunting and, therefore, more likely you will do it. It is fine if you get on a roll and want to keep studying. :-)
- Some courses do focus on memorization, but for many courses, the key to learning is being able to explain the content in your own words. Therefore, as you study, see if you could do that.
- If you are having trouble focusing on your own, consider studying with someone else. It's okay to be social but make sure most of your time is actually studying.
- Don't be ashamed to seek help from your professor, teaching assistant, and/or tutoring center on campus. Everyone needs assistance from time to time.
Below, I put a link to a related question on Career Village that I found helpful; you may want to search CareerVillage more.
Wishing you good luck!
Martha D. recommends the following next steps:
Ilan Marouani, Esq., LL.M.
Tax Attorney
27
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Ilan’s Answer
Hi Alex,
I would say the best habit is repetition.
Many of the hard classes are hard because it is a complicated topic that you can't just learn out of nowhere without putting some time into it.
1. I would do the readings for the class. Sometimes it is annoying, but it is very helpful to read it before class cause once in class, you hear the professor talk about stuff you read in the textbook, and it already helps you fill in some gaps you might have, or explain something you thought you understood.
2. Take as detailed of notes as possible in class. This will help you review your professor's way of doing things, how they expect things to be done, and also might go into details or define things their own way. Having too many notes is much better than missing some stuff and trying to figure out if anyone else got that information.
3. After class, take a break, but definitely review same day, or in the morning the following day latest, your class notes. Review the material, maybe try to re-do some exercises if it is more math or STEM based, and see where you might be lacking.
Take notes, shorter and more concise, point out what you might need to review, and maybe try to do a few additional problems that were not assigned to test yourself.
4. Go back and review those shorter notes, exercises/problems, from time to time, maybe every two or three weeks.
All of these small steps, will give you such an enormous boost when you arrive to finals time. You won't need to reopen your entire textbook, go through hours and hours of videos from class... just would need to spend maybe an afternoon, reviewing your short notes, doing a few exercises to refresh your memory, and you are good to go.
Hope this helps.
Good luck!
I would say the best habit is repetition.
Many of the hard classes are hard because it is a complicated topic that you can't just learn out of nowhere without putting some time into it.
1. I would do the readings for the class. Sometimes it is annoying, but it is very helpful to read it before class cause once in class, you hear the professor talk about stuff you read in the textbook, and it already helps you fill in some gaps you might have, or explain something you thought you understood.
2. Take as detailed of notes as possible in class. This will help you review your professor's way of doing things, how they expect things to be done, and also might go into details or define things their own way. Having too many notes is much better than missing some stuff and trying to figure out if anyone else got that information.
3. After class, take a break, but definitely review same day, or in the morning the following day latest, your class notes. Review the material, maybe try to re-do some exercises if it is more math or STEM based, and see where you might be lacking.
Take notes, shorter and more concise, point out what you might need to review, and maybe try to do a few additional problems that were not assigned to test yourself.
4. Go back and review those shorter notes, exercises/problems, from time to time, maybe every two or three weeks.
All of these small steps, will give you such an enormous boost when you arrive to finals time. You won't need to reopen your entire textbook, go through hours and hours of videos from class... just would need to spend maybe an afternoon, reviewing your short notes, doing a few exercises to refresh your memory, and you are good to go.
Hope this helps.
Good luck!