The Changes I Have Made to My Study Habits from High-school to University

High School 

 University

Staying up late to study/Waking up extremely early (literally 2:30 a.m. at times during HSC!)

Trying to finish everything off during the day

Why: Entering uni taught me one thing: sleep is very important. Most students are known for a notorious sleep schedule and trust me, this is nothing to be proud of or to carry on with. If you learn how to manage time well, it is so possible to get all your work done before the sun sets and this is what you should be aiming to do. Try using your morning - evening time to study hard. Sacrifices to achieve your dreams are great but not when they bring no fruit to your efforts. Wake up at an earlier time but not super early. The later you wake up, the quicker the day will go by and you’ll get no work done out of laziness. Talking from expert experience… Sleep relatively early and use time after dinner for yourself. I cannot stress enough how important sleep is for a proper brain functioning. What is the point of you spending so much time learning things when you’re not even going to be able to store it in your long-term memory and use it when required?

Studying alone

Group study sessions are top-tier

Why: I used to prefer studying alone because I get easily distracted. This changed a whole lot in university. Now I am someone who loves and prefers to study in groups. In fact, my group study sessions are much more productive than my lonely study times. University is a very social learning environment but so is any other institution. You will most likely need help understanding things whenever you are learning or have recently learnt something new. There are countless benefits to learning with others, a big one being that if you are able to teach others a concept without doubting your abilities, you have mastered that topic. This is a great way to track your own progress and know where you stand in the race. You will be able to know what you have to revise more and therefore, can spend time studying that area more and do better. Studying with a group can also expose you to different and interesting information/methods. Sometimes people might have a quicker and easier way of solving that long integration problem. Learn from each other! Furthermore, at university (or in hs), especially during assignment/exam period, everyone is super focused on their work and helping others so it is harder for you to get distracted. I mean if you’re talking about your road trip but no one is interested, you’ll automatically stop and go back to your own work right? At least I hope so. Seeing others studying also encourages you to do the same, holds you accountable and boosts that academic competitive spirit. And plus, you’re helping others achieve their best too, what a good feeling is that? This is super important in Year 12 since your results rely on how well the entire cohort does. Teamwork makes the dream work. Try it out yourself!

Studying in my room

Studying in other, different places

Why: I realised that I cannot study at home. My home is my comfort zone and I get distracted by things that I enjoy doing rather than what I should be doing. Find a spot that is free from distractions but still something that helps your mind remain calm and enjoy your studies. Don’t pick a place that includes activities you like doing but still pick a location that is physically appealing to you (not for photos, just so you look forward to the supposedly dull activity called studying!) Or you might be the opposite, look for unappealing places so you study hard and faster to get out of there quicker. Examples include libraries, cafes, parks etc. Discover your mentality and find what works best for you. After some experimentation, I have finally found a few spots at my uni where I study the most efficiently. You should try switching between a few of your chosen study spots often or change to a different location completely. This helps with memorisation.

Digesting an entire textbook (especially before exams)

Actively applying knowledge

Why: Reading off the textbook and highlighting everything doesn’t make you smarter. Studies are all about being able to apply what you have just learnt. Since I am currently studying engineering, I have truly experienced the importance of practical application. As much as textbooks may be necessary for certain courses, it is important you test your understanding. Do practice quizzes, past papers, flashcards, use online quizzes, try and see if you can create your own questions and ask the teacher to see if your question is solvable. Then solve it! All of these help you retain and retrieve information as well as expose where your knowledge is flawed. Your brain can only store a certain amount of information for a given time. There is no benefit to cramming or reading textbooks to memorise things. Space your study out and do daily revision to remain up to date with the content so that when you are in your exam period, you don’t have to panic. 

Studying without thinking of the success that would follow

Rewarding myself for studying

Why: Humans constantly crave success. Even the half an hour you spend doing some solid study today will come handy later on in life. Remember this. I am highly against bribing but when it comes to study habits, bribing yourself is what I push you to do. Instead of going “I won’t eat until I study for an hour”, say to yourself “I will treat myself with my favourite food if I study for an hour”. This is a good source of motivation while allowing you to enhance your self-control and develop good habits. Judges have to sit and listen to some rather boring and lengthy court cases but they know they will be rewarded with a 300k salary and more importantly, justice for victims. Not to mention they worked years to be on that seat. This keeps them going. Pick whatever reward you want from yourself and work for it. 

Not setting goals

Setting study goals

Why: If you don’t know what you want to gain out of a particular study sesh, it makes it difficult to know where to start from and how long to keep going for. You may burn out. Your goals may be the length of your study time or content-based and how much/what you want to cover. Set realistic goals. It hurts when things don’t get ticked off that to-do list but it is okay! Give yourself more chances and keep going. Sometimes studying can take longer so don’t be harsh on yourself. At least your failures will make you aware of your pace. The more anxious you get, the more demotivated you will be to study. Make sure you include regular breaks between slabs of study time.