I am currently a sophomore and I feel as though my study habits have improved dramatically from last year to this year. I feel as though my study habits this year are so much better then what they use to be but there are obviously still things that can be improved. Some of the things that I do well for studying is I start studying at least a week before a test, so I do not cram everything into one or two nights. One other thing that I do well is I restudy the stuff from one day to the next until I have gone over all the information and feel comfortable with it. Lastly, I not only read the slides or notes I took in class but also read the given book for the class and take notes on that. The one main thing I struggle with while studying which I feel a lot of students can agree on is staying focused for a certain about of time. This seems to be a growing problem among the younger population and is a real problem when it comes to studying and retaining information. For the first exam in this class I am reading the chapter in the book and taking notes on that then after I finish one chapter I am looking at the slides that were covered in class and connecting the information from the book to the information covered in class. To prepare for the next exam one thing I want to start doing is after each class go over the information again to make sure I understand it completely right after we go over it and ask any questions that I am confused about to better prepare for the upcoming test.
Memory
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Zach Nawrocki's Blog 
Hi Zach!
Your studying habits sound very efficient and reflect a couple of the concepts discussed in this chapter. Beginning to study a week before the test allows for the process of relearning, which is when you learn something with more ease the more times you are exposed to it. First being exposed to the concepts in class, allows you to relearn them again when you read them in your textbook, and then relearn them again when you look over the class slides. Studying this way over the course of a week or so is also a reflection of the spacing effect, or the idea that distributing your study time and not cramming it all at once, produces better performance and long-term retention.
I would recommend keeping up the good study habits!
Emily
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Zach,
I would definitely agree with you about how your study habits have changed since last year. I feel like each year, you figure out what works for you best and that improves more. I do the same things when studying for this class with taking notes on the book and in class. The thing that I struggle with is if I miss a day of taking notes from the book, I have to play catch up and then my notebook is unorganized. I think I need a better method for that “backup” method when I miss a set of notes. I also think how you review what you studied the day before first is a good idea so you know for sure if you have that section down or not, before trying to recall new things. I haven’t tried the interleaving method of studying yet, but I think it would be interesting to try it and see if it works. It’s also a good method to test your knowledge when you’re ready so you put yourself in the actual testing situation. I think I will also try and go over the material we learned in class right afterwards too, just to get the repetition down in my head. I think something that is tricky for me, especially with this class, is remembering what we actually learned in class or through the book, versus what I have seen on TV or read on the internet, causing me a little source amnesia. Overall, it seems like you have good studying habits, good luck on the exam.
-Maddie
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