If your study center is at home make sure that your desk, or table, and chair are comfortable.  Keep this area as free of clutter as possible, and remember: Good lighting is essential to keep you alert while you study.  Lying down on a bed or sofa to read tends to relax the body and the mind, resulting in untimely sleep.  When studying in the library, try to locate a spot as free of distractions as possible to help you focus on the task at hand.  At home, keep your study center equipped with extra supplies such as pens, pencils, calculator, folders, paper and any other items you anticipate needing throughout the semester. 

Some inexpensive organizational tools include: pocket folders (one for each class), index cards and file box, an assignment book or daily planner, and monthly calendar.  Place any handouts distributed in class in a pocket folder designated specifically for that class to avoid misplacing important course materials.  Keep the daily planner with you as you move from class to class.  With all of the academic and social activities taking place on campus, you can easily forget an upcoming assignment that is not written in your planner. 

Although you spend less time in the classroom in college than in high school, the time spent outside of class can make or break your college career.  Without good time management, you may easily and rapidly fall behind in course requirements.  As soon as the semester begins, set up a daily, weekly and monthly schedule for yourself. 

To prepare a daily schedule, write the days of the week across the top of your page.  Down the left side, write the hours of the day from the time you usually awaken until the hour you usually go to sleep.  Separate into columns and rows and fill in all activities you are engaged in at that hour.  You may be surprised to see how many slots of time you have available to work on class assignments. 

Your weekly and monthly schedules can be done using a calendar with large blocks for days.  Fill in activities and upcoming assignments.  Be sure to include both academic and social commitments so that you can plan ahead as well as balance your work and leisure time.  Make your goals realistic and attainable.  Each week set new goals for yourself in writing.  For each of your classes and jot down the strategies you will need to achieve your weekly goals.  Reward yourself when you reach a goal, no matter how small. 

Note-taking skills are also much needed abilities to survive in the college classroom.  Often professors teach by lecture only, and class notes are the record of what was said in class.  Whenever possible sit in the front of the room near the lecturer.  This practice helps you to focus more precisely on what is being taught and removes many of the distractions within the room. 

As information is being given, repeat it to yourself as you write down the important information.  Fold a margin on one side of your page to use for examples or more detailed explanations that accompany notes.  Use abbreviations and symbols as much as possible.  When you must remember notes sequentially, use numbers or draw a ladder to label steps in order from bottom to top. 

Good listening skills can help in assimilating important information from lectures.  Make eye contact with the person speaking.  Another listening technique is to rephrase in your mind what is being said.  Try to form a mental picture of the events being discussed.  Finally, ask questions to assure that you are understanding what is being taught. 

Lectures that include cause and effect can be recorded using a large circle for main topic and smaller circles branching off of the larger circle to indicate supporting details and effects.  Outlines are another method of taking notes.  The main ideas would be noted by using numerals while supporting ideas would be listed below them with letters.  Whatever method of note-taking you use, space notes well to make them easier to read. 

After taking notes in class, re-read them once each day to store them in your long-term memory.  Your brain learns Western Civilization notes the same way it learns the words of your favorite song.  Through repetition and review, new information becomes part of your memory.  It is much easier to learn notes from daily fifteen minute reviews than trying to cram large amounts of new material all at one time.  Break long assignments into small parts to optimize learning. 

Once you have reviewed notes, it is a helpful practice to write down some question that you think might be on the test or exam.  These can be saved in a folder and used as a practice test when preparing for the actual test.  Practice tests enable you to know beforehand whether you have mastery of the material and are great at instilling confidence. 

Additional skills that can empower your academic abilities are effective reading strategies.  The volume of reading material increases greatly in college.  Some techniques can help make the most of the time you spend on reading assignments.  Begin reading a chapter by looking over the title, headings, illustrations, charts, and diagrams.  After you have an overview of what the chapter covers, you can begin reading it.  After each paragraph, summarize what you have just read in your head.  It helps to underline or highlight important facts as you read them. 

The questions in textbooks should never be overlooked when reading.  After finishing a section, try to answer them to test your comprehension. 

