Study Tips

I remember the first time I tried to use logical argumentation. I was six, and I had taken gum from a store without paying for it. My mom caught me, and I tried to persuade her that since we pay taxes on all our food, it more than makes up for the price of the gum. Needless to say, I got in big trouble, had to return the gum and apologize to the clerk. While that was the end of my life in crime, it was also the beginning of my journey of persuasion. By the time I got into college I was a master of argumentation and writing persuasive essays. It’s all a formula, really.

The key to writing persuasive essays in college is to know what motivates you. If you are writing to get into college, you are motivated to get your college degree. If you are trying to create a change of policy on campus, you might be motivated by a sense of justice or fairness. Whatever motivates you will be the driving force behind writing your essay. Once you have identified it, you can proceed to look up facts and reasons to help you motivate others.

Argumentation also requires good communication, which is a must for anyone seeking a college degree or needing to write persuasive essays. Whether you are filling in a test question or sending a letter to a newspaper, the ability to communicate what motivates you to others is essential. Once you know what you think, and why you think it, set those out in a logical thought process. One of the reasons to have a college degree is to show future employers you can think and write in a reasonably logical way.

Your essay will start with your premise, provide your reasoning and conclude by inviting people to think the same way as you. After you get used to that formula, writing persuasively will be one of the easiest things you do in your college degree program, and will give you results as sweet as candy.

There is a famous Chinese saying about when the journey of a thousand miles begins. For me it begins when I start complaining about having to get out of bed. I am a creature of comfort. I like my food hot, my coffee fast and my work load to be light. Imagine what a shock it was when I entered college and saw the required reading list, including summer texts.  It seemed like my thousand miles just added 3000 more steps.  Managing the reading required for a degree course makes all the difference between having a rewarding college experience or making the hardest walk of your life.

College degrees require a high volume of reading in almost every class. Professors do not care if you have 4 or 5 classes. Their job is to see that you learn what you are required to in their class.  The volume of the assignments and variety of reading required will make you an accomplished juggler in no time.  First get the syllabus from each of your professors and write down on a calendar when things are due. The soonest due gets the highest priority.  If you have a novel to read, look at the number of chapters and split it evenly between the numbers of days until the day before it has to be finished (that way you get an extra day in case of emergency). If you get absorbed in the novel (it could happen) you can read over your allotment, but if it’s a struggle at least you get it done.

For each day’s required reading, put the hardest reading first. Anything that requires strong concentration and critical reading should be your first thing to tackle in your study session. Material you are going to speed read or skim can go last because you won’t need that much concentrative energy to go through it.  Finally, after a reading break to clear your head, review any class notes or related material. That will make your reading time more efficient.

No matter how much you whine, the ancient wisdom is still correct. The journey through your required reading begins when you open the book.

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When you think about it, we do critical writing almost every day. When I see a movie my habit is to email a friend of mine in another city and tell them exactly what I thought of it. She gets to hear all about whether the characters in the story acted the in a realistic manner, or what I thought of the ending. That is the essence of critical writing. It’s the ability to analyze some piece of information and created conclusions based on reasonable assumptions, argumentation and facts. Almost every class you take in your college degree will put you through the same exercise in thought and communication.

Critical writing first involves critical thinking. You have to be able to take an experience, art work, essay or event and analyze it with precision. Your writing should not be, “that story made me happy”, but rather, “what it was about that story that made me happy.” In the 5 W’s of writing (who, what, when, where and why) it’s the “why” that makes your criticism valuable. College level writing is about meaning making and sustaining your opinion with examples, reasons and rational. It is never enough to say, “That book was stupid.” What a critical writer would do is talk about why the characters didn’t act like most people would, and how the plot deviated from an intelligent point of view into a hopelessly jumbled resolution. Analysis and explanation are the bones of critical writing.

Critical writing is also technical in nature and follows an organized thought flow and pattern. A critical essay sets out the thesis of the thought clearly in the first paragraph then uses the rest of the essay to develop supporting ideas and evidence to support the thesis. The sign of someone with a college degree is their ability to reason and use reasonable judgments in the determinations that person makes. Every time you review a new song with a friend or write a letter about meaning in relationship, art or faith you are engaging in a critical enterprise. Learn to do it well and with this skill and your college degree you can write your own ticket to anywhere you want to go.

