Have you ever wondered how to be a successful college student? Well, according to Canadian researchers and TEDx speaker (Global Chairman of Elevate Education), it has nothing to do with IQ (which is not the best predictor of scores). The right habits are an answer that you are searching for. Moreover, it does not take a lot of effort to form a habit.
For college students, the right habits have proved to be an integral part of excellent performance over the years, and thus, it is extremely important to apply them persistently. So, writingpaper experts did their best to make the list of ten essential habits of successful students in high school and college. Make a mental note.
Habits of Top Students
First of all, it is crucial to know how the whole process of forming a habit works. However, we do not have time to explain all the details. Probably, you would not even read this information because you are a student who has no time for such things. So, we just want to start this article by recommending four absolutely wonderful books that you will love once you set out on the habit-forming path: “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, “Indistractable” and “Hooked” by Nir Eyal. They contain all the “Hows” and “Whys”. Now, let us dive into the habit you have to form to become a successful student!
Habit #1: Find out The Most Effective Way of Studying
Notetaking is not always the best way to memorize the material, as well as studying alone is not the most effective method to prepare for exams. To maximize your productivity immensely, figure out what ways work best for you. Ask yourself whether you prefer to study alone or with a group of people from your college. If studying in groups distracts you, keeps you unfocused or causes anxiety, choose a solo option.
By “effective ways of studying”, we also mean activities you do to remember the information. For someone, reading out loud is way more effective than any type of notetaking. For others, testing is the ultimate method to refresh knowledge.
Habit #2: Establish a Daily Routine
Maintaining a routine is extremely important for a college student. We recommend you to wake up at the same time every day, study at the same place, and so on. First of all, a permanent application of this method boosts students’ productivity. How does it work? Well, it helps to fight your procrastination, the worst enemy of any student.
Did you know that constant changes may affect your efficiency? In view of the foregoing, establishing daily routine habits is necessary to become a successful student. However, sometimes, new stimuli may have positive consequences too. So, try to keep the right balance in everything to succeed in studying.
Habit #3: Time Management
This point requires no explanations. Time management for a college student is significant, as never before. Find yourself a timetable, and customize it. Stick your plan on the wall or use a calendar app. Set out intentions for things that you want to implement. There is no single successful student who ignores this rule.
Habit #4: The Rule of Small Blocks
Do you know how other college students manage to study more productively instead of longer? They just study in blocks. For instance, after 50-minute sessions, they take 10-minute breaks. The time may vary and depend on your personal preferences. It can be a 30-minute session and a 5-minute break. Such a habit maintains students’ endurance. Practice it systematically, and great results would be imminent. Also, recent studies have shown that 7 hours of learning crammed into one comprehensive block is worse than the same quantity of hours spread out over several weeks. Believe us, it is a less emotionally draining experience for any college student.
Habit #5: Apply Active Learning Techniques
The point is that the learning process is not only about obtaining and remembering information but also about reviewing and consolidating it regularly. Step away from rereading (it is a passive way of studying). We are talking about here active learning techniques such as questions, flashcards, quizzes, and tests that are used as great memory improvement tools. You can study less, but more effectively.
Habit #6: Sleep and Stay Hydrated
The main rule of any training applies to college life, as well. A drinking water habit improves mental processing and helps your body to stay active for the whole day. The lack of water causes headaches, weakens your energy and immune system.
A sleeping schedule must constitute a major priority for every college student. Build this habit from the very first day of your studies. No technique will help you if you are falling asleep.
Habit #7: It Is All About Balance
As it turns out, to be a successful student, you do not have to attend all the lectures and read thousands of books a year. You have to find a balance between learning, leisure time, and things that you love to do.
Habit # 8, 9, 10
If someone asked us to conclude the whole article in a couple of sentences, we would advise the following.
Instead of memorizing, comprehend the information or theories, and think about how you can apply it in real life. Secondly, set short-term goals and break them down. For example, completing the first part of the assignment by next week and the second part two days later. Thirdly, do not aim to compete, aim to learn. Learning drives you to be curious each time, and this will lead to a good habit in the long run.