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Hit the books: Area students, teachers offer studying tips
Originally Posted Online: Nov. 06, 2009, 4:43 pm
Last Updated: Nov. 06, 2009, 5:50 pm
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Print this story | Email this storyLast Updated: Nov. 06, 2009, 5:50 pm
By Sara Clifton, southof20@qconline.com
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You've made it through October, which means school is in full swing now. Like it or not, you're in it for the long haul -- until summer vacation in June. To help you cope with the study and stress, Quad-Cities area students and teachers shared their best tip for studying: Students -- "Going to Borders, ordering a white mocha, and going through flash cards." -- Ellie Tarr, Moline, freshman at Trinity College of Nursing -- "Look at the material a little bit every day. Unfortunately, I don't do this often enough and usually end up cramming." – Jim Hills, Lynn Center, freshman at Drake University -- "Make sure you start studying before the day before your test. Being a senior with three jobs, my schedule is always crazy, so it seems like I plan out every minute of my day." – Alexis Long, Orion, senior at Orion High School -- "Don't put off studying until the night before a test. Try to review your notes after class and make sure you understand the reading assignments. Also, when you study the night before a test, don't study non-stop for a few hours. Take breaks in between, and usually you'll be able to recall the information better." – Andrea DeDecker, Coal Valley, sophomore at Iowa State University -- "Focus. Don't study in front of a TV or while talking to your friends." – Grace Leuck, Orion, junior at Orion High School -- "Get off Facebook and focus on what needs to be done -- and then get back on Facebook." – Kelly Harder, Orion, sophomore at the University of Dubuque -- "I wish I would have taken notes on all the video clips my instructor showed. (The final) had a lot of questions from those. Things you might not expect to be on a test will surprise you when they appear and you are not ready for the answer that the teacher wants." – Goeff Schoon, Rock Island, senior at Augustana College -- "Read through notes every night for five to 10 minutes, and then you won't have to study the night before the test. And you'll get A's on the test, so I've heard. I haven't done it, though, but I should." – Brittany Scott, Andover, junior at Orion High School -- "Start reviewing notes as soon as you get them, and keep going over them. Studying a little bit at a time helps a lot." – Jamie Harrington, Lynn Center, freshman at Iowa State University -- "Make note cards." -- Amber Soike, East Moline, sophomore at Augustana College -- "Pay attention in class, review the notes, do most of the studying the night before, and have a last-minute cram session to remind yourself of some important information." – Kayla Arkebauer, Orion, senior at Orion High School -- "Just keep looking over everything you learn. Take 10-15 minutes every day and go over what you just learned that day and the days before. Also, use clues when you study; use things around you to help. For example, use things in your house to remember what you're studying. Finally, group things together. I learned how to do this in psychology. It was part of learning to improve your memory. It actually works, thanks to my teacher, Jeannine Pickering." – Alex Martens, Orion, freshman at Lincoln (Ill.) College. -- "Sit in a desk, and be in a quiet room." – Michelle Snook, Riverdale, freshman at Black Hawk College -- "Don't cram it all in the night before. Study for just a little, about 10 minutes every night. That way you retain the information. You will also be ready if a pop quiz comes your way." – Caitlyn Carroll, Orion, junior at Orion High School -- "Don't wait until the last minute, but you should also read a little at a time so you don't end up cramming the night before by reading the entire chapter and studying notes. Highlight important information in your text and notes, and make note cards or flashcards to help you remember. Use a study buddy if possible, and allow yourself time to take breaks. And make sure you get a good night's sleep before the test." – Kaitlyn Grymonprez, Andover, student at Black Hawk College East Campus -- "Always study about an hour a night for around a week, instead of cramming it all into one night, so that you repeat what you are studying and get it through you head. That definitely works for me." – Baillie Hancock, Orion, senior at Orion High School -- "Use flashcards, definitely. You study the material when you write the cards, and then you can review as many times as you want. The cards you don't know the answer to go in one pile, and the ones you can answer go in another. Then, I review the ones I don't know until I get all of them right." – Cassie Catlett, Coal Valley, freshman at Trinity College of Nursing -- "I usually rewrite my notes on note cards." – Niki Cook, Orion, junior at Orion High School -- "Start studying early, and rewrite your notes. That way, you can go over again what you did in class, and then when you study, they will be neat and easy to read." – Deanna Zwicker, Orion, junior at Augustana College -- "Search through the text and determine the main ideas, and then highlight them and go over it multiple times." – Tyler Patton, Orion, sophomore at Western Illinois University -- "Study regularly. The more you study, the less of a hassle it becomes. Eventually, studying won't feel like a chore. It's easier to do something if you aren't dreading it." – Rebecca Saner, Cambridge, sophomore at Black Hawk College, Kewanee -- "You definitely shouldn't wait until the last minute, especially if it is for a big test. Procrastinating only makes things worse." – Jessica McDaniel, Orion, junior at St. Ambrose