Tips for studying at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC

You’re probably tired of ‘grown-ups’ telling you ‘how it’s gonna be’ at university, but effective note-taking, studying, researching, writing, and time-management strategies really are different at university compared to high school.

University counsellors say one of the most common problems for first year students in their transition to university is they overestimate their ability to do well. So here are some tips for success in your first year of university and beyond:

TAKING NOTES:
The Days of Our Lives…Isn’t just a bad soap opera. You’ll thank yourself for dating your notes when you’re studying for exams. .

Don’t write down everything! Stick to key concepts and supporting points. It’s easier to study if you’ve got solid notes on main ideas instead of scribbles on everything.

There are no stupid questions….OK, that’s cliché, but you’re paying for university, so get your money’s worth.  If you don’t understand what you’re writing, it doesn’t matter how tidy your notes are. Ask for examples.

Use shorthand.  For ex.: it’s faster to write w/ for with and gov’t for government. 

STUDYING:
Don’t try to memorize everything! You’ll swiftly go insane in the brain.  Take better notes (see above) to make studying easier.

Try word association to jog your memory. Like ROY.G.BIV for the colors of the rainbow.

Plan a study group…If you can ‘teach’ a concept, you’re more likely to remember it.

Don’t cram! For real! The short-term memory centre in your brain isn’t big enough for all the info you need to retain. 

THE EXAM:
Glance over the entire exam first…determine roughly how much time you’ll need for each section. If you start to run out of time, hit up the questions worth more first.

Don’t be fooled! Read questions carefully and pick up on words like all, only, always, because, generally, usually, and sometimes that can turn a true statement into a false one.

About those essay questions…create a brief outline (intro, supporting body, conclusion) first, then refer to it to avoid ranting on.  Map out ideas and examples in your outline.

Apply October 1st for 2010/2011 admission to Thompson Rivers University. TRU has Open Admission for Bachelor of Arts, Science, and Business. Visit www.tru.ca.