Higgins Academic Center Program Calendar

• Learning Strategies
• Exam Strategies
• Tutoring
• Mentoring

• Macon Academic Progress
• Related Services
• Info for Faculty

• How do you study?
• Time Management
• Reading Textbooks
• Taking Notes
• When and How to Study

Did you know that your residence hall may not be a good place to study? Your room, although convenient, also is fraught with distractions: the ping of the instant message, the telephone, video games, TV, friends who drop in, etc. Also, even though your bed sounds like a comfortable place to study, that's the problem. A study session quickly turns into a nap!

If you want to improve your study habits, one effective way is to find your own best place to study. The campus has several good study areas. Try several , and see what works best for you. Here are some common study areas on (or near) campus that includes rankings for availability, noise level and other comments. New! The HAC has SUPERVISED STUDY HALL HOURS in Thomas Branch.

Recommended Study Locations (in alphabetical order):

How to Study

College is very different from high school. Worksheets, weekly tests and an hour or so of homework per night are replaced by midterms over half the textbook, tests that focus on application of knowledge rather than memorization of facts and the expectation that students study a minimum of 2 hours for each hour of class, means that most freshmen have to change their study habits to fit the new setting.

Here are some quick tips for getting started:

	Vary your study periods to fit the assignment: some assignments like answering end of the chapter questions can be divided into short chunks (20-60 minute periods) broken up with short breaks. Other activities require a longer uninterrupted period of time, e.g. reading a research article to be abstracted.
	Use time during the day to study instead of waiting until night for everything. If you have two hours between classes, use that time.
	Tackle the hard things first: Don't put the hard assignments off until you're tired and can't focus. Do the reading that requires more concentration while you're still alert, i.e. earlier in the day. Leave the easier tasks for late, i.e. recopying notes, making study cards.
	Rank your classes and spend more time on your hardest class every day and early in the day.
	Use an Active Study Strategylike SQ3R or Active Reading, write a summary sentence after each paragraph, re-read notes after class and discuss with a study group/buddy, utilize HAC tutors to review material, see professors with questions.