LAUNCHing in Stamford: Study Skills
  • Review the material ahead of time. This first step is the foundation for your knowledge!

  • Actively listen during class. Take notes and participate in the discussion.

  • Within 24 hours, review your notes. This review helps move the information from short-term to long-term memory.*
Your first college exams can be intimidating. If you take the time to understand and develop healthy studying practices, it will improve your performance on exams (and make you feel more prepared for class discussion so you can start making a good impression on your instructors ).
These three steps will help you learn how to retain and apply information. fore, during, and after class.
LISTEN
LAUNCHing Your Academics is evolving:

check out The LAUNCH Podcast!
This week: examine time management strategies and life hacks for studying in a conversation with the Academic Achievement Center's Ada Rivera.
Search for us wherever you get your podcasts, or download the podcast on Soundcloud HERE .
READ
When you sit down to take your exam, does it feel like everything you've read just flies out of your brain?

Improve Your Memory When You Read*


  • Involve yourself in reading
  • Visualize as you read
  • Take notes
  • PQRST Method: Preview, Question, Read, State, and Test
  • Schedule several short study sessions, rather than one marathon
  • First-Letter Cuing (Acronyms)
Want More Study Tips?
Get Moving! Use Your Body to Enhance Your Memory**

Movement can help you train your brain to remember by associating a specific action with a specific piece of information.

Try the following strategies:

  • When studying at your desk or in the library, sit at the edge of your chair, "...as if you were about to spring out of it and sprint across the room."
  • Stand up when you study. Some people argue that their brains work better when they stand.
  • If you are preparing for a presentation, don't just sit at your desk. Pace back and forth and gesture as you recite the material out loud.
Check out the workshops offered by the Academic Achievement Center & take a look at these additional resources:
*Mohs, Richard C. "How to Improve Your Memory."  HowStuffWorks , HowStuffWorks, 2018, health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/how-to-improve-your-memory10.htm. Accessed 2 June 2018.
**Ellis, D. (1998).  Becoming a master student : Tools, techniques, hints, ideas, illustrations, examples, methods, procedures, processes, skills, resources, and suggestions for success  (Updated 8th ed.].. ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.