Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Study Tips

With summer drawing to a close, oh god, lets not talk about it, and my Spanish class kicking into high gear I thought I would write a little post about my biggest tips for studying for a test/midterm/final. They aren't complicated or anything, just how I study, I've been doing these for a really long time {I got that IB diploma this way & I haven't flunked out of a Public Ivy yet} so maybe they will work for you. Please let me know what you do to study below-xoxo darling, Hayden.
  1. Flashcards - I am the ultimate flashcard girl, my dad got me started using them when I was little and I haven't looked back. When school is starting back up I buy them in bulk {I swear I have about 500 in my apartment right now}. First, writing the flashcards helps you remember and then constantly quizzing yourself on the material is a sure fire way to help you memorize/understand the curriculum. If you have a ton of them, buy a ring and punch a hole in each corner {that's what I did for AP U.S. History and Spanish}. For even better results, make them at the beginning of the semester for the whole semester and study them three times a week so by your final you know everything.
  2. Quizlet - If you can't use flashcards, or if you like additional practice, go for the Quizlet. My biggest tip with this is, I know people have probably made Quizlets before for your class, but you should make your own. It helps you learn to type everything in, trust me. Also, don't play the matching game, do the learn where you have to type everything, it helps you remember everything so much better. The other benefit to using Quizlet is you can use it anywhere, sitting waiting for your food? Quizlet! On the bus? Quizlet! Seriously, it was a beautiful invention.
  3. Make an Action Plan - If you have a test coming up, and you know what is on it, make a plan. Study what you're worst at first and what your best at last, I always make a numbered list that I can cross off as I go from hardest to easiest {plus there is such satisfaction in crossing stuff off}. It also helps you to know your action plan when you are planning how much time you should spend studying a day. 
  4. Get Organized - This is something that I never do and then always regret...but I never do anything to fix it the next time around...I know, I should do better. But organization is so, so, so important when it comes to studying. I learned the hard way about this when I had to drop my first ever class last fall {finance}. But when I took it again in the spring I was prepared and had everything in one folder on my computer, in order, ready to go when I sat down to study. Usually when I study the first half hour is getting organized/making the action plan {see above} so this cuts that out and gives more time for actual studying. 
  5. Music - This is so important. I have two options for studying playlists #1: Not Your Parents Classical Music on Spotify and #2: any Disney playlist whatsoever. But Disney? Isn't that for kids? Well, normally I would say yes but when it comes to studying I am not a happy camper but what does make me happy? Listening to songs from my childhood. 
I hope these five tips let you get down to business...and defeat the...exams you're taking.

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