As the second month of school has passed and midterm season begins, the reality of the school year is thrust upon us. Studying begins to take up large portions of our days and Weldon becomes our new home. Reflecting back on my first year, here are some habits that aided in improving my studies.
Utilize Office Hours
As one of my professors likes to say, university is one of the only times in your life that you have unlimited access to very intelligent and educated people. Take advantage of this and speak to your professor whenever you have any questions about the course, your program or life in general. They are there to help you through your time at Western and are happy to assist you in every way they can. Attending office hours and building relationships with your professors will also make you feel more connected in those 300 person lectures and thus increase your engagement.
Have a Consistent Study Spot
Walking through every floor of Weldon looking for a table is not a productive use of your study time. Consistently studying in the same area will usually guarantee continuous availability of the spot and being in a familiar environment will minimize distractions when working.
Quick Tip: If your struggling to find a good spot, try the tables in the International and Graduate Affairs Building or the periodicals in Taylor Library.
Form Study Groups
Study groups are a great tool to help strengthen your understanding of course material. There will usually be at least one person in the group who can answer any questions you may have and explain concepts in new applicable ways. Sharing ideas through verbal discussion also helps to reinforce your knowledge of course material and highlight anything you might not know as well. Study groups become especially helpful during midterm season when professors’ office hours fill up quickly and making appointments to go over questions is a lot more difficult.
Review Notes Frequently
Midterms cover a large array of concepts and it can be easy to overlook information that you learned in the first few weeks of school. Taking a couple hours on the weekend to summarize the main concepts you learned that week, allows you to be constantly reviewing your notes and have detailed study sheets once midterms approach. This will also help you retain important information and can translate into more efficient study time come midterms.
Get Involved
In order to keep stress at a reasonable level, it is important to not let your studies occupy every waking hour of your day. You need an outlet to take your mind off the stress of school, so join something that interests you - whether that be a sports team, club or social group. This is also a great way to meet new people and enjoy everything Western has to offer.
As we make our way into the second half of first semester, I would encourage all of you to try and incorporate these habits into your study routine. From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that these habits have allowed me to effectively manage my workload and minimize my stress come midterms. Ultimately, my time at Western has taught me that to be successful in our endeavor as students, it is paramount that we develop the art of effective studying.