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	Emotional /Academic Self-Help


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Study Skills

Note: This page provides information only. It is not meant to replace a face-to-face consultation with a trained counselor. If this is an emergency, please contact 911 or the local emergency number found in your area phone book. Seattle residents can find local help through the Crisis Clinic listed on the Counseling Contact page.

How to Study Effectively

"How can I study effectively to achieve academic success?" is an important question that confronts all students. To study well, you need knowledge, attitudes, and skills to back you up. Then you work hard to put everything together for yourself. Achievers don't achieve accidentally. They practice the following rules:

Be realistic. Set study goals you can plan and actually schedule to achieve, step by step.
Motivate yourself and accept personal responsibility for your academic success. You are the most important and dependable one to help yourself.
Get to know the campus and all services which can facilitate your studies, such as registration procedures, counseling services, financial aid, student activities, library, and tutorial assistance.
Make a reasonable weekly schedule of classes, work, sleep, meals, leisure, family responsibilities, and study. Stick to it
Select and arrange your physical environment to maximize your study efficiency. Study at a place which is quiet, comfortable, and has no distractions.
Survey your assignment to get the total picture of what you are required to do. First, skim, reading headings and summary. Second, ask questions about the headings. "What are major points on this page?". Third, read. Fourth, take notes about the chapter.
When you study, take short rests periodically to refresh yourself, then work again to your maximum capacity. Study with concentration only when you are physicially and mentally alert. When memorizing, study only 15-30 minutes, then take a break and return to study. Don't study back-to-back subjects with similar content.
In the classroom, listen attentively and participate actively. Allow your mind to expand and to react to the presentations. Take notes effectively by summarizing the essential points of the lectures in a clear, well organized, and readable fashion. Write on only one side of your paper, using the other side for reading notes, discussions with the teacher, etc.
Prepare for exams in advance, not the night before. Relate your notes to the textbook. Ask the instructor how you will be tested (short answer, essay, etc.) and on what subject matter.
When taking a test, be prepared and well-rested. Read over all questions quickly before answering. Note which questions are worth more points and plan time accordingly. Outline the answers to essay questions before you begin to write. Budget your time by answering first those questions you know readily. Allow enough time for the rest. Proofread your answers.

For more individualized assistance in how to study effectively, NSCC students can contact the Counseling Center to set up an appointment with a counselor.