Study Tips

The following strategies can help you save time and avoid missing appointments or deadlines:

• Start with the big picture: planning out what you’ll be doing weekly according to a schedule will provide a consistent framework that will help you manage the finer details. Because of the rigors of MIT, you need to use all seven days of the week in your schedule. This doesn't mean that you won't have time for fun or creative activities, but you will have to increase the amount of attention you pay to your coursework.

• Use your syllabi to plan ahead. MIT classes begin on the first day so it can be difficult to catch up if you fall behind in your work. From the beginning of the semester, it's crucial to read and plan according to the syllabus.

• Refine your schedule by regularly examining and evaluating your priorities, and adjust it accordingly. An effective MIT time management schedule should not be a superficial list nor should it be a rigid, inflexible plan that doesn't help you on a daily basis. If you find that you do not have enough hours in the week, consider dropping a class or activity. If you find that you work more efficiently at certain times of day, dedicate those hours to your most challenging assignments. Remember to save time for basic needs like meals, sleep, exercise, and social connection.

• Once a general weekly schedule is set, use a planner– either electronic or paper – to plan out chunks of time in more detail. For instance, when allotting three hours of time to homework, plan out what you hope to accomplish in the first half-hour, second half-hour, and so on. Be specific, noting individual assignments or types of work like reading, working on problem sets, or meeting with a project team. Be sure to add breaks into your study plan, too!

• Use an online calendar or planner to record individual appointments, meetings, and other events that might not recur every week. Include important details: contact information for the person you’re meeting, agenda for the meeting, the meeting address, the exact time, your goals for the meeting, what materials you’ll need, etc. Set alarms or notifications for these events so that you don't lose track. Include scheduled meetings as well as office hours that you plan to attend that week.

• Use your planner, a dedicated notebook, or an app to keep a list of daily to-do’s; factor these into your daily schedule break-down, or handle small tasks while waiting, like sending short emails before the start of class. Be sure to note when each item is due, and try to prioritize the tasks due soonest.

• Keep your physical and digital workspaces organized consistently so that you can quickly find the materials you need.

• Plan ahead, but anticipate the need for flexibility. If something comes up that necessitates an adjustment of plans, keep calm, augment accordingly, and carry on. If an illness or emergency prevents you from keeping your commitments, let people know as soon as possible and work with S^3 or GradSupport to negotiate extensions as needed.

You need to know relevant dates from MIT's Academic Calendar. You can download it to your phone or computer, and set alerts for deadlines important to you.

At the beginning of each term, be sure that you have the following noted in your personal calendar:

• Add Date and Drop Date

• Pre-Registration

• Final Exam week

Set reminders ahead of each date.

On the first day of each month:

October through April, check your Status of Registration on WebSIS to make sure it shows all the classes you are taking—and none that you're not taking. This way you'll have plenty of time to make changes before Add and Drop Dates.

Pay attention to emails:

Academic departments and programs will often announce visiting speakers, internships, UROP opportunities, and special departmental events, all of which have dates or deadlines.

Put syllabus dates in your calendar:

Be sure to add exam dates, due dates for large assignments, and other important deadlines and events to your primary calendar.

At the start of each term and every few weeks during the term, take some time to reflect on your schedule and readjust as needed to meet your priorities. It can be helpful to make a list of how many hours you spend on each class and activity and ensure you have enough time left for sleep, meals, exercise, social time, and relaxation. You may also find that you have the time but not the energy to do everything you had planned, so you can make a separate list indicating how draining or energizing you find each activity and class. The following questions may be useful as you reflect:

Academics

• What courses are you taking? Of these courses, which do you think will be more or less difficult for you?

• Particularly for those that are likely to be more difficult, how much time, based on past experience, have you spent devoting to similar courses?

• Is the amount of time you've allotted for attending class, lab, and recitations sufficient to ensure you complete all your assignments and tasks without duress?

• Is the amount of time you've allotted to studying, homework, and other academic preparation sufficient to ensure your personal success?

• Were you satisfied with the outcomes (grades, understanding of concepts) yielded from the previous amount of time you’d invested? If not, adjust accordingly.

Extracurriculars

• Aside from going to class and studying, on which activity do you spend the most amount of time and energy?

• If your commitment of time and energy is substantial, what are you motivations for investing this amount of time and energy to this endeavor?

• How and why is it of value to you?

• Does it compromise your ability to commit to schoolwork or other significant endeavors?

• Does the activity energize you or drain you? Does it contribute to or detract from your wellness (social, emotional, physical, or mental) in any way?

Based on your answers to the above questions, how would you revise your weekly schedule? Do you need to add or drop any commitments?

Using your lecture and recitation time productively will help you master class material more effectively.

