Using the resources on this page will help you to enhance your study skills and practices so you can become a more engaged student and a more efficient and effective learner. As you will see, the resources are organized by study skill categories (e.g., Note Taking and Exam Preparation), and within each of these categories you will find informational guidelines, study tips and strategies, skill-building exercises, self-assessment pre-tests and exercises, videos with closed captioning, and other resources and tools.
If you would like to meet with an Academic Skills coach to develop a plan for enhancing your study skills, you can contact arc@owu.edu or click here to make an appointment.
General Tips for College Success
Motivation and Assessing Readiness for Change
Note Taking
Time (and Self) Management
Reading Skills
Exam Preparation
Stress, Test Anxiety, and Academic Success
General Tips for College Success
- Make sure you have access to books and other course materials
- Communicate with Your Academic Advisor: You should be in touch with your advisor if you have one or more “U”s for midterm grade estimates: Do you plan to a) withdraw from a course or b) stay in the course and work to raise your grade?
- Communicate with Your Professors: Help your professors manage their emails loads by following these guidelines:
- Read emails and check other course information sources before reaching out to your professors (i.e., your question may have been answered).
- Know how and when to contact your professors-- office hours, video chat, or email.
- Try to “batch” your questions in one message rather than sending multiple emails throughout the day.
- Follow the 3 “C”s of communication--be Clear--Concise--Correct: e.g., Professor Smith, I have three questions about upcoming assignments: Then number and list your questions.
- Stay Organized and Manage Your Time: Establish new structures and habits that allow you to be productive throughout the remainder of the semester. Here are several suggestions:
- Generate a list of due dates for all important assignments--i.e., quizzes and tests, homework, papers, class projects and other work.
- Add these dates to a semester calendar.
- Plan your week--i.e., class time, preparing for classes, and studying. Resources: Weekly Planner Template and Guidelines for Creating a Study Schedule.
- Set a daily schedule, using one of the online schedulers below:
- https://www.freecollegeschedulemaker.com
- https://schedulebuilder.org
- https://spark.adobe.com/make/schedule-maker
- https://www.coursicle.com/college-schedule-maker
- Identify Your Time Wasters (attempt to reduce or eliminate these).
- Think Ahead: What can you do, in terms of planning or preparation, to be successful for the rest of the semester.? You should begin planning for end-of-semester projects and final exams by learning about what will be expected in each course: For example, Will final exams be comprehensive, or cover (only) the last few weeks of the course? What percentage of your course grades are based on final exams?
- Contact Amanda Rodenborg if you need assistance related to accessibility services: Go to the Accessibility Services Office for more information.
- Adhere to Principles of Academic Integrity: This means doing your own work. “All members of the Ohio Wesleyan community are obligated to maintain academic integrity and to foster it in others.” OWU’s Academic Honesty Policy.
Motivation and Assessing Readiness for Change
- Villanova University -- 9 Tips for Staying Motivated in College: A short article which include the following and other tips if you struggle to stay motivated: Set small goals, Change your perspective, and follow a routine.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- Motivational Strategies: You will learn about four strategies for improving self-motivation: 1) Strategies to set yourself up for success; 2) Self-care strategies; 3) Metacognitive strategies; and 4) Accountability strategies.
Note Taking
- Ohio University -- Lecture Notes: 1) Lecture Notes Pre-Test (self-assessment); 2) Lecture Notes Evaluation (self-assessment); and 3) Step-By-Step to Effective Notes. The two self-assessments, both 10 questions, will help you to assess how effectively you take and use notes and determine the quality of your notes. (Each assessment can be completed in less than 5 minutes.)
- Dartmouth -- Note Taking: (Video: 8:55; subtitles/closed captions): Overview of Cornell Note-taking System with a focus on a three-step note-taking strategy: 1) What you do before class (15 minute-review of notes from the last lecture), 2) During class (take concise note in outline form highlighting main ideas with supporting facts and explanations), and 3) After class (reviewing, reciting, and learning notes over several weeks). This page includes links to additional note-taking and other related resources.
