How to Be Successful in College如何學業(yè)有成

麥肯齊·珀金斯

Nearly every college student detests cram sessions1. Intense， high-stress study sessions can have detrimental effects on both your GPA2 and your health. And while there’s no guaranteed roadmap to success in college， changing your study habits and adjusting your approach to your classes can make a big difference. The following tips are a great place to start.

Use two notebooks

Bring one notebook with you to class， and use it to scratch and scribble down everything you can. It doesn’t need to look neat—it doesn’t even need to be legible3. After class （within an hour or so）， transfer your notes to your second notebook. Take your time with these notes： highlight key points， mark subject areas your professor emphasized， look up definitions， and record questions for the next lecture.

The two-notebook method will help you retain information you might otherwise forget within days. Reviewing all the new material immediately after the lecture will keep it fresh in your mind. Plus， writing things down instead of typing them leads to better retention， according to the Scientific American.

Find a study buddy

Make friends with someone in your class during the first week of the semester and schedule a regular study session. During your study sessions， review complicated chunks of information and explain them to each other. Think of the process like storytelling—turn your homework into stories， and tell those stories to each other. In addition to making a new friend， you and your study buddy will keep each other accountable all semester long.

Get enough sleep

The importance of hydration， nutrition， and especially sleep cannot be overstated. Your ability to remember can drop by as much as 40 percent if you haven’t had adequate sleep. Aim to get adequate sleep as many nights as possible， and try to keep the same sleep schedule every night， even on weekends.

Know when you work best

Speaking of a sleep schedule， it’s important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all study schedule. There is plenty of research indicating benefits for both nighttime studying and early morning studying， so you shouldn’t feel pressured to maintain an uncomfortable schedule. As long as you are getting enough sleep and keeping up with your commitments， your schedule is up to you. If you work late at night， make sure to give yourself space and time to sleep in every morning （don’t sign up for 8 AM classes if you can help it）.

Not everyone is a morning person， and that is perfectly okay.

Try the pomodoro method

The Pomodoro Technique is a focusing method that relies on short bursts of intense work and plenty of breaks. To try the technique， set a timer for 25 minutes and work on a single task. When the timer rings， take a five-minute break， then set another 25 minute timer and get back to work. After four 25-minute intervals， take a longer break. You may find that the Pomodoro Method4 helps you get more done in a shorter period of time without feeling burnt out. Plus， short study breaks are known to improve concentration.

Optimize your learning style

Figure out your learning style， then adapt your study techniques to suit that style. Remember to experiment with a few strategies to find what works best for you. If none of the three primary learning styles5 feel like a great fit， you might benefit from a study strategy that combines two different styles.

Go to office hours6

And not just when you’re struggling. Open lines of communication with your professors early in the semester so that， when questions arise， your professor will know you have a vested interest in the class and the material. Developing strong relationships with faculty will also help you if you are considering applying for scholarships or you need letters of recommendation for graduate school.

Space out your studying

Spacing out7 your studying is beneficial for long term retention of the material. If you review your notes each day for 15 minutes， you’ll be able to retain what you learn in your classes for the long term. Try not to skip review days， or you risk losing what you have retained （especially if it’s new material）.

Sweat and study

There is a massive body of research that links exercise with good grades and improved learning and cognitive skills—especially if you exercise first and study second. If you are stuck in a study rut8 and your don’t have time to hit the gym， go for a quick walk. Fresh air and a change in environment will help you create connections and solve problems.

Change locations

If you’re struggling to focus in your study space， try studying in different locations. For some learners， a change in location builds stronger connections to the material that aren’t dependent on the location where they were originally learned; as a result， the information is more easily recalled later.

