10 “Good” College Habits That Appear Good (However Are Truly Unhealthy)

Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.

Some habits really feel good and productive just because we’ve finished them for therefore lengthy — or as a result of they look like the fitting factor to do. 

However not all faculty habits are created equal. Actually, a number of the commonest methods college students depend on could make faculty tougher, not simpler.

On this publish, I break down 10 “good” faculty habits that appear good, however they is perhaps holding you again.

10 “Good” College Habits That Appear Good (However Are Truly Unhealthy)

If you happen to’re responsible of something within the following checklist, you’re to not blame. Most college students aren’t taught the way to do faculty. If you happen to don’t discover ways to examine, take notes, or annotate correctly, it’s no shock that unhealthy faculty habits can appear good.

1. Taking Notes However Not Reviewing Them

Hear me loud and clear. If you have already got the great faculty behavior of taking notes in school, you’re to this point forward of scholars who aren’t taking notes in school. 

Taking notes in lectures is among the greatest methods to know and keep in mind the fabric later.

However right here’s the fact. If you happen to’re taking notes throughout class and by no means them once more, you’re leaving cash on the desk. Properly, not actual cash, however you realize what I imply. Taking notes is just step one. However the final notetaking technique entails a second step: overview your notes later that day.

Chances are you’ll suppose reviewing your notes is pointless and even inconceivable to suit into your busy schedule. However I guarantee you, that is one thing prime college students do.

Right here’s the Course of:

1. Take notes throughout your lessons (listed below are my greatest suggestions for doing that).
2. Later that day, spend about 10 minutes reviewing your notes for every class.
3. Make clear belongings you wrote down that don’t make sense to you now.
   1. Reorganize your notes when you typed them. 
   2. Fill in lacking data that you simply missed within the second.
   3. Kind up your notes when you handwrote them messily.
   4. Discover definitions for phrases that you simply wrote down that you simply don’t perceive. 
   5. Add graphics utilizing twin coding to cement the knowledge much more.

I need to repeat that taking notes in school is a superb faculty behavior. However you can also make it even higher by reviewing and finishing your notes afterward.

2. Annotating With out a Goal

Annotating is one other good faculty behavior that may improve your comprehension of what you’re studying. In highschool, chances are you’ll be instructed to annotate texts. However typically, nobody exhibits you the way. You simply get obscure recommendation like, “spotlight what’s essential.”

In school, chances are you’ll be dedicated to annotating as a result of it’s useful. However even essentially the most devoted college students typically overlook this essential level: Annotate with a objective.

Annotating with no objective is like getting in your automotive and driving down the highway with no vacation spot after which being bummed out that you simply didn’t get there. However the place is there?

That is what annotating with a objective seems to be like:

1. Work out why you’re studying the textual content. Is it to seek out proof to help a thesis? Is it to know an idea higher? Is it to be taught one thing that you simply’re going to be examined on? Is it to seek out proof of figurative language as instructed by your instructor?
2. Regardless of the objective is, you annotate for that factor.
3. If you learn the textual content, keep laser-focused on the one or two issues that you simply need to extract from the textual content.

If you happen to’re studying a textual content with no objective, then my query to you is that this: Why are you studying it within the first place?

3. Finding out with the Unsuitable Folks

I like associates. I’ve an entire bunch of them. I’m certain you do too. However even our bestest associates could make the worst examine companions.

Finding out with others will be useful in sure eventualities and for sure sorts of scholars. So please don’t take this tip to imply that I don’t need you to check with others. That’s not true. The essential factor to think about whenever you’re finding out with associates is to check with the fitting folks. Finding out with others doesn’t essentially imply finding out with associates.

If you happen to’re going to coach for a marathon, would you relatively prepare with a robust runner or along with your greatest good friend who has by no means run a day of their life?

If you wish to discover ways to construct a home, would you relatively be taught from a carpenter or out of your greatest good friend who has by no means constructed something earlier than?

If you’re selecting folks to check with, select good. Select individuals who know the content material barely higher than you. It’s by no means nice to be the neatest one within the room.

Right here’s a tip for finding out with others: Do your solo finding out first. Then, save group examine periods for later. Finding out the fabric by your self first helps you to assess what you’re nonetheless confused about. These are the questions that you simply carry to your examine group.

Listed here are my greatest suggestions for the way to examine in a bunch.

4. Finding out for Hours at a Time

If there’s just one single tip you pull from this complete weblog publish of unhealthy faculty habits that appear good, I would like it to be this one. Lengthy examine periods of over 90 minutes are a waste of time.

