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A big part of learning should be the time you spend in class. After all, you’ve got to be there, and you’re paying for it, so make it your best time for power study. If you consider class time as your main study time, you will save on homework time and Starbucks coffee. Tests and essays won’t be as intimidating, and you can save your time outside of class for other things.
Damage Your Textbook
• Mark it up, dog ear it, and make the textbook your own. Underline, and write notes, questions, and comments in the margins.
• Always have a pen or pencil in your hand as you read assigned material.
• Underline only critical items. Some students underline (or highlight) so much that it becomes meaningless.
• Buy a used textbook that has already been marked up. In this way, you can have the advantage of getting other perspectives on the material, anticipating important points a professor may stress, and paying less money than for a “clean” textbook.
• Read your textbook out loud. This will keep your brain from wondering and your eyes from just wandering across and down the page.
• Record yourself reading the text, then listen to the text on your ipod as you walk, drive, or run.
• Read the text ahead of time, and often class time will be a valuable review session.
Listen Like a Lawyer
• Try to anticipate what the professor is going to say next. In your mind, carry on a debate with the professor. This keeps your brain engaged and helps lock in facts and concepts.
• Concentrate more on what the professor is saying and less on how fast you can put it all on paper. Note taking often requires so much concentration and effort that what is said in class is lost.
Position Yourself
• You want to be near the front, but not so close that you have to crook your neck up to see the professor.
• Try to find a desk in the second or third row and off to the left or right side of the room – whichever side is opposite the classroom door.
• Finding the right seat might seem trivial, but this close – but not-too-close – positioning allows you to:
(1) Hear and see the professor comfortably, while avoiding the distraction of turning your head every time something comes in and out of the classroom door.
(2) Better interact and ask questions. And it always helps if the professor can see and remember you, but you still have some space so you don’t feel like you’re right under the professor’s nose.
(3) Better see and appreciate any props, videos, diagrams, or demonstrations.
Block Out
• Block out the distraction of other students who use class time as a social time. This frees more time for you to socialize outside the classroom.
• Sit near students who ask questions during and after class.
Smart & Lite Notes
• Take smart notes, rather than copious notes. Some students take pride in their pages and pages of notes, but they often spend time after class trying to make sense of their notes. If you’re an engaged listener during class, just a few smart notes can help you recall what you’d never have time to write down.
• Take lite notes: Travel light and smart by putting all your notes in your textbook margins, on those blank pages in front and back of the text, and on colored sticky notes. Leave those spiral notebooks in the college bookstore.
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