Consider a part-time job

If you’re having trouble managing your study time， you might think getting a job will only compound the problem. However， research suggests that students who work part-time jobs while in school tend to get better grades because the experience improves time management skills.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ■

幾乎所有大學生都討厭惡補式的學習。高強度、高壓的學習不僅會影響平均績點，也不利于健康。在大學里取得成功并沒有可靠的捷徑，不過改變學習習慣與調(diào)整上課方式確實會行之有效。你可以從下面這些小建議做起。

使用兩個筆記本

帶上一個筆記本去上課，把聽到的東西都匆匆記在上面。筆記可以不夠整潔，甚至字跡潦草也無傷大雅。課后一小時左右，把筆記謄寫到另外一個筆記本上。在這些筆記上多花一點時間：突出重點，把老師強調(diào)的主要內(nèi)容做上標記，查找定義，并且記下下一堂課的問題。

使用雙筆記本這一方法能夠幫你保存信息，不然幾天之后可能就會忘掉。下課以后，迅速復習所有新材料，能夠讓這些知識在大腦里保持鮮活。另外，根據(jù)《科學美國人》雜志的說法，比起打字，手寫方式能夠讓你對相關(guān)知識的記憶持續(xù)更久。

找一個學習伙伴

開學第一周就在班內(nèi)交上朋友，并且安排一個固定的學習時間。在學習過程中，重溫那些難點，互相講解。把這個過程看作講故事——將家庭作業(yè)當作故事，然后把這些故事講給對方聽。你和學伴不僅成為新的朋友，還要在整個學期負責督促彼此的學習。

保證睡眠充足

及時補充水分，攝取足夠營養(yǎng)，尤其要保證充足睡眠，其重要性如何強調(diào)都不過分。倘若睡眠不足，你的記憶力將會下降40%。應當力求每天睡眠充足，盡量做到每晚同一時間入睡，即便在周末也不例外。

找到最佳學習時間

說到睡眠時間，需要指出，并不存在一個人人適用的學習時間表。大量研究表明，清晨學習和夜間學習各有優(yōu)勢，所以你不應迫于壓力維持一個令自己不適的日程。只要睡眠充足，并且能夠如約完成要做的事，那么學習時間安排完全取決于自己。如果你工作到深夜，那就確保次日早上有地方好好睡一覺（可能的話，不要選早晨八點的課）。

并非人人都習慣早起，不早起完全沒問題。

嘗試“番茄工作法”

番茄工作法是一種保持專注的方法，表現(xiàn)為短時間高強度的工作和多頻次休息。如果你想嘗試這一工作方法，那就選擇一項待完成的任務，將番茄鐘設置為25分鐘。番茄鐘響鈴時，休息5分鐘，再重新設置一個25分鐘的番茄鐘，繼續(xù)工作。4個番茄鐘過后，延長休息時間。番茄工作法可能會有助于在更短時間內(nèi)完成更多工作，而你自己也不會感到精疲力盡。另外，眾所周知，在學習過程中安排短暫的休息，可提升注意力。

優(yōu)化學習方式

找到自己的學習方式，然后相應調(diào)整學習技巧。記住要嘗試幾種學習方法，看哪種對自己最有效。如果三種主要學習方式都不大可行，那就不妨將兩種不同方式結(jié)合起來，或許你能從中受益。

與老師面談

不要在遇到困難時才想起這么做。新學期伊始就和老師們建立聯(lián)系，這樣，出現(xiàn)問題時，老師會知道這門課及其教材對你很重要。假如你正在考慮申請獎學金，或者因為申請讀研而需要推薦信，那么與老師建立牢固關(guān)系將會使你受益匪淺。

片段式學習

片段式學習能讓你長期對所學知識記憶猶新。每天花上15分鐘時間復習筆記，你就能夠牢記課上所學知識。盡量不要略過復習日，不然你很可能忘記學到的東西（尤其是新知識）。

先流汗再學習

海量研究表明，體育鍛煉有助于取得優(yōu)異成績并且提升學習與認知技能——尤其是運動之后再去學習。假如學習沒什么進展，也無暇光顧健身場館，那就選擇快步走。新鮮空氣和周圍環(huán)境的變化會促使你產(chǎn)生新的聯(lián)想，進而解決問題。

變換學習場所

假如你在一個地方難以集中精力，那就試著在不同地方學習。對某些學習者而言，學習場所的改變可以加深他們對所學內(nèi)容的理解，這些內(nèi)容并非只能在最初傳授的地方學習。這樣，日后你更容易記起這些東西。

考慮找一份兼職工作

假如你不大善于管理學習時間，或許會覺得找份兼職只會導致問題更復雜。然而，研究表明，讀書期間兼職工作的學生往往會取得更好的成績，這是因為工作經(jīng)歷可以改進他們管理時間的技巧。? ? ? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者單位：中央民族大學）