Are you a left-brain thinker or a right-brain thinker? Are you an auditory learner or a visual learner? New research says that we should forget these categories entirely. An article published in The New York Times reveals that researchers have discovered much of the advice about learning and studying that’s been handed down to us is unsupported at best even flat-out wrong.

Take the idea that you should stay in the same place when you study, and that it should be a clean, quiet space. Psychologists found that students who studied the same material in different places, one of which was not quiet, did better than students studying the same subject in the same room. “What we think is happening here is that, when the outside context is varied, the information is enriched, and this slows down forgetting,” said Dr. Bjork, author of the experiment and psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Whenever you study something, your surroundings also get registered along with the information that you’re explicitly trying to remember. It seems that the more surroundings that get attached to that information, the more likely you will be to remember it because it will have “more neural scaffolding.”

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We’ve all heard that awful statistic that for every hour you are in class you should be studying two hours. So, if you are taking 15 hours, you should be studying 30 hours outside of the classroom. Yeah, right….

When I first got to college, I tried to make myself study the 34 hours my schedule “required.” It just wasn’t possible. Not because I was slacking off or spending too much time on Facebook, but because there just wasn’t enough work to do.

Philip Babcock, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, and Mindy Marks, a professor at the University of California Riverside, conducted a survey of students’ study habits. They found that “the average student at a four-year college in 1961 studied about 24 hours a week. Today’s average student hits the books for just 14 hours.” Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes it is just impossible to learn a concept from a textbook. When this happens to me, I jump on my computer and try Googling the problem. Sometimes I find what I am looking for and the problem is solved. Other times though, I cannot find what I need to save my life, and then I am no better off than when I started.

Is there any way to guarantee online homework help?

Yes, and it is called Cramster.

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Taking the SAT, ACT, or PSAT is a nerve racking experience. I froze up my first time taking the ACT and didn’t finish the math section. I knew how to do it; it was just new and scary. It would have been awesome if I had been able to take a practice test beforehand. That way I would have known what to expect, how to pace myself, and known where to spend most of my time, based on my strengths and weaknesses.

Evidently the people at the Princeton Review have heard several people share my same concern. They have declared March 20, 2010 as National Testing Day they are offering a free full-length, SAT, ACT, or PSAT practice test to anyone who signs up.

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If you live in Maryland, the College Board’s Advanced Placement tests should not be nearly as intimidating as if you lived anywhere else in the country.

Why?

More high school students in Maryland have taken at least one AP test, and 24.8 percent of students passed the test with a score of at least a three. This is great news for high school students who want to go to college; a three earns college credit at many colleges in the country.

“We have an accelerating number of students taking Advanced Placement,” said Maryland Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. “The courses are being taught with fidelity. The students are meeting the expectations of the coursework, and it’s revealed in their performance.”

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Argh. It’s finals time. It’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year with the holidays almost here, but if you are in school, this is also one of the most stressful times of the year.

So far, I’ve pulled two all-nighters and drank more cups of coffee than should be humanly possible, all in the name of studying for those darn tests! If you’re in the same boat as me, it might seem quite easy to sink into a finals depression, where dropping out and living under a bridge sounds better than looking at your notes one more time. If that’s where you are, then try to take comfort in the three nice things about this week so that you can stay sane during finals.

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There really is not enough time in the day. We are supposed to sleep eight hours, attend classes, eat meals, maybe go to the gym, study and for some students, work a part-time job. The list seems endless.

Some days I wake up at six o’clock in the morning, go to classes and my job, and don’t get home until eleven at night. On these crazy days, I have no time to sit down with my textbooks and notes to study. What is a college gal with a hectic schedule to do about finding time to study?

She just has to get creative.

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Sometimes studying by yourself isn’t that much fun. You don’t remember what your professor was talking about; that example you copied down doesn’t make as much sense as it did two weeks ago; you can’t read your own handwriting. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to access someone else’s notes about your subject? Maybe check out their flashcards, quizzes, or diagrams? Sounds slightly unrealistic, right? Well, thanks to StudyBlue.com, it’s no longer just a dream.

StudyBlue.com is a new website that allows students to collaborate with other students from around the world, or just from across town, on subjects ranging from art history to organic chemistry. Students on StudyBlue.com post their notes, flashcards, old quizzes, study guides, etc. These files then become available to everyone on the site. Think Napster, except you are trading knowledge instead of music and there are no sticky legal issues. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether its college or high school finals, IB Testing, AP Testing, or any other testing that is held during the tail end of school, the beginning of May signifies a long month for me and a number of other students. For me specifically, its IB testing.

IB testing encompasses the entire month of May with tests starting next Monday, the fourth, and lasting through May 22. Of course, just my luck, I have tests on the opening day all through May until the 22nd. I will be taking Psychology HL, Physics HL, English HL, Calculus SL, and Spanish SL. Throw in the AP Calculus test and I’m sure you can see I have quite the busy month ahead of me! Read the rest of this entry »

If you are anything like me, you realize that finals are right around the corner. That thought scares me. I have always envied the schools that don’t have finals for the kids that have a passing grade in the class (I believe for most schools its an A), or have less than so many days missing school. As finals approach though, there are a few things to keep in mind that I believe most students (or at least high school students) will find helpful when preparing for finals.

1. Know your stuff- Look over old tests and old quizzes to see what you don’t know or where your weakest points are. Once you know where you are weakest, you can begin by studying those things, since they are the most important. This doesn’t mean you should overlook what you already did well on. Be sure to also spend time on things you know well, a little review never hurt to make sure you know your stuff!

2. Talk to your teachers- If you have any questions concerning the final or materials, ask your teacher! That’s what your teachers are for, to answer questions you may have. So if you want to know what’s on the final (if they will tell you!) or just want some extra practice with some subjects you find rather difficult, talk to your teacher. Read the rest of this entry »