Here are some excellent study tips around different topics from our Spring 2025 Peer Coaches!
Yuleisy Agguire: Tools are useful! Make use of post-its, flashcards, and sticky tabs!
Esther Ballesteros: The Pomodoro technique and active recall are both great for memorizing content!
Jackie Boyanchek: Consolidate all of your notes and materials for an exam into a one-page "cheat sheet" with the most important concepts, then add in the details later. This makes the information easier to digest and makes studying less overwhelming!
Evie Drescher: If you can’t seem to focus—move around! Either your physical body or the physical space you’re in! A location change can do wonders for getting in a motivated headspace.
Chris Kahrol: Many students find it helpful to separate your study spaces and sleeping/relaxing spaces.
Ella Luking: Know what time of the day you study best. If you’re an early bird, try to study in the morning. If you’re a night owl, study at night!
Colin McCown: The Pomorodo technique is super helpful during studying, as you're always working towards the next break.
Dylan Morris: Make sure to build breaks into your study schedule and class schedule.
Lila Saunders: In order to prepare for exams, make your own study guide to practice active recall of content!
KK Sowers: Flashcards are a great way to do active recall!
Clara Sullivan: Switch up where you’re studying throughout your study session.
Here are some general study tips from around the web that we recommend:
You're not you when you're hungry: Make sure your physical needs are met (food, water, sleep, etc.) before trying to focus on tasks that take up a lot of mental energy!
Listen to your lectures like a podcast: Ask your professors if you can voice record their lectures so you can listen back to them later. This is especially helpful if you have a professor that moves very quickly, and you don't have time to write down every detail that they mention!
Scribble method: Some students find they focus and retain information better while reading if they use a pen and paper to scribble throughout their study session! Check out an example here.
Take a scenic break: Rather than doom-scrolling during study breaks, try watching a relaxing video such as "Virtual Walk around Yoho National Park." Watching these still gives you that feeling of a break, but you don't risk becoming distracted with social media and wasting time scrolling. Plus, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of places around the world from your desk!