8 Tips to help you study better

 

Any student will tell you how stressful it can be to find the time and patience to study for a big exam. It is, however, an incredibly important part of the process of studying, which means that everyone needs to understand how to do it effectively if they are planning on being successful as a student at any level.

 

Here are a few tips that will help you cope with your exam preparation, and will teach you how to effectively study any material in front of you.

 

1.     The first thing you’ll need to do is understand when and where you are able to study. Some people cannot study without absolute silence, other prefer having music playing and other people around, perhaps in a coffee shop or a common room. Find what works for you and let it help you focus.

 

2.     When studying, you cannot afford to get lost in the details from the get go. Make sure you are able to understand the main topics you are dealing with and get the gist of the arguments being made before settling in and learning the details.

 

3.     You need to have a structured study plan, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself some leeway. Take some breaks and rearrange your study periods, but don’t allow yourself to skip any sessions without a good reason.

 

4.     Take some breaks in between your study sessions to quiz yourself. You can find tests online to see if you’re on the right track, or you can make yourself a set of flash cards to create a mini quiz.

 

5.     When you’re prepping, don’t be afraid to ask questions to your lecturers or teaching assistants to clarify any problems you may have. Remember the old adage: there are no stupid questions!

 

6.     Many people find that they are able to study more effectively in a group. If you’re planning on forming a study group, find a group of people who are actually serious about doing well in the upcoming test. If you get stuck with someone who isn’t serious, they will do everything they can to distract you and get out of having to do any real work.

 

7.     Even if you think you are the kind of person who is able to cram a lot of studying into a short space of time, the best way to do it will be to space out your studying. This way you will give yourself more time to actually understand the work at hand, and you will avoid any stress that comes with staying up all night right before the test to perhaps learn one more little piece of information.

 

8.     Study a little bit every day for about 10 days before the test, depending on how much content you have to get through. This way you give yourself a way to keep the information fresh in your memory every day, and you will constantly be thinking about it. Once it becomes habit in this way, chances are you won’t forget it for a very long time.

 

Written by Wesley Geyer 

The Life and Work of Roald Dahl

Almost every child in the world has seen, heard of, or read one of Roald Dahl’s books. As a children’s author he is perhaps one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach are two of the most recognizable and read children’s stories in the world.

Roald Dahl started out working for the Shell Petroleum company before becoming a successful and prolific fighter pilot in World War II, having taken part in the famous ‘Battle of Athens’after recovering from a near fatal crash in the Egyptian desert. Once he moved back to Britain, he became an intelligence officer, and was responsible for gaining favour with the American politicians and armed forces in order to convince them to aid the war efforts against the German Forces.

His first book ‘The Gremlins’paid homage to the folklore that was prominent in the Royal Airforce, when pilots would blame the mythical Gremlins for the problems they found in their planes. The book was in development for Disney, but a feature length film never materialized. Some of his other prominent works, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach did eventually become some of the most popular movies in their times. His children’s book ‘The BFG’(Big Friendly Giant), which eventually became an animated movie, was written in honor of his daughter Olivia, who passed away at the age of 7 to measles.

Roald Dahl, perhaps more than any other writer during his time recognized the value of reading and telling stories, especially for children. His stories are used as tales for teaching lessons, and while they sometimes border on dark humor, always carry messages with them that can be used practically and philosophically all the way into adulthood.

Dahl passed away at the age of 74 in 1990 due to a blood disease. He has been honored a number of times in various ways, most notably with the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery in November 1996 at the Buckinghamshire County Museum near where he was born.



Written by Wesley Geyer