Tips for self-study

I wrote this because I had to learn it the hard way. I'm a student in my 3rd year of college and thought I could study well enough to get good grades without anyone else's help. We students need to study on our own to do well on our exams and on our assignments, especially if we want to get good grades. I hope this helps all of you with your studies. <br><br>Some general tips that work for pretty much everyone: <br>- Stay organized <br>- Set your own goals<br>- Review and reflect on what you've read regularly<br>- Find ways to apply what you’ve learned<br>- Manage your time really well. Plan out how much time you have to study for your classes and stick to it, so that you can do everything you need to. <br>- If you're really struggling with a class, talk to the professor. <br><br>Figuring out your own learning style:<br>- There are different types of learners: auditory learners, kinesthetic learners (people who learn by touching or feeling things), and visual learners. You need to figure out which type of learner you are so that you have the best chance of success. <br>- Think about your past educational experiences, as well as other life experiences. Think about what you're good at and what you're not good at, what you enjoy doing and what you don't enjoy. Keep the things that you enjoy in mind when you're trying to figure out your learning style. <br>- Think about your senses. Which senses do you use the most? <br>- Think about how you spend your time. Does your daily routine involve things where you have to be aware of your surroundings, and things where you have to work independently? <br>- Some people are good at multiple things. You might not be just one type of learner. You might be a combination of two or three different types, and that's okay. <br><br>Types of learners: <br>- Auditory learners are best at listening and speaking. If you're an auditory learner, try to incorporate as much sound as you can into your studying. Listen to music while you study. Read books out loud. Study in noisy areas like coffee shops. <br>- Kinesthetic learners are best at doing hands-on activities. If you're a kinesthetic learner, try to incorporate as many hands-on activities as you can into your studying. Try to study in areas where you have lots of freedom of movement. Go to noisy places where you can get up and move around. Bring snacks, and eat while you study. Bring an exercise ball or a fidget toy if you have to study in the library or another quiet place. <br>- Visual learners are best at reading and writing. If you're a visual learner, try to incorporate as much reading and writing as you can into your studying. Read lots of books, articles and notes. Try to study in quiet, comfortable areas. Bring earplugs or headphones if you have to study in a noisy area. Listen to calming music while you study. <br><br>Study skills: <br>- Use flashcards. Make your own flashcards if you have to. You can buy flashcard making kits at Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and Staples. You can also make digital flashcards at Quizlet. <br>- Use mnemonics. Mnemonics are things that help you remember other things, like acronyms or rhymes. For example, "Every Good Boy Does Fine" is a mnemonic device used to remember the musical notes on the lines of the treble clef staff (E, G, B, D, F). Make your own mnemonics if you have to. <br>- Make concept maps. Concept maps are like mind maps but they're more structured. You have a main idea, then you have several ideas branching off of the main idea. Make the ideas into categories if you can. Make digital concept maps if you have to. CMAP is a good tool for this. <br>- Make outlines. Like concept maps, outlines are good for breaking things down into categories. If you're writing a paper, make an outline first. Write down the main points you want to make in the paper, then break the main points down into smaller, more specific ideas. If you're reading a book, make an outline of the chapters in the book. <br>- Summarize what you are studying. If you're reading a book or a long article, you need to be able to summarize it. You need to be able to break it down into main points and smaller points. In college, you'll need to be able to summarize tons of things, especially if you're going into a field in the humanities or social sciences. <br>- Make study groups. A study group is a group of students who get together to study for an exam or work on an assignment. Being in a study group is a great way to learn because you can ask a member of the group a question if you don't understand something, and because you're surrounded by other people who are just as motivated as you are. You can make a digital study group if you can't get a group together in person. Meetup and Discord are good places to make digital study groups. <br>- Teach someone else what you learned. Teaching what you have learned to someone else is one of the best ways to learn a subject. When you explain things to someone else, you'll see how much you know and what you still need to work on. <br><br>Combining your study skills with your learning style: <br>- If you have trouble learning certain subjects, try using different senses to learn them. <br>- If you have trouble with certain skills or tasks, be more purposeful with how you practice them. <br><br>Learning how to really read and write: <br>- When you read, try to break things down into smaller parts. If you're reading a book, break the book down chapter by chapter. Read the summary of the chapter first. Try to break down the chapter into smaller parts, like introduction, body and conclusion. Write down the main points in the chapter and any important details. If you're reading an article, break it down into smaller parts too. Read the title, introduction and conclusion first. Read the subheadings. Try to break it down into introduction, body and conclusion. Write down the main points and any important details. <br>- If you're reading a book, read the table of contents first. Look at the chapter titles. Look at the introduction and conclusion. If the book has a summary or abstract, read it. <br>- Do the same thing when you read an article. Read the title first. Read the introduction and conclusion. Read the headings. <br>- When you write, try to break things down into smaller parts. If you're writing a paper, write down the main points you want to make in the paper. Break the main points down into smaller points. Make an outline. Write the outline the same way you would outline a chapter in a book or an article. <br>- Write a summary of what you've learned. <br>- If you're an auditory learner, listen to audiobooks or podcasts instead of reading actual books or articles. <br>- If you're a kinesthetic learner, try to read standing up or sitting in a position where you can move your body. Bring snacks, and fidget toys if you have to sit. If you can't read standing up, see if you can read on a treadmill. Some gyms have treadmills that you can walk on while you read or watch TV. If you can't get a treadmill somewhere else, see if you can get a walking desk or a standing desk. If you can't get a walking desk or standing desk, see if you can get a chair where you can move around a lot. <br>- If you're a visual learner, read in a quiet comfortable spot. Bring earplugs or headphones if you have to read in a noisy area. Listen to calming music. <br><br>Avoid procrastination: <br>- Try to make a routine for studying. Things will be a lot easier if you have a set routine. <br>- If you're having trouble sticking to a routine, try setting smaller goals. This will make it a lot easier if you feel really overwhelmed. <br>- Make sure you have someone you can go to for advice if you're really struggling. <br>- Write things down. Make to-do lists and keep track of your schedule with a calendar or planner. <br>- Avoid distractions as much as possible. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>Edit: added this so people can find it more easily- I realized that I didn't put this in the body of the text. Thanks to everyone who has commented.