As a result of one thing cool known as the primacy latest impact, our brains are most alert at the start and finish of a span of time. If you happen to examine in a protracted epic examine session, you solely give your self one starting and one finish. However when you break up your examine periods into a number of shorter periods over 5 to 10 days, you give your self exponentially extra starting and ends.

This technique additionally faucets into the facility of spaced repetition. Right here’s my spaced repetition tutorial. If you happen to’re not planning your examine periods utilizing spaced repetition, you need to begin now.

Some college students I work with appear virtually “proud” after they inform me they studied all night time or locked it in for six hours on the library. However let me repeat: This doesn’t work. Why? As a result of constructing the neurons associated to studying takes time – as in, a number of days.

Additionally, sleep is essential for forming recollections. The extra nights you relaxation after finding out, the higher your reminiscence will likely be. That is one more reason spaced repetition is a lot more practical than epic lengthy examine periods. Not solely are you giving your self extra beginnings and ends, however you’re giving your self extra in a single day alternatives to solidify what you’re finding out.

5. Doing Assignments Only for Credit score, To not Be taught the Materials

I can hear you rolling your eyes. I don’t actually know what eyrolling appears like but when it made a sound, I’d be listening to it. And that’s as a result of I do know this unhealthy faculty behavior is perhaps the toughest to cease – as a result of it’s so eeeaaasssy to do. 

And I get it… I actually do. I’m certain there are lots of assignments that you can simply do for completion and be simply tremendous. However that shouldn’t be your default mode of operation. 

If you happen to depend on Google or ChatGPT for homework solutions, or when you ask a good friend for his or her work, you continue to get credit score. However when the check comes, you received’t have discovered something. Why would you do this to your self?

The complete level of a homework project is to be taught the fabric so that you will be examined on it. If you happen to don’t do your homework assignments for actual, you don’t be taught the fabric. Which means whenever you’re examined on it, you’re out of luck.

Consider it or not, the hack is to do the work. Doing the work is the shortcut. If you happen to do your homework assignments with at the very least some intention of studying the fabric, you’ll have to check a lot much less earlier than the examination. Why? As a result of doing all your homework assignments is finding out.

6. Highlighting With out Including Notes or Context

Highlighting with out including notes or context is like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with out the jelly. Please don’t.

One of many hardest unhealthy faculty habits to interrupt is the highlighting behavior. How do I do know? As a result of I’ve labored with over 3000 college students one-on-one and I accumulate knowledge.

Once we learn an educational article, a textbook, a novel, or any sort of educational textual content, it may be useful to focus on as we learn. However highlighting is just half the technique.

I train what I name my spotlight and rewrite technique. You may examine it right here or watch it right here. In a nutshell, everytime you spotlight textual content, add a brief observe within the margin. This explains your spotlight.

• Why did you spotlight it?
• Was it attention-grabbing?
• Is it going to be helpful for a future essay?

The unhealthy faculty behavior is to consider that once we spotlight one thing in a textual content, we’ll keep in mind our cause for doing so in a while. However this isn’t true. 

If you happen to spotlight a bit however don’t write a observe within the margin, you’ll overlook why it was essential. Later, you’ll need to reread the paragraph to jog your reminiscence. This takes an excessive amount of time! However when you embody a brief, easy observe within the margin, all you need to do is skim your margin notes to recollect why you highlighted what you probably did.

There is just one situation by which it’s okay to make use of solely highlights: If you’re annotating a textual content for just one single factor. 

For instance, in case your instructor or professor asks you to annotate a textual content for all proof of pathos, you possibly can merely spotlight these components. However the minute you annotate for another factor (for instance, now you’re annotating for pathos AND ethos), you’ve received to make use of margin notes.

7. Utilizing “Busy” as a Measure of Productiveness

Being busy means you’re spending your time doing a bunch of issues. However, being productive means you’re working effectively solely on the proper issues. Due to this fact, being busy just isn’t the identical as being productive. However that’s what so many college students suppose. 

I see this occur with my purchasers. They arrive residence from faculty, stressed by a thousand issues to do. They perform a little of this, somewhat of that; then they transfer on to this factor, after which transfer on to that factor. However by the tip of the night time, they nonetheless haven’t finished the exhausting stuff that’s due the following day. 

The nice faculty behavior that appears good is being busy and assuming that as a result of your time is filled with duties and actions, you’re being productive. That couldn’t be farther from the reality. The nice faculty behavior is to get clear on what really deserves your time after which focus simply on that. 

School college students, particularly, must be ruthless with slicing out junk busyness that distracts them from their true educational targets. For instance, your school could supply unimaginable alternatives and golf equipment, but when becoming a member of them distracts from the work it’s essential do to fulfill the necessities in your main, don’t join them 

The identical will be mentioned for assignments. In case your essential activity is a 20-page analysis paper due on the finish of the month, however you end up researching another matter as an alternative of writing, you’re complicated busyness with productiveness. 

