<Study Strategies>

Welcome to the Holy Names University library of electronic Academic Support resources. In addition to electronic resources, the Student Success Center also has a library of texts, work books, and other materials available Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm in Brennan 57A.

*Note All Tips are adapted from the "The Way of the Tutor" a Tutopian Tutor Guide by Michael Hodges, Arleen janz, and Pablo Vela

It is generally accepted that a student should assign approximately three
hours of study per every hour of class; however, between classes, extracurricular activities and basic biological needs (like sleep and food), a students schedule can become very hectic.

These are some specific suggestions that can help a student manage time more effectively:

• Try to set and follow a schedule for the time you will spend studying. It is easier to perform a task once it becomes a habit.

• Set priorities. For a college student, school should be one of his/her highest priorities. This does not mean that you shouldn't’t ever go to a party or a game,
only that school should be first.

• Sacrifice anything that can possibly hurt you academically. You may want to go to the premiere of that movie that has been forty years in the making, but how is that going to affect your performance in school?

• Set aside enough time to review the class material presented in the most recent class even if you do not have homework.

• Do homework at your own pace. Pause if you are tired or distracted. Take a short recess, and go back. It is always a good idea to divide long assignments into smaller ones that do not overwhelm you, so break your study time into chunks to give your gray matter time to process new info and to recharge your battery with some food for those brain cells.

• Do not study at a time when you know you are not effective. It may sound great to wake up at 6:00 a.m. and study for an hour, or do homework after practice, but if you are going to end up falling asleep on the book, there is no point. Look for alternative times.

Libraries don’t work for everyone, but when choosing a place to study, there are a few things to consider:

Generally, an ideal place to study would be a place with no distractions and where you feel comfortable. Being relaxed makes it easier to remember concepts. If you do not like silence, choose music that may promote memory retention other tranquil, but don’t allow your music to distract you from focusing on the study material.

Some of the local bookstores have nice areas with background music conducive to successful study sessions. They can be especially effective as group study hangouts.

Also, make sure that your desk area gives you plenty of room to spread out, and that your chair is comfortable to sit in for long periods of time.

What happened the last time you compared notes with a classmate? Did they look similar to yours, or did they look as if they had been taken in a completely different class?

Class notes have to be meaningful to you. They do not have to be a transcript of what the teacher says in front of the class, but they do have to be adequate. They should also include thoughts and questions you may have about the material covered in class.

You can look up some good templates for note-taking, such as the Cornell System, but whatever you decide, here are some suggestions to improve your note-taking skills:

• Try to get notebooks that are different from each other so that you can identify them easily.

• Be selective. Do not try to write down everything; instead, pay attention to the terms your professor emphasizes or seems to mention often. It is unrealistic to assume that your professor is going to tell you what to write.

• You may want to take notes about what you are thinking regarding the material while the class is in progress in case you forget some ideas and question after class.

• If you use colors to identify different elements, try not to waste time finding the right high lighter. You can always put a mark on the item and add colors after class.

• It is very important to go over your notes after class to reaffirm what you just covered.

• Discuss with your professor the questions you wrote down and any item that requires further clarification.

• Use your textbook, handouts and other resources you may have to complement your notes.

Memory is a key factor of the learning process and is also one of the most important resources for academic success. Contrary to what many students believe, the ease with which one can recall specific information is not just innate. It is a skill that can be strengthened using a variety of methods.

People remember information in many different ways. The process someone uses to recall
a friend’s phone number is slightly different from remembering what that person did yesterday or 5 years ago. In school, a student may have to use a different method to memorize vocabulary from his/her French class than to prepare for a presentation, a quiz or a final exam. In other words, there is more than one way to remember. Therefore, the best technique to develop memory skills depends on the type of material you are covering and the goal you want to reach.

Usually the most effective memory strategy is one that allows the student to understand the material clearly and that relates the information to the student’s experience.Let’s take a look at some of these methods:

One of the most effective methods to remember something is to notice that the same concept or idea can be seen in a more familiar phenomenon; however be careful not to oversimplify. Analogies, when constructed correctly are some of the most effective ways to remember an idea.

