We’ve all been there: boring chapters, tedious assignments and trying to convince yourself that dropping out of college to go live in the wilderness is a good idea. College can be tough, and studying for classes can be especially challenging. However, with a little ingenuity, studying can be made easier and possibly even enjoyable. It all comes down to self-assessment.
According to Dr. Nelson, director of the Center for Student Excellence, there are three styles of learning: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Auditory learners do best in classes that involve a lot of discussion and lectures, visual learners remember things they’ve seen, such as diagrams and pictures and kinesthetic learners tend to do well in hands-on classes where they’re actively working with something.
These three categories are a great way to assess your needs in regards to studying. Auditory learners may record lectures or read notes out loud to themselves, visual learners may draw diagrams or color code their notes and kinesthetic learners may walk around while studying or rewrite their notes by hand. However, when dealing with a particularly difficult or boring class, students may need to utilize their creative thinking skills to make studying effective and interesting.
As a psychology nerd, I advise students to take learning assessment a step further by incorporating their personalities and interests. For example, my favorite subject has always been English. When studying, I often formulate metaphors to understand concepts such as photosynthesis.
Implementing skills from one’s strong subjects to better understand one’s weaker subjects can be a really helpful way to make studying interesting.
When I help other people study, I always take personality into account. For example, if I have a friend who enjoys debating and looking at things from different perspectives, I may start an argument about the views of historical figures. After debating and looking up facts in the textbook to support an opinion, a student is much more likely to remember those facts later for a test. Studying in groups may be helpful to some people, as others may be able to pick up on personality characteristics that you weren’t originally aware of.
Studying may be a meticulous chore for some people, but just like anything else, it takes practice and effort. Use diverse methods when studying. Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Above all, don’t let your study habits become a boring routine. When studying becomes monotonous, changes must be made.