5 Steps to Successful Studying

1. Get organized – Organize your books, course info, assignments, and stay aware of deadlines and exam dates. Prioritize your time across your studies, work, and personal life to effectively complete your courses.

2. Make a study plan – Having a plan or routine is important. It organizes your limited time across your busy life and gets you programmed into knowing when you must study. You can make a schedule by course and assignment, and by day, time, and study location. Add it to your mobile phone or laptop and set reminders. Take advantage of your school’s student services and study resources also.

3. Location, location, location – Choosing the right location to study is important. Don’t study in front of the TV, while texting or using Facebook, or listening to music, or other distractions. Find a quiet location at school or home, grab a coffee or water, and get to work.

4. Don’t defer studying – Cramming for exams or doing assignments at the last minute usually ends in a bad way. When you get an assignment or know a test is coming, start it as soon as possible, and get it done or study for the test several times leading up to the test date. Two reasons: 1 - because you’ll probably get a better mark then rushing to get it done, 2 - there is always more work coming in your courses. So if you defer the work, more work just piles up. That’s when the stress piles up and the marks go down!

5. Enjoy life too – Take short periods of time away from studying to recharge your brain, rest, and find the balance between school, work, life, family and other commitments you may have.

Studying takes effort and time, university is expensive, and it’s only a few years of your life, so study well, get good marks, graduate and start your career.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Metro Vancouver offers over 200 programs and services to help students succeed. Check us out here: www.kpu.ca.