- Saint Benedict Saint John’s University -- Lecture Note Taking: 1) Written overview of the note taking process; 2) Tips on Taking Notes; 3) Signal Words (i.e., common words and phrases instructors use to signal that something important will be said).
- Cornell University -- The Cornell Note-Taking System: (video: 4:04): A brief overview of the Cornell Note-Taking System--worth watching along with the Dartmouth overview (above)
- Penn State University -- Note Taking: Written overview of note taking: 1) Lecture Note Taking; 2) Effective Listening; 3) Write It Down If the Speaker . . . ; 4) The Five R’s; 5) Daydreaming; and 6) Technical Symbols and Abbreviations.
Time Management
- Ohio University -- Time Management: 1)Time Management Pre-Test (ten questions); 2) The 168-Hour Exercise (How do you use your time throughout the week?); 3) Time Wasters, and 4) Ways to Plan Time.
- Dartmouth College -- Time Management Tips: 1) Time Management Tips; 2) Time Management Quiz: How Well Do You Plan? (5 minutes or less to complete)
- Cornell University -- A Simple, Effective Time Management System: This site includes 1) Time management recommendations, 2) A time management worksheet for determining how many hours (for a given week) you need to devote to class preparation and studying for each course, and 3) Semester and monthly printable calendars.
- Cornell University -- Guidelines for Creating a Study Schedule: A one-page set of guidelines to help you plan your study schedule
- California Polytechnic State College -- Time Management Schedules: The CPSC site has 1) Guidelines for developing short-, Intermediate-, and long-term schedules and 2) Printable daily, weekly, and quarterly schedules.
- Oregon State University -- Build Your Time Mangement Tool Box: 1) Printable calendars; 2)Time Log; and 3) Other time management resources are available on this site
Reading Skills
- Saddleback College -- Reading Assessment for Different Subject Areas: By reading a brief document and taking a 5-question quiz (time required: 10 minutes), this tool allows you to test your reading competency in specific areas, such as the Life Sciences, Psychology, English (essay), Geography, History, and Mathematics.
- Dartmouth -- Reading Techniques: (video: length-11:12; subtitles/closed captions): Overview of strategies for 1) Preparing to read; 2) Increasing reading rate; and 3) Improving reading comprehension using the SQ3R method--survey, question, read, recall, and review.
- Penn State University -- Reading Comprehension: This site include a number of written guidelines and strategies for improving reading comprehension: 1) SQ3R Study/Reading System; 2) Tips on Underlining a Textbook; 3) Taking Notes on Reading; 4) Reading for Speed and Effectiveness; 5) How to Read a Difficulty Book; and 6) an Interactive (reading) Activity.
- Walden College -- Reading Skills--Self-Paced Interactive Tutorials: The self-paced tutorials focuses on four types of reading skills: 1) Reading to Understand; 2) Reading to Engage and Evaluate; 3) Reading Textbooks; and 4) Reading Research Articles. (You can complete each tutorial in approximately 20 minutes)
- Cornell University -- Textbook Reading Systems: Overview of three systems for reading textbooks: The SQ3R, P2R, and S-RUN systems.
Exam Preparation
- California Polytechnic State College -- Tests: Preparation Suggestions: Topics include 1) Planning your study time; 2) Determining what needs to be studied; 3) Making exam questions.
- Ohio University -- Exam Preparation: Comprehensive guideline for becoming an effective test taker: 1) Exam Preparation Pretest (self-assessment); 2) Stages of Exam Preparation; 3) Guidelines for Taking the Exam; and 4) Learning from the Exam.
- Cornell University -- The Five Day Study Plan: Detailed guidelines for creating an exam study plan, which include examples of study plans and preparation and review strategies.
Stress, Test Anxiety, and Academic Success
Understanding and Managing Stress
- Cornell University -- Understanding Academic Anxiety: Brief definitions of anxiety, how it affects your academic performance, and the specific factors that trigger it.
- Walden University -- Module Two -- Stress Management: This three-module stress management video, which includes self-awareness exercises, focuses on the deeper roots of anxiety--Perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome--and provides strategies for managing them (You can complete the video in 10 to 20 minutes, depending how much time you devote to each module and the exercises.)
Test Anxiety and Academic Success
