Memorizing

Most college classes require some degree of memorization, especially in the sciences. Waiting until the last minute to “cram” all of the information may work for the short term, but you probably won’t remember much of what you studied by the next day. Many online tools like Quizlet have been developed to help students remember definitions and other content, but there are many other ways that actually work better and creating the methods yourself is part of the studying process. It’s also important that you space your studying sessions out over at least a week and to leave time to return to the material a few times.

Chunking

This technique takes many related pieces of individual information and remembering it as a larger whole. Say your cell number out loud. Do you repeat it as ten completely separate digits, or as a group of 3, a group of 3, and a group of 4? “413…565…1288”. This works for other concepts, not just numbers.

Old-Fashioned Flashcards

Flashcards are an inexpensive way to isolate pieces of information and be able to test yourself no matter where you are: got 5 minutes before English class starts? Perfect amount of time to review the Bio flashcards. Don’t put too much information on each flashcard, but do include a drawing or doodle which will trigger your memory.

Beware the Illusion of Knowing

With any of these methods there is the temptation to stop studying once you recognize an answer but do not actually know it. Who was our first president? hmmm…*flips over notecard*....Oh yes! George Washington. Recognizing an answer makes us feel relieved and can trick us into thinking that we know the information and can retrieve it on an exam.