Another very effective method to remember something is to associate it with some other concept or idea. With this method, you can associate a concept with things that are related to it; and can use colors, people, acronyms, etc., as any type of association is valid.

Mechanical tasks can be memorized more effectively though repetition. For example, the
steps for solving an equation of third degree or the order in which the components of a sentence are arranged in a foreign language can be memorized more easily after having done several exercises. These exercises do not need to be boring and redundant, but they need to show that the same type of circumstances is present and that the same method should be applied in order to solve them.

When studying, a student should ask him/herself, “How does this relate to that other concept I learned or experienced?” If you understand the connection between the sides of a triangle, you are going to remember the trigonometric functions SIN, COS and TAN more easily than if you just try to memorize their definitions.

Many times the connections between some concepts are not very obvious,yet trying to find the link between the sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean and rum consumption
in Europe may help you understand and remember the economic development of the first British settlements in North America.

A variety of resources is available to students for practically any course they may be taking. One resource in particular is more helpful and easily accessible than the rest, the textbook. In most college level courses, the textbook is the most significant resource
a student can have.

The textbook provides a comprehensive guideline that a professor can follow when teaching. Without it, a professor would not be able to verify information and would have to rely completely on her/his memory, which in a history class, for example, may not be enough.

In the same way, a student who does not use her text book and relies solely on
class notes for her studies is not taking full advantage of the course and is not capable of expanding and developing the concepts taught in the classroom. Many courses, especially distance learning courses, rely heavily on a text book. In fact, a great number of college level courses are completely designed around a textbook. Therefore, it is important to know how to use it.

Some people believe that using a textbook does not require any discussion, but understanding and using this type of book sometimes requires reading skills far more advanced than the ones someone uses to read a magazine or even an instruction manual because, today, a textbook can include much more than lecture material. Passive reading is not an effective way to read a textbook. Many of us have the experience of reading a book in which we are not interested. We probably didn't remember the previous line
right after having read it and set the book aside after some time if we didn't fall asleep first.

Reading a textbook requires an active reader that is constantly examining and analyzing the material, so here are some useful tips to accomplish this task:

• Look at the contents and index tables to understand how the information is organized compared to the order in which it is presented in the classroom.

• Pay close attention to boxes (some times of different colors) which may contain summarizations or other key concepts that it is important to know.

• Take a look at what is before and after the assignment or unit you are studying to understand the context in which the information is presented.

• Look for any extras than may be included in the book such as passwords for web sites, exercises, answer keys, multimedia and links or references to other sources of information.

As you can see, a student with strong study skills takes an active role in his/her education. He/She pays attention not only to the class material but to the entire learning process in which he/she is involved and finds ways to make such a process more effective.
In fact, the study skills that can help a student succeed in school are one of the first real-life applications of the analytical thinking that is expected from students at the college level. Managing time, choosing an appropriate setting, memory retention, and making good use of resources are skills that will have numerous applications far beyond a class room.

Some students suffer from a condition called test anxiety. This is not the normal anxiety that most people feel before a test. This is a mind numbing fear that can turn a student who has made A’s on all his/her work into a student who can barely recall his own name on test day. Such a student will go into a test and begin to experience all the symptoms of a flight or fight response, such as sweaty palms, high heart rate, and adrenaline coursing through the body

Although Math seems to have this effect on students more frequently than other subjects, the condition is not limited to one subject. Test anxiety is most likely a learned response and may not have anything to do with the subject per se.

Hence there are three strategies that, when used in combination, will improve the students performance while taking a test:

1. Develop excellent study habits
2. Learn relaxation techniques
3. Learn strategies for test-taking

It’s very important that student's learn some relaxation techniques and use them, not just immediately before and during the test, but the day and night before. Some suggestions to give your student for relaxation are:

Study in a soothing environment with comfortable, not bright, lighting, calming colors and peaceful music or nature sounds. Include other elements in your study space such as encouraging posters and plants.

Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down and tighten your muscles one body part at a time for a ten count. Then, release and let that body part completely relax. Feel yourself letting go completely in that area. Start at your toes and work your way up.

