Study List Priorities

1. Semester Prep: (1) Textbook separation, (2) 3 ring binder s/up, (3) Google Calender, (4) Time Mgt sheets, (5) Syllabus Review, (6) Each Subject skills review + Cheat Sheets, (7) Blank Cornell sheets, (8) Review study method (Cornell and self-study), (9) Review Cornell brainstorm Essay outline (for each writing project)
   
2. 2008 Word: http://www.uwsp.edu/it/ApplicationSupport/appSuppDocsImages/referenceGuides/word-quick-reference-2008.pdf
3. Learn a Short-Hand method - http://kitty-alana.blogspot.com/2009/09/easyscript-shorthand.html
4. Learn Medical Prefixes/Suffixes - http://www.pullins.com/BookViews/BV9781585102952.pdf
5. Read study skills on Bio, Algebra, English - http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/content/
6. Learn Cornell Note Taking - http://kitty-alana.blogspot.com/2009/11/cornell-map.html
   
7. Mentally recall & verbalize (from sentences) Cluster Map (practice)
   
8. Learn to outline an essay, brainstorm, and prioritize (write a killer thesis, collect # evidences, write a drop-dead intro sentence) - preliminary research, Google question format to collect arguments to back evidences) - http://kitty-alana.blogspot.com/2009/11/essay-outline-essay-is-about-making.html
   
9. 10 Key Typing: http://kitty-alana.blogspot.com/2009/10/10-key-typing-course.html
10. Overcoming Shyness: http://thinksimplenow.com/happiness/20-ways-to-attack-shyness/
11. Mnemonic Devices To Improve Memory: http://kitty-alana.blogspot.com/2009/09/mnemonic-devices-to-improve-memory.html

College Classes Specific Study Skills

1. Biology Roots: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/asu/download/Study-RememberingScientificTerms-FlyerJun09.pdf
2. Biology Videos: http://www.learnerstv.com/animation/animationcategory.php?cat=biology
3. How To Study College ALGEBRA: http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/col_algebra/index.htm
4. College Composition: http://commhum.mccneb.edu/argument/summary.htm
5. HOW TO READ A COLLEGE TEXTBOOK: http://www.ocean.edu/ReadColText/HowToReadCollegeTextDrJohnWeber.htm
   

How to Ace Algebra

For each algebraic concept, solve a problem with all the steps outlined. This is your blueprint problem to solving all practice sets

If you want to do well in a technical class all you have to do is develop insight for every single concept covered in lecture. Solving the problem and knowing what it means is the key!

Keep a running list of every concept taught so far in the semester. Mark the ones that you have an insight for and the ones you don’t understand. It helps to see clearly exactly what insights you still need.

Memory Techniques

Making up mnemonics memory techniques may be fun as well as beneficial. For example, if you need to remember the 12 cranial nerves you can take the first letter of each nerve and make up a sentence where each word begins with the first letter of each nerves.

HOW TO STUDY FOR BIOLOGY II

The information in a typical biology course may be divided into four categories: definitions, lists, diagrams, and relationships or equations. Examples follow.

Define the term 'prokaryotic'. What are the two basic cell types? Show the structure of a general amino acid. What is the relationship between phagocytosis and intracellular digestion? What is the equation for a saturated non-cyclic hydrocarbon?

In your study effort, concentrate first on the definitions of terms. If you come into an exam with only these committed to memory you may still be able to achieve a grade of to 60–70%. Add lists and you may, barring mistakes, get a 70–80%. Diagrams, equations, and relationships will round out your perfect score (as always, barring mistakes).

On the other hand, if you come to the exam with full knowledge of the diagr ams, equations, and relationships but none of the terms and lists you are bound to fail. When you make flash cards bear this in mind and concentrate on the terms and lists first. Only when you have these committed to memory should you worry much about the diagrams and relationships.

http://msjensen.cehd.umn.edu/1135/Help/HowToStudyDW.htm

How to Study Biology

by Jessica Lee '08 and Chensi Ouyang '08

Lectures

• Go to all lectures. If you miss any, get notes from a friend or find the PowerPoints online.
• Be an active listener.
• It is important to be alert and concentrate on what is said in lecture.
• Take full and comprehensive notes.
• Ask the instructor questions before, after, or during class.
• Do not allow yourself to miss classes and fall behind or the entire course will become an effort and a struggle for you.
• Review lecture material that night to solidify the concepts in your brain.

Reading

• Do all pre-reading for a lecture. This being MIT, many students don't. If you miss a reading, make sure to play catch up as soon as possible. DON'T save all your reading for the day before a test.
• Reading is often your best bet to get confusing concepts in lecture clarified. Don't hesitate to Wiki/Google things either: these are great sources for students.
• Highlight/take notes/be an active reader. Tabbing the book with Post-Its® is also extremely helpful.

