Physical Address

#1 Shell Camp Owerri, Nigeria

How to Build Good Study Habits to Do Better in College

In colleges, having effective and efficient studying methods is key to good performance.

For most students, developing proper study techniques is hindered by distractions and pressure to perform.

The wish of every college student is to graduate with good grades. However, that will require them to develop good study habits.

The steps towards helpful learning behavior may seem harsh to most learners, but they are not.

Good study habits encompass things you do daily as part of your culture to perform well.

These will revolve around personal life, learning environment, and relationships with others.

The study culture you develop must revolve around all three areas for you to succeed.

What Helps Build Good Study Habits in College?

As noted above, your study habits revolve around three areas that are well covered here.

Be keen to learn how each of them impacts you and see how fast you can improve your ability to learn.

1. Learning Environment

One primary thing that impacts your academic skills is the learning institution you are enrolled in.

Every college has its culture. Understanding it is as important as your study methods.

That’s because this culture will impact your capacity to study and the process of acquiring knowledge, among other things.

Choose a college that is safe and makes the process of studying a pleasure.

Selecting the wrong institution or one with a culture you don’t accept could be disastrous for your progress.

Some of the qualities to look for when selecting a college are:

  • Safety. Before enrolling, learn about the safest college campuses.
  • A non-discrimination policy for all learners.
  • Existence of a supportive learning culture.
  • Necessary infrastructure to support learning activities.

2. Personal life habits

In academic performance, it all begins with individual efforts.

The habits you form the moment you enter a learning institution define how successful you will be in school.

While the school culture and other factors will impact your performance, take time to understand your responses to life and approach to studies.

Here are some of the most notable personal habits to help you improve your academic performance:

a) Have a schedule

Most college students don’t have a daily program on what to do at any given time.

Lack of a schedule makes them lose focus, so you’ll find a student sleeping or partying during class hours.

Creating a program that works for you as a learner is key to succeeding.

b) Reward yourself

One of the key things we forget in life is to reward ourselves.

After the sacrifice and effort you put into a particular task, you must gift yourself.

As a student, completing a task and passing tests should earn you a personal thank you.

Appreciating yourself for a set target gives you more energy to work harder for the next one.

c) Take time to rest

College life can be exhausting. Most students are young, and there are so many things they feel they need to do.

They participate in games, socialize, have relationships, and attend classes.

While all these things are good, they can cost students their rest.

Taking breaks from all these things and having enough sleep will refresh you and make you more productive in class.

d) Manage your studies

It’s easy to overload yourself with classwork and feel like you must do so much simultaneously. That’s a pretty bad idea!

To succeed in your studies, divide the work into manageable portions so as not to get overwhelmed.

e) Revise what was learned in class

Good students develop a habit of going through the lessons taught in class by themselves later on.

One of the best practices would be reading the notes taken before bed or early the following day.

It helps understand the material better, and you’ll be ready to attend the class without worries.

Another way to enhance your revising techniques is to develop a culture of doing personal tests on lessons learned within a week.

Doing this at the end of every week will help you remember more.

f) Take notes

Most college students dislike the idea of taking notes during class time. That’s a big mistake! Learning is not easy, and it’s a sacrifice.

Taking notes will keep you engaged in class and help you identify areas you’ll be tested on during an exam.

g) Find a suitable study space

Build yourself an environment that is conducive to your studies.

That means avoiding places with too many distractions, such as TVs, music, etc. Set aside a calm place to study alone.

Such places could be the library, your bedroom, or any other place where you will feel comfortable.

3. Relationship with Teachers and Other Students

Developing a collaborative culture is critical to the success of college students.

Unlike in high schools, college learners are required to put more individual effort into achieving academic success.

But that also comes with the creation of a collaborative culture.

Research indicates that students excel in their studies where a habit of deliberate cooperation and sharing has been developed.

Creating positive interactions and regularly engaging with other students can help deal with study issues.

For starters, it leads to a positive attitude towards learning and forms support systems. Here are a few strategies that lead to a collaborative culture with college tutors and learners:

  • Make it a habit to participate in a learning group every week.
  • Expand your network with teachers and other students.
  • Join others in setting clear goals and expectations for your group’s success.
  • Set academic goals in areas where you feel weak. Don’t just ignore the problem, otherwise it will be hard to keep up.
  • Offer assistance to those who don’t perform well. There will always be people who will need help with a certain subject. If you can help, do it. It will also assist you in improving your expertise in this area, plus you will help someone.
  • Be a team player when competing with other students, and don’t take competition too seriously. Remember to focus only on your work. If you like comparing yourself to others, it will be difficult to achieve positive results.

Awesome one; I hope this article answers your question.

Editor’s Recommendations:

If you find this article good, please share it with a friend.

Uche Paschal
Uche Paschal

Uche Paschal is a professional and passionate writer on education, including homeschool, college tips, high school, money and travel tips. He has been writing articles for over 5 years. He is the Chief Content Officer at School & Travel.

Articles: 47