Schedule time to complete school-work
- Before, in between, or right after classes tend to work best for students
- Make ‘official’ time in your calendar to do your school-work
- When does your mind work best? Morning or evening? Before or after eating?
Brain Hacks:
- The brain must ‘earn’ information it retains. Study in ways that are slightly challenging
to create a ‘desirable difficulty’ for the brain
- Test yourself. You need to find what you do not know so you can focus on studying
that, rather than using time going over information you are already confident on.
- Play with information in multiple ways. For example, you can study a theory with a
flashcard, writing it in your own words, explaining it out loud to someone, and listing
examples of it in action.
- Start early! The longer you give yourself to learn, the better. Studying a topic for
an hour a day for five days is MUCH more effective than studying for five hours in
one day.
- Give yourself breaks. The brain must have time to absorb information, which only happens
when it is not intaking more information. Two common time strategies: 25 minutes studying,
5 minute break. Or, 45 minutes studying with a 15 minute break.
Create a good learning environment:
- Do you study best alone, with a group, or in a public place?
- Does background noise or music help or distract you?
- Should you turn off your phone?
- Have all the supplies you need immediately at hand
Know your MSU Academic Resources
- SmartyCats Tutoring
- Academic Help Centers
- Testing Center
- The Office of Disability Services
Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success
177 Strand Union Building
P.O. Box 174180
Bozeman, MT 59717-4180
Office Hours:
7:30am-6:00pm Monday-Thursday
7:30am-5:00pm Friday
Tel: (406) 994-7627
Fax: (406) 994-5488
Email: aycss@montana.edu
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