How do I become a better student?

How to become a better, more focused student?

• I don't want to specify my age or grade or anything, but in general how can I become a more efficient student? Can you also offer some advice on what has helped you, please be specific, I understand the general to dos. I want to be at my best to learn and really absorb information. I feel I am a pretty good student as of now, but I want to improve. Thanks!

• Answer:

  Here's what worked for me... - buy a stack of plain printing paper, this will be for you notes, you don't need a fancy gadget during a lecture, but nice to have one along for backup calculations - buy a three hole punch - buy a binder - buy a bunch of cheap folders with pockets - keep the plain _unlined_ paper in one side of the folder, the sheets you scribble on, you bunch up later and throw into the binder at home while reviewing and arranging in order (you study and collate at the same time, win-win!) - you can bring your binder with you to class, but you don't have to, just the books and the folder of paper. - backpack or something similar, forget the purse - carry healthy snacks with you (granola bar, apple, etc.) - eat breakfast - while doing homework, iced tea is your friend :) it has a much smaller dose of caffeine than coffee and tastes good other things... - listen, don't just copy, the best learning is asking the question why? during the lecture, keep the notes sweet and short, when you review them later it will all come back again - review your notes more than once, trying to recall what was said in class - the obvious one, do your homework and attend class, that means lecture, recitations, and labs (all of which I was bad at) - don't be afraid of your TA or Professor, you're paying them to help you - form alliances, i.e. friends that you can study and do homework with - here's the big secret, don't cram, you either know the material or you don't, that's it, stressing out before an exam or quiz is like eating your own heart, while everyone else was freaking out, I was taking a nap in the courtyard, like exercise, it's important to rest those mental muscles to recover With the exception of the attendance thing and forming alliances, using those basic rules gave me good exam scores. Good luck and more importantly, have fun. Edit... I forgot. If you don't keep a schedule on your handheld, a good visual one is a printed one you designed yourself. Mine had hourly slots with a decent margin to jot down random things, like to do lists. It was easier for me because everything was right there in front me; no need to scroll or search. Also, I'm sort of old school and it is more concrete if I write it down than typing it in.