Recitation/TAs

• Find a GOOD TA! Shop, shop, shop for the best one. It can make all the difference.
• You want a TA that explains concepts well, uses the blackboard/educational media well, challenges you with good test-like questions, and makes him-/herself available for office hours.
• Attend all recitations. These may even be more helpful than lectures as they usually summarize all the week's material and then offer practice problems (similar to the test, which is what the bulk of your grade depends on!)
• Attend office hours!
• TAs can be the best help for completing a tricky Pset (you'll learn so much more than from copying from a friend), or studying for a test (they often have seen the test already).

Problem Sets

• Don't be intimidated about not being able to do a Problem Set. The questions are usually similar to but harder than test questions.
• Don't start your Pset late at night, start about two days before, so you'll have ample time to ask TA, peers for help).
• Do all the Psets and don't hand them in late
• This way you make sure you're on track with class material and you won't be super overwhelmed when the test rolls around.
• Use the book/other resources to help you with Pset questions.
• To be frank, the internet holds a lot of answers, and if you can find a good explanation to a similar problem online you can learn a lot. (I'd use the internet as a last resort, though).
• If you're really stuck, check MIT OpenCourseWare for previous years' problems and solutions, or go ask a knowledgeable upperclass student.
• Remember, Problem Sets exist to help you learn and are pretty much worth nothing to your grade, so do the best you can and don't stress about not knowing every answer.

Test Prep

• Start studying at least 3–4 days before the exam.
• Biology ALWAYS contains a lot of material!
• Study biology when you are most alert and fresh. Make sure to take 5- or 10-minute breaks every 20 to 40 minutes in order to clear your mind.
• Read and study all your textbook explanations of important concepts/biological techniques.
• Whenever possible explain aloud to another person what you are learning. Work with a classmate and explain terminology and concepts to each other (this is super helpful!)
• Write up summary sheets of biology terminology and concepts and review often.
• Visualizing is a powerful technique for remembering terms.
• Making up mnemonics (memory techniques) may be fun as well as beneficial.
• Do at least one practice test before the real test to get an idea of what problems they can ask you. Time yourself.
• Review the types of errors you make and types of questions that cause you difficulty. Give yourself more practice in these areas of difficulty.
• If possible, have a friend or family member quiz you on your notes and text information. Done regularly this commits more information to long-term memory.

Desperate Test Prep

So it's 10 pm on the night before your morning test. What should you do?

• Go through class notes quickly to get a grasp of things, read the book to clarify if needed. (1-2 hours)
• Go over all Problem Sets: read the solutions/do over the harder problems. (1-2 hours)
• Do as many practice tests as you can to get an idea of what you'll be facing. (2 hours)
• And if you're allowed to bring a cheat sheet(s) for your test, compile it quickly, writing only the most necessary information. Now would be a good time to ask a friend about what they wrote on their cheat sheet. (1 hour)

http://mit.edu/uaap/learning/advice/biology.html

Summary Sheets

SUMMARY SHEETS: a compact version of a semester’s worth of notes, useful for big tests or final exams, the mere act of putting together a summary sheet like the one below helps set the information in your memory much more firmly than just reading over notes.

SOCIOLOGY 103

	19th Century	20th Century
How is Family Governed?	Patriarchal, father head of family	Individualistic and democratic
Difference in stability	Family Stable	Family less stable
Status of extended family?	Many children and relative under one roof – extended family	Smaller in size. Only two generations (parents and children)
Changes in Mobility?	Non-mobile. Rarely moved. “Old family homestead.”	Mobility increased and residences changed often.
Relationship between women and work?	Women: housework and children	Women: work outside and care for children after hours.
Attitude toward sex?	Puritanical on sex	Increasingly liberal
Variance in family types?	Family types in community alike	Greater variability in family type
Family’s function?	Family had many functions: political, religious, economic	Now: function is procreation and socialization

Using Note Cards Effectively

Need help memorizing material? Learning math problems? Using note cards is a great way to reduce anxiety about remembering facts as well as provide a portable study tool. In addition, using note cards allows you to memorize information out of sequence, so you don’t rely on context clues that you won’t have on an exam. When using note cards, it is especially effective to shuffle the cards and go through them in random order. For a math test, copy problems and solutions from your text or workbook onto a "flash" card, pick a problem card randomly, and try to set up the solution. This will force you to recognize "cues" in the problem itself that suggest how to solve it. Chemistry and physics problems should be handled similarly.