Study Smarter, Not Harder: Effective Techniques for College Success

Actor Peter Dinklage once said in a speech to rise the rest of our lives to meet us. Whenever I search for a way to make my life more efficient and in alignment I remember his speech.

Understand the context of the content before reading

One of my favorite study habits is going straight for the questions and going over the glossary before looking at the material because it helps me get a feel for what kind of information is important to memorize.

For example imagine the glossary for the next few paragraphs..

Encode: The process of converting information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Short term memory: A temporary storage system that holds a limited amount of information for a short period.

Stored: Information that has been encoded and saved in memory for future use.

Retrieval: The process of accessing and bringing stored information back into conscious thought.

Effortful processing: The active and conscious effort to encode, store, and retrieve information.

Now that you have come across these words and their meanings, you will now have an understanding of what the following paragraphs are about.

So, for example, when I open a study plan module, the first thing I do is look at the practice test questions and/or glossary. This helps encode important terms into my short-term memory.

Now, when I am ready to read the text and take notes on the material, there is already a link between the material and the questions/glossary that had been stored, which then allows for easier retrieval.

Once I am done reading, I go over my notes along with the practice test and pay attention to the connections I made (effortful processing), identifying areas I need to review and create deeper connections.

Here is additional glossary for the following paragraphs…

Memory flaw: An error or imperfection in the process of encoding, storing, or retrieving information.

Long term storage: The phase of memory where information is held indefinitely, potentially for a lifetime.

Encoding specificity principle: The idea that memory is most effective when the context during retrieval matches the context during encoding.

Memory cues: Triggers or reminders that prompt the retrieval of specific information stored in memory.

Recall: The process of retrieving stored information from memory into conscious awareness.

Amygdala: A part of the brain involved in processing emotions, forming emotional memories, and activating the sympathetic nervous system

Now, see if skimming and understanding the following paragraphs is easier.

The memory flaw I have run into is when I am in a rush and don’t have time to do the effortful processing step by paying attention to encode the ‘weaker connected’ information for long-term storage before the actual test while using this method.

Regarding study habits, I believe the chunking method, which I modify to chunk reading, homework assignments, and classes into sections or blocks, can help a struggling student improve.

Another College Student Study Method: Chunking Reading Assignments for Retention

This allows our brain to organize large quantities of information throughout the week and uses the encoding specificity principle.

Another effective strategy is setting a place with intention

For example, all my classes are online, but I commute to campus from 10am to 2 – 3pm. The campus is dedicated to this class and my philosophy class.

Each time I arrive, I am in familiar surroundings, which means memory cues are retrieved from the familiar setting, and I can often recall what I was studying the day prior in each class thanks to familiar surroundings.

Around 2-3 PM, I head home and take an hour break to run errands, exercise, get work done outside of school, or whatever else needs to be done before sitting down at my desk for the last class of statistics.

Having dedicated spaces for each subject helps me retrieve information far better because my brain is expecting to delve into that subject, and I have come to enjoy statistics.

Keeping this subject for last, at home at my desk, allows me to calm my nervous system after a long day of classes and other work, calming the amygdala.

Creating a system can help keep the anxieties of being a college student at bay, which allows a student to have breathing room as classes ramp up towards the middle of the quarter.”

Going back to Peter Dinklage and his speech, I raised my study habits to meet me where I am at. I am a good student. I struggle with dyslexia, but I know I am capable, so finding ways to raise that side of my life to meet me was a no-brainer. I found a way to study smarter, not harder. Again, dyslexia is already hard enough.

This blog post was actually written for one of my Psychology 100 class discussions a month ago, and I figured I’d repurpose it here in case anyone else found this method interesting and though this was a short post I hope it has proven useful.