r/studytips • u/Initial_Ad5296 • 1d ago
I never studied before—any tips?
Hi everyone, I’m in college now and realizing I never really learned how to study. High school was super easy for me—most of the time I just did guided notes from the reading and that was enough to do well. But now I’m feeling kind of lost. Does anyone have any advice or methods for how to actually study effectively? I’d really appreciate any tips or suggestions!
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u/Late_Writing8846 1d ago
I find that breaking things down into chunks or sections and then prioritizing what's important to be super helpful.
Also, having a 'study ritual' really helps me. For me, that's making sure my study area is tidy, making a tea, doning my 'special study hoodie' (this is a new trick I've only just started utilizing - basically i ONLY wear this hoody when I'm studying and the idea is that it will help my brain associate wearing it with being locked in!) Then I set a timer on my phone 60-120 minutes. I don my noise cancelling headphones and get to work! After the timer goes off, I get up for 15 minutes and either go for a walk around the block or practise some mindfulness.
If it's a dedicated "study day" I'll do this 6-7 times, sometimes there'll be a longer break for lunch. If I had class in the morning or work or whatever I'll at least try 2 or 3 cycles or however much time I have. Remember balance is everything too!! You have to look after yourself - mentally and physically - or studying just becomes unsustainable. Best of luck OP! You got this.
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u/No_Quote_7687 1d ago
try active recall and spaced repetition it helps stuff stick. flashcards, teaching concepts out loud, and breaking study time into short focused sessions can really help too
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u/pusheenyy 1d ago
my favourite methods are 1. Skimming and reading through the text and write questions involving the information you’re learning for yourself! then a day later you can go through the questions, and those you can’t remember the answer to; look up what they are and then come back to them the day after c: 2. Write a list or flash cards for important vocabulary (works best in science)
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u/--yori-- 1d ago
Try all sorts of things, don't be affraid to switch things up from time to time!
I've personally a problem with writing short summaries, so if you do too, it might help to make a mindmap or, if it seems to chaotic, try to write everything you remember on a blank paper and highlight the things you forgot on your orginal summary.
Other things that help are active recall, redoing excersises and repeating material frequently (hang post-its around your room).
Study methods that work for me are 45-15 pomodoro and long study sessions (1-2h with no breaks). If I'm really tired, I tend to do 30-10 with me playing a game on my 3ds / an io game during my break so I will feel motivated to get as much done as possible in the next 30 minutes.
But overall: no social media, no youtube (I let myself listen to one song in a loop (the song cannot contain audiable lyrics)), don't study in the same space as you relax.
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u/Realistic-Spare97 1d ago
I tend to focus more on understanding concepts than on memorizing them and If you can, study with friends or classmates. Hope this helps a bit.
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u/Actual_Meringue8866 23h ago
Totally get you — I was the same in high school. What helped me in college was active recall (like flashcards), teaching concepts out loud, and breaking study time into focused sprints. Also, I use tools like Blackbox AI to quickly explain confusing stuff or test my understanding. Super helpful when you're stuck but don’t want to waste time Googling forever.
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u/SpeedCola 1d ago
I've got a few articles on studying you might like: https://www.noteknight.com/blog
Effective study habits for nursing students . Which is my study methods from nursing school but it's relevant
Study habits for former gifted student kinda sounds relevant to you as well!