As another school year gets underway, there are some constants you can’t forget. Between homework and library research, term papers and study sessions, it’s inevitable that there will be days you don’t have enough time to finish everything in your regular waking hours. Whether it’s a habit of procrastination, a big test or a heavy class load, college students are going to need to pull an all-nighter sooner or later. Some dread them, and some find they work better under the pressure of a looming deadline and lack of sleep, but either way, you better get used to them.

It’s definitely better to study on a regular basis so you aren’t forced to pull an all-night study session to get things done, but when you find yourself unable to avoid it, there are some things that will make your evening easier, and maybe even a little more enjoyable:

• Caffeine: Whether it’s in the form of coffee, chocolate, tablets or a fancy latte, caffeine is a must for pulling an all-nighter. It will help you stay awake so that you are alert enough to absorb the material you’re cramming into your brain at four in the morning. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no argument that college students are constantly busy balancing classes, extracurricular activities, Greek life participation, social calendars, volunteer work, jobs, internships, relationships, etc.

One of the luxuries of attending college in the 21st century is the smart phone technology that allows students to use their wireless devices to compliment their lives through improved organization, test prep and resources.

Here is a list of some of the most popular and most helpful Blackberry applications for college students: Read the rest of this entry »

The LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, is a test that anyone wanting to go to law school must take for admittance. The LSAT is a standardized test that typically takes a half-day to complete and is only given four times per year. There are five sections of multiple-choice questions on the test, each taking 35 minutes to complete. The multiple-choice questions of the LSAT fall into one of three categories: reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning. Being able to successfully answer these types of questions helps measure your perceived level of success in law school. One of those sections is actually not scored, and that section is typically used to introduce possible new test questions.

There is also an essay, or writing sample, portion of the test that takes 35 minutes. Although the writing section of the test is not counted towards an overall score, it is sent to all of the schools that students are applying to for admission. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever spent an hour reading a book, looking over your notes or quizzing yourself with flashcards, only to realize a few hours later that you don’t remember any of it?

I often find myself forgetting a conversation I had with someone that I really should remember. What’s up with this short-term memory loss? Well, maybe it’s not that we forget, but that we don’t ever really commit these things to memory.

I attended a lecture about memorization and the steps that you need to go through in order to really commit something to your long-term memory. These steps are called “The Three R’s of Memory.” We’ll analyze them as if you were studying information you would need to know for a test.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes, it is just not fun to have to study, especially when you see other people out and about, doing fun things. But when you study with a friend, you know that you are not suffering alone, and that makes it somewhat more tolerable. Also, you have someone to help explain concepts or problems you don’t understand, and vice versa.

My main problem when I try to study with my friends is that we end up talking more about Desperate Housewives than the class we are supposed to be studying. I have a feeling I’m not alone in this habit.

So is there any way you can get the benefits of studying with a friend without getting sidetracked? I attended a seminar about the benefits of group learning and how to make it the most efficient use of your study time.

Here are some study tips that can help you and your study partner out.

1. Set an agenda. If you know what you have to study during your study session, you can make a list and check off each thing as you learn it. Put something rewarding at the end of your list, like a trip to the ice-cream shop, to motivate both you and your partner to stay on task.

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I try to be a self-regulated learner. Self-regulated learners often do better on tests and assignments. They learn better and retain what they have learned longer. But what is a self-regulated learner?

A self-regulated learner is someone who takes charge of their own learning. A good example of a self-regulated learner is when a baby learns to sit up on his own. Nobody is sitting there, encouraging the baby and quizzing him on how to sit; he just does it himself. He is self-motivated and teaches himself how to do it. Another example is making a mock-exam before a test and quizzing yourself. Nobody told you to do that, but if you do, you will probably learn more from it and remember the material better than if you just went to a review session. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether a college freshman or returning for what feels like your umpteenth semester, it’s important to start the year off with a plan to manage your schedule. The first few weeks might seem easy, a paper here, a book to read there, a few math problems here; but before long you’ll have 15 hours worth of papers, exams, required reading, class projects and more to keep track of, and that’s when problems begin.

There are probably as many ways to organize your schedule as there are college majors, so it’s important to find a method that suits your style and let it works for you. Whether it’s old school paper and pen, an iPhone app, a Google calendar or fancy leather-bound planner, make sure you have a scheduling method in place, and use it! Read the rest of this entry »

This time of year is one that induces stress in both high school and college students alike. Exams are around the corner, with that comes the late nights and loss of social life. I am here to give you some advice from my college experience. Recharge your batteries. 

Something can be said about the benefits of studying 72 hours in five days, but when does it become too much? Studying is an important part of getting good grades, but what use is working your brain to the nub when you are too tired to recall the information you have learned. Read the rest of this entry »

I am a huge fan of flashcards. I have index card boxes filled with Spanish/English words, the periodic table, Algebra formulas, states and their capitals…The list goes on and on. I think that flashcards are a very effective way to learn new material and to quiz myself over the material. But, let’s face it, they tend to get bulky. Imagine carrying around 300 vocabulary words, each on its own flashcard. It becomes a bit of a burden.

Cobocards is a new webapp that allows you to create flashcards online. Cobocards “is an abbreviation for Collaboration Cards and helps you to easily create flashcards (alone or in a team) to study for whatever you want.” Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of International Baccalaureate (IB) students wonder what the easiest way to study for IB tests is. I’ve heard a lot of juniors, who begin their testing this year, asking a few seniors how they studied for their first round of IB tests. Thinking about and hearing the students asking about studying for the tests really made me question the easiest way to study for the upcoming IB tests.

The more I think about it, the more I realize there is really only one way to study for the IB exams. There is no study guide or deck of flashcards you can use, but rather all your notes and materials teachers have given you over the past one or two years. Reviewing all major topics discussed in your classes and also little details your teacher more than likely pointed out as an important part of the topic is going to be the easiest way to prepare properly for the IB exams. Read the rest of this entry »