University -- "I look over my notes, quizzes and tests and start memorizing what I think is most important." – Marlana Kulig, Coal Valley, senior at Orion High School -- "Don't procrastinate. I've bombed tests because I didn't study enough or tried to cram the night before." – Kara Jacobs, New Boston, freshman at Black Hawk College -- "Go to a quiet place, and turn your phone to silent or off." – Kayla Descamps, Orion, freshman at Augustana College -- "Make flash cards and study those, plus highlighting the important information from the textbook." – Jeni Cupicciotti, Sherrard, sophomore at Black Hawk College -- "Take away anything that can be distracting -- cell phone, TV, friends, everything." – Zach Catour, Orion, sophomore at Black Hawk College -- "When in doubt if you're supposed to know something or not, know everything." -- Emma Kulig, Coal Valley, sophomore at St. Louis University -- "(Don't) procrastinate!" – Jenna Strandlund, Moline, sophomore at Black Hawk College -- "Study the hard subjects first, then study your other subjects next. Then study your hard subjects later so you can remember what you need to know." – Matt Thor, Orion, senior at Orion High School -- "Study at a table or desk, not on a couch or bed. You are more focused when at a table, which resembles school, and you get more done quicker. No noise helps, too." -- Amber Larson, Port Byron, freshman at Black Hawk College -- "Isolate yourself in the library for a couple hours every night. Except weekends, of course -- that's when you get to have fun." – Matt Knoll, Coal Valley, freshman at Iowa State University -- "I like to get at least one other person with me, and we'll make flash cards and quiz each other on them, and on things in the book and notes." – Alexis Benware, Orion, senior at Orion High School -- "I have someone else read questions to me, and I answer them." -- Summer Lees, Orion, junior at Orion High School Teachers -- "I would tell many of my students not to wait until the last minute. Taking the time to review information on a regular basis will allow them to gain the knowledge on the topic, instead of studying the night before and trying to memorize everything." -- Becky Nightingale, physical education and health, Orion High School -- "Study a little bit each night. If the students do not have homework, they should still browse over what they learned that day. This is kind of hypocritical, because I in no way did this in high school. But most importantly, the students should have a good attitude about learning. They need to go into the homework wanting to learn it, think about it, not just stare at information and try to memorize it." – Matt Hutchins, social studies, Sherrard High School -- "I think it comes even before the 'studying' part: Take notes. Fewer and fewer students do that now. I don't understand how people can sit in a 50- or 75-minute class, never write a thing down, then expect to remember the information for a test or assignment. So, I'd say have a notebook, and a pen (or) pencil, ready to listen and record what seems important. How can you study if you have nothing to study? The book isn't everything." – Dolores Sierra, speech and communications, Black Hawk College -- "It's pretty hard to pin-point one single tip for studying, since good study skills are really a collection of many different things. If I had to single out one thing that I think is an issue for many students, it would be the importance of time management. If you are given a long-term assignment, such as a paper to write or a project, don't wait until the night before the project or paper is due to start working on it. The same thinking applies when it comes to a test or quiz; if you know you've got a big test coming up, don't wait until the night before to study for it. In order to really feel like you know and understand the material, you've got to spend more than just one night looking at it." – Marcy Wegerer, journalism, consumer education and accounting, Orion High School -- "Make time for studying. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you'll just be able to 'squeeze it in' anywhere during your day. Set aside specific and multiple times during the week in which you will study and get your homework done, and then do it. One last tip, as a professor who teaches Art 100 (art appreciation): Don't dismiss the need to study and complete work for your 100-level classes because they are supposed to be 'easy.' It may be a beginner-level class, but remember, it's also a college-level class. If it takes a student until mid-semester to realize that it's necessary to work and study to make a grade for a 100-level class, it may be too late to get the grade he or she wants." – Melissa Hebert-Johnson, art, Black Hawk College -- "Keep on top of things. Keep up with the reading and study as you go, rather than try to do it all at the last minute. Cramming works for some, but it also greatly increases the stress levels." -- Scott Briney, history and government, Orion High School "I tell all my students that they need to be 'active' in their studying for tests. This means not just staring at a piece of paper, but recopying notes, making flashcards, writing out information they have to memorize. They also should study some for several days instead of waiting to review all the material for a test in one night." – Linda Harp, special education, Orion High School -- "Read the book. I mean, actually go back and read the section that was just covered and the next one to be covered. Look at the examples and understand the concepts. Oftentimes, in mathematics classes, students completely ignore the text and just look at the problems without understanding. The concepts and theorems that are so important are just a couple of pages back." -- Ken Nickels, math, Black Hawk College 
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