My Study Hack: the Book

The year is almost over, but you have one last crucial obstacle, finals. You probably did not use your book a lot due to socializing and relying on lectures due to busy college life, but what you did not realize is that the book could be your best friend so get acquainted before the year is over. I took an Academic Strategies class that really helped me become more resourceful and successful in college. From this course, I learned that the book is useful when you miss out on what the professor lectures and has all the answers. Not that I did not know this before the course, but I finally acknowledged the book`s potential. It is the book, the standard media used in education and claims to be the source of knowledge, so you should be able to rely on it to get through college, you just have to take initiative and use it. What are you waiting for?

I use my book for when I miss key details and information during lectures. Using my book for finals, provides me with all the key  and basic information I need to manipulate for finals. I use the book primarily in my math and economics classes, but should also be helpful in science or any class involving formulas, concepts, and methods. 

I also use the book not only as a reading tool, I will use the material provided in the book to study. I would do problems in the book for practice then go in the back of the book to check my answers. I get my inspiration for doing this from the saying “Practice makes Perfect” and “Experience is the best teacher”. Keep manipulating the book and doing problems until you master the material and it becomes so easy that it is a matter of habit. No way can you fail when doing the problems correctly becomes a habit due to practice.

The only catch to using the book and mastering and knowing all there is to know is that you have to allow yourself time to study. If you know the class is a weakness, you want to have enough time to study and understand what you do not know. If you do not allow yourself enough time, you end up having a lot of material to cover with a short amount of time which is called cramming. With the cramming strategy, you are not really trying to understand the material and just trying to get by on the test. You might get an A but you are taking a chance. My academic strategies class suggested allowing yourself enough time to study in chunks meaning a few lessons per day so not overwhelmed. So I advise you to use the book but allow yourself enough time to study, and who knows, you could be so happy with your performance on the exam that you call the book your new best friend. It is never too late to make new friends even though the year is almost over.