Establish the factor that’s essential. Put your blinders on. Do the factor that’s essential. 

8. Making a To-Do Checklist However Not Scheduling The Duties

Nobody loves a to-do checklist greater than I do. Typically, I make them for enjoyable. However you’re a busy highschool, school or graduate scholar with quite a bit in your plate, a to-do checklist just isn’t normally sufficient.

Each merchandise in your to-do checklist takes time to finish. It is perhaps two minutes, or it is perhaps 5 hours – regardless, these duties eat very actual time that we have to account for.

I don’t suppose it’s essential put each two-minute activity in your calendar. Nonetheless, I do counsel scheduling most of your greater to-do checklist objects. You will be versatile with this. Nevertheless it’s not sufficient to say, “I’ve to put in writing a 20-page paper.” The nice faculty behavior is to determine WHEN you’re going to work on the paper. Put that date in your calendar.

9. Watching Movies With out Doing Something with the Info

Watching educational YouTube movies or reviewing classes on-line will be tremendous useful. Actually, I typically advocate this methodology to my very own college students. So no, watching movies just isn’t the unhealthy behavior.

The unhealthy behavior is watching movies passively — with out doing something with the knowledge. And this one is sneaky as a result of it will possibly really feel productive. You’re watching a YouTube crash course on photosynthesis, so that you’re positively studying… proper?

Not essentially.

Studying isn’t the identical as publicity. Simply because the knowledge hit your eyeballs doesn’t imply it’s going to stay.

Right here’s what it’s essential do as an alternative:

1. Clearly begin by studying my article titled The right way to Take Notes From Movies: 19 Suggestions.
2. Take notes whilst you watch. You don’t want to put in writing every little thing — simply get the primary concepts, definitions, and questions you have got.
3. Pause the video often and attempt to summarize what you simply discovered, both aloud or in writing.
4. Use twin coding (draw a fast diagram, flowchart, or thoughts map to symbolize what you simply watched). If you happen to’re taking digital notes, you possibly can pause the video, do a display screen seize, and insert that picture into your notes.
5. After watching, check your self: Are you able to clarify the idea to another person with out wanting on the video?

Watching movies feels simple, and that’s why we trick ourselves into considering it’s sufficient. However studying occurs once we work together with the content material. Watching with out motion is simply leisure in disguise.

10. “Wanting Over” Your Notes As a substitute of Finding out Them

There’s a foul faculty behavior that methods extra college students than virtually every other: “wanting over” your notes and calling it finding out.

Let me be clear. Taking a look at your notes just isn’t finding out. Studying by a web page of knowledge — nodding alongside like, “Yep, I keep in mind that… yep, that too” — doesn’t imply the knowledge is locked in your mind. It means you acknowledge it. That’s very totally different from with the ability to recollect it.

Right here’s a straightforward check. If you happen to suppose you realize the content material, shut your pocket book and attempt to clarify it — out loud, on paper, or to your cat, I don’t care. If you happen to can’t train it, you don’t realize it.

Lively recall means pulling the knowledge out of your mind with out seeing it first. That is what strengthens your reminiscence. Taking a look at your notes solely places the data in entrance of you — it doesn’t pull it out of you.

Right here’s what to do as an alternative of “wanting over” your notes:

1. Cowl them up and quiz your self
2. Use flashcards (or make your individual)
3. Educate the idea out loud
4. Do observe issues or pattern questions
5. Use the blurting methodology (write down every little thing you realize from reminiscence, then test your notes)

If you happen to’ve ever felt such as you studied however then bombed the check, this behavior is perhaps the rationale. It feels such as you’re working, however you’re not doing the proper of labor.

Remaining Notes About Good College Habits

Right here’s the factor about faculty habits: They’re simply that — habits. Which implies they take time to construct. You’re not speculated to get them excellent from the beginning. And also you’re positively not speculated to really feel unhealthy when you’ve been doing issues “incorrect” up till now.

Good faculty habits aren’t about what seems to be spectacular. Good habits are about what really works. And what works will likely be totally different for everybody — relying in your lessons, your targets, your schedule, and your mind.

So what’s the last word faculty behavior? It’s not highlighting or reviewing and even energetic recall (though sure, please do this). It’s the self-awareness to pause and ask: Is that this factor I’m doing really serving to me?

If the reply is not any — change it.

If the reply is sure — do extra of it.

And when you’re unsure? Attempt a unique technique, check it out, and see what sticks. That’s what studying the way to be taught seems to be like.