Practice deep breathing. Sit in a relaxed position. Take a deep breath through your nose with mouth closed, making sure you are filling the bottom part of your lungs. The stomach should expand, but shoulders should not rise.

As you breathe in, silently count to 8 or repeat the word “relax” slowly, then release it to a silent, slow count of 8 . Repeat for a time span of 5 to 20 minutes before the test, and use the technique as needed during the test every time you feel anxiety creeping upon you.

If you have followed all of the study strategies precisely, you will be properly prepared. Your brain will have access to all of the information you need to succeed on your test. Your problem is getting it from your brain to the paper, hence the positive imagery and relaxation practice. Beyond these strategies, though, are some tried and true strategies for taking tests.

While studying, create questions that might be on the test. A day or two before, take the test under conditions as close to test conditions as you can make them. Practice your
relaxation strategies when you begin to feel anxious.

As soon as you receive your test, before even looking over it, do a memory dump. In other words, write down everything that is bubbling at the top of your brain. If you have had to memorize formulas, write them down. Events? Write them down. Terms? Get them on paper before you forget. That in itself creates a sense of success. You no longer have to worry about pulling that info out of your head because it’s right there for you to look at. You can relax and let your mind begin to recall other information.

While taking your test, some people find it best to look over the exam and find the easiest
questions to answer first, but for someone experiencing test anxiety, this may not be the best strategy. Seeing all the questions at once might trigger an anxiety attack. Instead, using a blank piece of paper, cover the entire test except for the first question. Read it through carefully.

Practice your breathing if you feel anxious. If you don’t know this question, move on to
the next one. Don’t spend precious time stressing over a question if you are not sure of the answer. Find another one to which you can respond, moving your blank sheet one question at a time through the test. Once you have answered all of the questions you know, go back to the questions about which you feel more confident, leaving the difficult ones for later.

About ten minutes before the end of class, stop and go back over your answers to make sure you haven’t made any careless errors. If you still have time, continue working on any questions you haven’t yet finished; it’s okay to guess. Keep in mind that it isn't the end of the world if you haven’t finished your test. The goal at this point is to get over your test anxiety, so as long as you are able to answer enough questions to pass and build your confidence, don’t stress out over your grade.Just take one step at a time.

• If the answer uses terms that could make the answer true (qualifiers) such as some, many, usually, and probably the answer is more likely to be correct.

• If the answer uses terms that must make the answer true (absolutes) such as never, none, always, and everyone are less likely to be correct.

• Answers in the middle position are more often correct if the test was written by your
instructor

• If two possible answers in a multiple choice question are opposite in meaning, one of them is most likely correct.

• If you can’t decide, read the question with each answer one by one to discover if grammar can give you a clue as to the correct answer.

A student armed with these techniques can improve his/her study and test-taking habits, which in turn will build his confidence and send him on the road to independence, secure in the knowledge that future challenges in his life can be handled with the same diligence and determination.

Holy Names University provides a variety of tutorial services, free of charge to HNU students, in a variety of subjects. These services include peer one-on-one, group, and drop-in tutoring. The Student Success Center also provides Academic-Course and Academic-Skills workshops.

One-on-One Tutoring: Students arrange to meet individually with a Peer Academic liaison (tutor) to review course material, complete assignments and prepare for exams. Students must first request a tutor then schedule appointments regularly or as needed.

Group Tutoring: Students meet with a Peer Academic Liaison (tutor) as a groups to review course material, complete assignments, and prepare for exams. Group tutoring sessions can be scheduled as needed or students may attend Academic-Course workshops.

Drop-in-Tutoring: "Drop-in" tutorial services are available Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1pm-8pm. Students are also able to "drop-by" Academic-Course workshops offered throughout the week. Click here for the list of Academic Workshops.

Requesting a Tutor: Requesting tutorial services has never been easier. To request a tutor just complete the interactive Tutor Request Form!

Wednesday Tool Box sessions are held every Wednesday in the cutting-edge Cushing Library Computer Classroom. The Tool Box sessions cover a wide range of Academic-Skill topics such as Time Management, Note Taking, and Test Taking strategies just to name a few.

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