• Come prepared. Each class will have different expectations when it comes to readings, pre-class assignments, lecture notes, and other materials, but in general, you should be sure to do any prep work assigned and take the extra step of reviewing the syllabus or lecture notes to determine what material will be covered in the next class. Having a rough idea of what each lecture will cover makes it easy to think about questions to ask and organize your notes in logical ways.

• Take well-organized notes. Be sure to write down key information during classes, noting when certain items seem particularly important or if there were pieces that you did not understand fully. You may find you prefer to take notes digitally so that you can edit and search them more easily later, or you may prefer to take handwritten notes to minimize distractions during class or more easily incorporate equations and diagrams.

• Ask questions. Follow up on aspects of the class that you are unsure about. You may choose to ask questions in lectures, recitations, or office hours or use asynchronous methods like email, Canvas, Slack, or Piazza. Whatever method you choose, it is better to ask shortly after learning the material rather than waiting until you need the material for an assignment.

Studying at MIT may be different from what you did in high school. Instructors don't want you merely to reiterate the facts and formulas they've just taught you. They want you to understand the concepts that bind a field together and to apply those concepts in new situations. This doesn't always come naturally: many students need to develop new study strategies. When it comes to learning one size does not fit all: there is no single "right way to study". You are the expert on what works best for you.

Consider the advice and techniques suggested in this section to help:

• Develop a study action plan: Your plan should include what you need to accomplish each week and when you plan to do it, divided into manageable chunks (roughly half an hour each). Aim to complete assignments at least 24 hours before they are due so that you have a bit of extra time if things take longer than expected.

• Learn about effective reading, note-taking, psetting, and writing.

• Consider strategies for working in groups and using meeting time efficiently.

• Tackle large projects by breaking them down into smaller, schedulable tasks. Set your own deadlines for each component so you space the work out over the semester rather than doing it all at the end.

• Prepare for giving presentations.

• Become skilled at effectively incorporating breaks into your study plan. Evidence suggests that healthy practices such as naps, physical activity, and mindfulness practices can also improve cognitive functioning.

Two heads are better than one. Five or six are even better. By working as a group, students can solve problem sets, prepare for class, and study for exams more efficiently than working alone. This strategy is especially effective and satisfying for students who enjoy group discussions and want to learn from others.

Working in a group doesn't take you off the hook. Start working the problems first before meeting with the group. Make sure you understand how and why your study partners got the solutions they did. Copying answers might seem like a quick fix for late-night studying, but it will not serve you well on the test--and could have worse consequences.

Benefits of Study Groups

• A study group can be a support group to help pick you up if your motivation is slipping.

• You may be reluctant to ask questions in lecture or recitation but find it easier to do so in a small group.

• You may be more committed to study because group members are depending on you.

• Teaching someone else is a great way to learn and to discover what you don't know.

• A group may expose you to ideas you had not considered.

• You can learn new study habits from other students.

Define the Challenge

Some of the anxiety associated with test-taking comes from fear of the unknown. Since you cannot know in advance what questions will be asked on an exam, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the possibilities. Actual knowledge about an upcoming test can help to counter nervousness. You can assemble a surprising amount of information about how your tests will probably unfold that will help you focus your studies.

Define the Exam

You have several avenues available to help you to find out pertinent information about upcoming tests. Actively use the subject syllabus and website and the notes that you take in class to figure out what will be covered on your tests (consult available Resources). Don’t hesitate to ask Professors, Recitation Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and others, any and all of the following questions about upcoming tests:

• How much time will you be given to take the exam?

• Can you bring a calculator or formula sheet? Notes?

• Will it be open book?

• What will the format of the test be? Will it be multiple choice, short answer, essay, problems, or a combination of these? If combination, what is the breakdown (for example, 40% short answer, 60% essay)?

• What percentage of your final grade is this exam worth? Do not dwell on this, but use it to gauge the amount of effort you plan to put into preparation. Should you spend 20+ hours preparing for a test worth 15% of your grade, at the expense of two other exams worth 30% each?

• What will the exam cover? Textbook or online readings? Lecture content? Handouts?

• Will this test cover one unit (material taught since the last test) or is it cumulative (everything taught in the subject so far)?

Use the Resources You Have

While an instructor will probably not provide an exam outline, you do have the next best thing—the subject syllabus and websites.

• It's a good idea to mark up the syllabus to show when each topic will be tested. Use different color highlighters or another system that works for you.

• The subject website will offer several tools for review, including: lecture notes and slides, grading schemes, bibliographies, study hints, and possibily recorded lectures as well.

• Check OpenCourseWare for similar resources from past versions of the subject.

• As you study, you will likely have questions, so organize your thoughts and approach the instructor or TA during office hours. Instructors do not want students to be frustrated by their exams and will usually answer any reasonable question about a test. Questions about the coursework and exams show that you care about the subject and your progress, and also that you are thinking ahead.

Remember that an instructor might have different expectations for each test, especially for the midterm and final exam. Never assume that subsequent tests will be administered in the same fashion as the first.