Title: Effective Study Habits
Course: CIS 205 Part 1: T&I Preparation > Section: Module 6: Students; Rights and Responsibilities

Effective Study Habits

Course Objective: Identify your rights and responsibilities as a student of Edmonds Community College.

Returning or entering college can be a daunting task for many students.  Best practices, as outlined below, can provide a base to help you be a successful student.

5 Good Study Habits

1. Find a Good Learning Environment

 | Locate or create a quiet place to do your studies away from distractions such as television and loud conversations. The library, a quiet spot in your home, or your favorite coffee cafe may be a perfect location to study. Avoid areas where people gather for loud or spirited conversation. If needed, play some soft music while studying, this can ease your mind and the mood.

2. Create a Study Schedule

Studies show that college students that spend 20 hours per week on their studies are successful. Pull out your calendar and mark down those 20 hours that you will commit to your studies. Be committed to the hours that you have selected. Occasionally, we all have things happen that make us change our plans. If this happens to you, find the time to replace the missed study time.
As you study, be sure to take breaks. You should consider getting up and moving around for 5 minutes of every hour. This will help you clear your mind and prepare you for the next big topic. Consider these breaks as reward for an hour well spent.

3. Take and Organize Notes

If you've ever been in a college classroom, you've probably taken notes. Either lecture notes or notes while reading a text book. There are many different ways of taking notes, here are some helpful suggestions:

- Copy objectives, competencies, or outcomes for a course or module to start your note taking.  As you see key points that support or help you understand the course objective, write down the key point.
- Make your notes brief; you don't need to copy the whole text.  Put notes in your own words.  Don't copy information verbatim.
- Identify unfamiliar terms with familiar concepts or information.
- After finishing your note taking, review them.  Make additional notes only if you don't remember what that first note was about.
- And just for fun, check out this video from watchwellcast.com on YouTube.

4. Seek Help When Needed

You are not in this great adventure alone!  We're here to support and help you.  Remember that your coach and mentor have experience working through difficult topics and finding additional resources for you.
Use the resources that are available to you as a student in PACE-IT and a student of Edmonds Community College.  These resources are the topic of the next module of this course.
Ask for help when you need it!

5. Keep Balanced

In her address to the graduating class of 1990 at Wellesley, Barbara Bush said

"[...] choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections: your relationships with family and friends. For several years, you've had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. And, of course, that's true. But as important as your obligations as a doctor, a lawyer, a business leader will be, you are a human being first. And those human connections --- with spouses, with children, with friends -- are the most important investments you will ever make."

Life is best spent in balance. Instead of becoming obsessive about one aspect of life like school or work, strike a balance by creating a schedule that gives you time each week for a variety of your interests like time with friends and family, exercising, or working on a hobby. As you study, remember that the sum of your life, is not about passing one more test, it is about the connections you've made and experiences you have had.

References:

Bush, B. (1990, June 1). Wellesley College commencement: Text of Mrs. Bush's remarks at Wellesley College commencement. The White House: Mrs. Bush's Press Office. Retrieved on December 17, 2013 from http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/bio_bbush_wellesley.php

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