10 New Semester Study Tips

     It's a new year, and that means a new semester at school. This post is probably being posted in the middle of the changing semesters, because I know some schools only have 2 semesters, and others have 3 or 4. But regardless of where it falls for you, it's never too late to learn more efficient ways to get more studying done.

1. Study in a quiet, distraction-free location.
  - I usually study during the day because I'm home alone with no distractions or I study late at night when everyone is asleep. You need to find what works best for you, whether its at the library, or in the park.

2. Study anywhere but your bed!
 - I always sit at my desk to study cause let's be honest studying in bed will get you nowhere cause your gonna wanna sleep. So get outta bed, even if it means sitting in the floor.

3. Highlight and use color-coding.
   - Highlighters are my best friends. I use to highlight everything right after I made the notes, but that didn't really help when it came time to study. I find it easier to study if I wait to highlight when I review at the end of the week.

4. Take Breaks.
  -  In order to get your work done without stressing yourself out, remember to take breaks. I usually work for an hour, then take a 10-20 minute break. Then I got back to work. You need to start working on your most important assignment first, and whenever you feel yourself starting to get stressed put it down, and work on something else and go back to it later.

5.  Make Time for it.
 -  Make time every week to go over what you've learned. Spending two hours a week reviewing what you learned that week, is going to keep you from stressing come time for finals. Think of it this way, if you review for every class now, later you can spend more time studying for the test you think you might fail.

6.  Get Organized.
  - Take five minutes everyday to clean up any mess, and organize any papers that may be out of place. Do this now, and when you need them you won't be panicking thinking you lost them.

7. Talk to your Teachers or Professors.
  - Start the new semester off by talking to your teachers or professors. Talk to them about your concerns, and find out what they expect of you. Plus getting on their good side now will help later if you need an extension on a paper.

8. Turn Off Your Cell Phone!
   - Ugh, this is where I run into trouble, I always have my phone beside me, and it distracts me. So I think this semester we ALL need to put away the phones and concentrate.

9. Make a Plan.
  - Since I'm an online student I make my own schedule, so in the past and to this day I struggle with making enough time to study. That is until here recently when I started planning out what I would do everyday, since then I've got more work done, so try it, it really does work.

10. Don't Panic.
   - If you find yourself getting close to a deadline, with not nearly enough time to finish, panicking is the worst thing you could possibly do. If you start to panic, you're setting yourself up for failure, because then you're gonna work too quickly, make mistakes, and turn in shitty work!


   So there are my 10 tips for studying, I hope you're able to put them to good use this semester, or even next semester.
                                                     Stay Creative,
                                                                     Lori Ann