Realizing that being in dorm rooms with 3 other girls was not always conducive to good study habits or quiet time; my college had placed study areas all over the university grounds.  There where study carols in the library, tables in the commons, a study hall in the union and private rooms in the dorms.  I could always tell where a study area was, because it was always empty.  People simply don’t know how to study.  However, for success in pursuing your college degree finding the best method of study is going to be a life-saver.

If you really do live in a dorm with other loud people, you may want to take advantage of your college’s study areas. If not, the best way to study is devising your own study area. Get a desk with space to write (your computer desk will be fine as long as it has space for books too) and keep a jar of pens, highlighters and other necessities.  Once your mind connects that place as a study place it will help you get in the mindset to study.  Concentration is the key to effective study time.  Efficiency experts have said that every time your concentration is broken it can take up to 8 minutes of time to get refocused.  So turn off the TV, and don’t study in an area where people will talk to you intermittently.

Many people cannot study in silence because our culture simply isn’t used to quiet anymore.  The best thing to do is play music, particularly classical music, in the background.  It becomes a kind of “white noise” which blocks out distractions and gives you the ability to think more clearly.  Have a goal in mind for what you want to accomplish in the session and set a milestone.  If your goal is to read two chapters, don’t get until you have done so.  If you are working on a paper, don’t leave until you have 3 pages written. Decide for yourself a reasonable goal and stick to it.

Every person is unique and has unique study habits.  Find the method that works best for you, and stick with it and your college degree will be done before you know it.

If your study habit is open your history book in front of a television blaring the latest reality show while you eat pizza and text a friend, you are not studying. You are playing in the presence of your homework. I know at home it’s difficult to find a time and method away from distractions to study even when your family understands hoe important it is to get your college degree. It’s not like you can tell your parents, sister or grandmother who is very interested in your life to be quiet and leave you alone. Well, I guess you could ask, but you might as well ask for a magic carpet to go with it.  There are good measures you can use to study from home.

If possible, find a private space (other than the bathroom) for you to set out your books and concentrate.  Time management is often a factor in maintaining a shield of silence for your studies.  Tell your family that you are going to study for 2 hours, then after that time you will be available to talk or make dinner or go to a movie. People tend to give you spaces of alone time as long as they know you have a plan to be with them later. Particularly children, who need to look forward to things.  It also helps them feel like they are helping you get your degree.  It’s good to take study breaks after a certain period of time anyway. Your brain has only so much energy and attention so giving it a rest every 2 hours or so is important to its overall care and your learning capability.

Using your computer to take notes or do online research can also be a helpful study aid. We are trained to stare and interact with computers intently and focus on the glowing screen.  You can’t blame that on your college degree, a lifetime of television has done that to us.  Make sure you are not instant messaging or distracted by non-study content.  Make sure to take occasional stand and stretch breaks to give your body and mind a time to rejuvenate. 

The keys to studying at home are really communication, cooperation and discipline. Setting aside the time, and letting your family know its important to you and you future to get this degree will help pave the way to good study habits, even at home.

Have you ever looked at the toys kids have these days and thought, “wow, where was that when I was growing up?” I do. I see kids with Lego sets that build Star Wars spaceships with all the perfectly shaped parts and remember that when I was a kid all I had were the blocks that came in primary colors and were just squares. All you could really build were block houses, block trees and block people to sit on a block bench. I don’t just feel that way about toys, I feel that way about school too. I went to college to get my degree before the personal computer was on everyone’s desk and I marvel at how much easier it is to write papers and research when you study online.

Gone are the days of trudging to the college library, looking for the same book as the other 30 people in your class and hoping it has everything you need to know because you don’t have time to look for others. Getting a college degree is much easier today. With online resources, you can access almost any knowledge you need from journals (now liberated from being in the forbidden reference section where you had to put your watch on deposit to borrow a book) to maps and pictures. Most colleges even have online links to their special collections for students so you can all access the material at the same time and get the information you need.

Not only does the ability to study online give you the chance to get all your facts and research done quickly, it also allows you to get assignments from professors and communicate with them on a personal basis. In the Stone Age when I was in college, that was done by making an appointment during office hours. Now you can send an email at your leisure to clarify an assignment and your professor can answer at his or her convenience.

Getting a college degree will still require effort and study, but the increased speed, accessibility and communication all enhance your efforts to complete your tasks. Then, you’ll have time to play with some of those really cool Lego sets.