5 Study Tips For Cornell Students

Cornell students know how overwhelming classes and finals can be, but with just a few tips you can start to ease any stress. In collaboration with Amanda Williams of the Learning Strategies Center, I give you 5 study tips for Cornell students.

1. Get the big picture of what your semester looks like.

One of the best study tips for Cornell students is to manage your time. Make sure you’re not caught off guard with upcoming responsibilities. Using your syllabus, put all big assignments, tests, and even important club events on a calendar. The Learning Strategies Center has a really great semester calendar available for download at lsc.cornell.edu!

2. Study wisely.

Believe it or not, studying continuously for 12 hours straight is not smart studying. The most effective way to study is by studying in two hour blocks of time. Refer back to Elizabeth’s 7 Tricks to Stay Focused While Studying article if you have trouble concentrating. And don’t forget to give yourself breaks!

3. Follow a weekly schedule.

You don’t need to plan out every second of your week, but use a planner or the Learning Strategies Center weekly calendar to keep yourself organized and figure out when and where to study, workout, have lunch, relax, etc. Make sure to use specific wording such as “Lunch at Terrace” rather than “Lunch” or “Study Chem” rather than “Study.”

4. Create a to do list.

Make a to do list that includes exactly how long you want to spend on a certain assignment. If you’re working towards a larger assignment, make small tasks and goals that lead up to that final project. Including time estimates will give you an idea of how much time you are taking to study in each class. A good rule of thumb is to allow two to three hours outside of class for every one hour spent in class. Prioritize, because the sooner the due date or the more points it’s worth, the closer it should be to the top of your list.

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5. Take advantage of the “odd hours.”

During those small pockets of time in your weekly schedule, check off those smaller tasks on your to do list. Avoid falling into the night cycle. Some of us don’t even start homework or studying until after 9 p.m., and as the semester goes on, you stay up later and later trying to complete all of your assignments. This is the night cycle. Being a Cornell student is a full-time job; try to utilize the time in between classes during the day to review your notes, read an article, or outline an essay.

For more helpful study tips for Cornell students, visit lsc.cornell.edu.