One of the ways high school is different from university is the amount of content you are expected to study on your own. As opposed to being walked through information with worksheets and study guides, you’re thrown to the wolves, so to speak. For example, for the final exam, you are expected to know chapters one through ten and all the lectures. That could be two hundred pages of text and fourteen hours of lecture—and that is for just one course. So, how do you study for something that seems so overwhelming?
Tip 1: Go to all the lectures and listen for hints.
Exams should never be a surprise. Especially in liberal arts courses, the prof or your T.A. has probably mentioned the content of the essay questions multiple times over the course of the year. For example, your Political Science prof keeps comparing Liberalism to Republicanism. Odds are that’s an essay question.
Tip 2: Take comprehensive notes.
Now, when I say “comprehensive notes,” I don’t mean write down everything the prof has said. Use short hand to take down information that seems relevant; then after the lecture, supplement it with details. For example, your lecture is on the American Civil War. So, you take down some major themes that are mentioned, some important battles, and key figures. After the lecture, you go through the readings for that week again and start filling in the blanks, like significant dates, backgrounds of the key figures, and other relevant facts. Then, you start making the bigger connections. You write down a few questions, ideas, or thoughts and make the material come alive through your own personal exploration. If you think about the material on this deeper level, you will enjoy studying and remember more.
Tip 3: Keep up.
Try to do your readings on time. It will make the lectures mean more and will prevent you from reading two hundred pages of content days before the exam. Also, the information you read will have more time to sink in, so when it comes time to write an essay, you are that much more comfortable with the material.
Tip 4: Actively read.
When you are doing your course readings, have a pencil in hand. Make note of thoughts, ideas, or questions as you read and underline important information and powerful quotes. Marking up your book will help you engage with the material and make it easier to find information when you are writing an essay.
Tip 5: Studying for the exam starts the first day of the course.
A tactic I swear by is studying the content from one lecture like the exam is the next lecture. Grouping it into bite size pieces prevents that overwhelming exam time feeling and also helps the material really sink in; so, the material isn’t just something you memorized, but something you understand.
These tips are just a few of the many ways to manage these overwhelming mountains of information. However, the beautiful thing about being in university and academically independent is that you can structure your learning and do whatever works for you. Try out these tips and throw in a few ideas of your own because a customized study strategy will increase the information retention and increase the enjoyment you yield from studying. A little extra work along the way will prevent the pre-exam freak out and keep those pesky, overwhelming wolves at bay.
