I'm a professor & here are my 3 tips for my students: HOW TO STUDY FOR EXAMS, HOW TO DRAFT ESSAYS, HOW TO RESEARCH PAPERS

I study human brain function, teach at a large state university, and have been teaching for 11 years. I've learned what works and what doesn't. I've tried various teaching techniques and various strategies for my own students. Being a neuroscientist, I also understand some of the fundamental principles of how the brain works - the principles that can be used to improve learning and retention. Below are three tips that I give to my students. Whether you are a high school student, college student, or just want to learn something new - this is your guide to better learning.<br><br><br><br>**HOW TO STUDY FOR EXAMS**<br><br>It's 9pm. Your exam is at 8am tomorrow. "I haven't studied yet. Oh well, now it's too late. I'll just have to "cram". I'll just read through my notes, and hope I can remember enough to do well on the exam". Sound familiar? <br><br>It is not only **ineffective**, but also **inefficient**. By this I mean that it takes a lot of your time and effort for very little gain. But there is a better way. <br><br>The key concept here is called "chunking". When you "chunk", you break down information into smaller "bites" that your brain can process and store more easily. In the context of learning, your brain uses "chunks" as larger units of information that allow you to see relationships between smaller pieces of information. This results in better retention and faster recall. <br><br>The process of chunking is best demonstrated with an example. <br><br>During my lectures, my students take a lot of "notes", which really aren't notes. They are just copies of what I wrote on the board. The problem is that these "notes" are just a collection of random facts or concepts. They aren't connected. They aren't organized. They aren't "chunked". <br><br>Now imagine that you're studying for a test. Before you begin, ask yourself this question: "What are the most important concepts covered on this exam?". Write them down as 1, 2, 3, etc. These are your "chunks" - they are the categories that help you organize everything else. <br><br>Now go through your notes and find where each concept is mentioned. Highlight it, or underline it. Write down definitions and summaries. You'll see how these concepts help you categorize everything else. You'll also see how the concepts connect to each other and to everything else. You'll be able to see how things work - and **that** is the key to retention. You **don't** need to remember everything. You just need to understand how things work - and you'll be able to figure everything else out. <br><br>As you're doing this, you'll notice something. Your brain is starting to work faster. It's making connections more easily. You're understanding relationships that you hadn't seen before. Your memory is improving. <br><br>**That's what happens when your brain chunks information**. <br><br>Here's a trick I use to help myself "chunk" information. I create what I call a "chunking tree". I write down the big categories (concepts) and then branch out into subcategories, and then sub-subcategories. This helps me see how things are connected. The results are amazing. <br><br>**HOW TO DRAFT ESSAYS**<br><br>The typical way to write an essay is to sit down, open a blank document or grab a blank sheet of paper, and start typing or writing. The problem is that you haven't actually thought about _what_ you're going to write. <br><br>A better way is to **start with an outline**. Write down the main points you want to cover. Then, organize them into an order that makes sense. Decide how you'll begin (introduction) and how you'll end (summary/conclusion). <br><br>Then, write down your supporting arguments (or data, or evidence). Make sure you have _at least_ 3-5 supporting arguments for each main point. Organize these supporting arguments into an order that makes sense. <br><br>Your outline is your roadmap to writing a clear, organized, logical essay. And **that's key**. Your writing doesn't have to be beautiful or elegant. In fact, it doesn't even have to be "good" in the classical sense. **But it does have to make sense**. Your outline will help you achieve that. <br><br>When you're ready to start writing, just go through your outline and elaborate on each point. <br><br>**HOW TO RESEARCH PAPERS**<br><br>There are three key mistakes that most students make when researching a paper. <br><br>1) **You don't know what you're looking for**. You don't know exactly what to type into a search engine. You don't have a specific question in mind. <br><br>2) **You're using the wrong sources**. You're relying on web searches and online encyclopedias. You're not using academic sources or primary sources. <br><br>3) **You're not taking notes**. You read something, then you forget what it said. You have to go back and re-read it. You're wasting your time and your energy. <br><br>Here are three strategies that I give to my students. <br><br>1) **Start with Wikipedia**. I know what you're thinking - professors don't want you to use Wikipedia because it's not a reliable source. That's true - but it does have one big advantage. The references at the end of each Wikipedia page are often primary sources and academic articles. So, I tell my students to start with Wikipedia to get an idea of what they're looking for. Pay attention to the headings, the subheadings, and the bullet points. See what categories the information is grouped into, and what concepts keep popping up. Then, scroll down to the references at the end of the page and use those to find academic sources. <br><br>2) **Use academic search engines**. Search engines like Google don't search the academic literature very well. Instead, use academic search engines like Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, arXiv, or PubMed. If you're at a university, use the university library's databases. These search engines index academic articles, which are often hidden behind paywalls. <br><br>3) **Take notes as you go**. Don't just read through an article and then try to remember what it said. Take notes as you go. Write down the key findings. Summarize the conclusions. Write down any key terms or concepts that you don't know. This will help you remember what you've read - and it will also help you see how different articles connect to each other.