Now that you have read the material, taken comprehensive notes in class, and completed assignments you are ready to put all of this information into your long-term memory.  In order to really learn new material it must be put into this part of your memory for easy recall.  Information that is not needed for any considerable length of time stays in the short-term memory.  It is a temporary retention of facts.  Students who wait until the day before a test to cram all the information are only placing it in this part of the memory.  By the time they take the test much of the information cannot be remembered. 

A better way to store information in the long-term memory is through daily review and understanding of the material.  This practice reinforces new concepts on a continuing basis leading to easier recall. 

Your brain remembers information through a network of past experiences.  The more you connect past knowledge to the new material the better.  Use as many of your senses in learning as possible.  If you learn best by hearing, record yourself reading notes with a cassette recorder.  Then listen to your notes when getting dressed in the morning or settling down at night.  Auditory people also benefit from studying or reading aloud whenever possible.  Visual learners learn best by sight.  They should use pictures, charts, colors, and graphs as much as possible.  Since kinesthetic learners remember best by doing, touching, and experiencing, these students should write, build models, and experiment.  Walking around when reviewing or studying is also helpful. 

An easy tool for remembering is the use of index cards.  They can be utilized in every course for review.  Put the word, date, formula or whatever you are trying to remember on one side and the definition or explanation on the back.  Quiz yourself and check your answers while waiting for class to begin.  Your cards can be categorized by subjects in a file box throughout the semester. 

Mental associations will also help to move information into long-term memory.  To learn a list of items, make a word or sentence using the first letter of each item in your word/sentence.  For instance, homes is an easy way to remember the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. 

Whenever possible, it helps to make a mental picture of the concept you are trying to remember.  Include in your picture past experiences to reinforce the new material.  This ties new knowledge to what you already know. 

Important study skills necessary for a successful semester are test-taking strategies.  The motto Be Prepared is well applied to this skill.  Proper rest and nutrition play a part in your brain's ability to work at optimum during a test.  Getting a good night's rest and a balanced breakfast increase your chances of doing well.  It is also necessary to be relaxed during testing.  Many students who experience test anxiety do not do as well as their more relaxed classmates. 

Relaxation can begin at home before the test.  Take deep breaths and let air out slowly.  Tighten each muscle and then relax beginning with the feet and moving up to the head around the eyes.  Picture yourself in the testing session relaxed and confident.  If panic grips during the test, stop and take deep breaths.  Turn the exam over and jot down the information that you remember on the back.  Sometimes this helps to make the connection to the question you are having trouble with at the time.  Try writing the word CALM on your paper as a reminder while you breathe slowly and deeply. 

When arriving to take a test it helps to be early to settle in.  You should have all the supplies needed for the test as well.  Determine how much time you will allot for each section of the test before beginning. 

There are a variety of different types of tests and tests questions which you will encounter in each course.  Objective tests include multiple choice, true/false, matching, and fill in type questions.  Subjective tests include essay or discussion type questions. 

A technique that can help when answering objective test questions is to cover up the choices while reading the question.  If the answer that you thought of is listed as a choice it is probably the correct answer.  Watch out for none of the above since more than one answer may be needed.  In true/false questions all parts of a statement must be true or the whole statement should be considered false.  It is necessary to read these questions carefully.  Look for absolutes such as never,   always, or none, which may indicate a false statement. 

Guessing should only be used if you cannot narrow down an answer.  It is a good idea to find out if there is a penalty for guessing.  Sometimes writing down the concepts you do remember helps connect your memory to the more troublesome questions. 

Essay tests require organization of your ideas before you begin writing.  Think of what you want to say and the sequence that you intend to use.  All sentences should be complete statements with correct grammar and punctuation.  The benefit of essay questions from a student's standpoint is that you can pour out all of the information you remember as you answer the questions.  You actually have a better chance to get credit for your answers if you can explain or defend your responses. 

The study skills that enable you to have a successful semester are already being used in other areas of your life.  Applying these to your courses can make a difference in the quality of your study time.  Begin by getting organized, managing your time well, and start using some new techniques in your class preparations.  Together, these strategies can lead to a more relaxed and productive semester.