How to Create a Study Schedule

Midterms go one of two ways: you come out feeling uneasy, but did surprisingly well, or you come out feeling uneasy and totally bombed. If you’re the latter (don’t worry, I’ve been there), hopefully you will reevaluate what you did to prepare for that exam and see what needs to be changed. One amazing trick is to create a study schedule. There is something about sitting down and creating a plan that makes you more motivated to follow through. Here are the steps to create a study schedule and help you get organized in college.

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Initial schedule

I started with my class schedule for the week; I don’t have classes on Fridays so I left that day out. Then I added in anything that I consider mandatory; club meetings, calling home to family, weekly dinner with friends, that new show you have been obsessed with (How to Get Away with Murder, I’m referring to you), workout time, etc. Basically, anything that I did at the same time ever week, I wrote in.

Short study windows

Next, I mark anytime between my classes as “study.” Even if it’s only twenty minutes, that’s still twenty minutes of studying. You would be amazed at how much you get done in twenty minutes, especially if you have them scattered all throughout your week! On Monday alone, this gave me four hours and five minutes of extra study time. This time for me is ideal! You don’t have the pressure to study for multiple hours straight, but you also get a sense of accomplishment as the day progresses.

Complete schedule

This will already increase your study time tremendously, but now you can go in and add in time outside of your classes. I personally wake up early and do my work so that I can relax and have less crazy nights. Below I planned my daily study sessions to begin at 9 am, which gives me a good chunk of time to get some studying in before most of my classes. By doing this, I am not as pressured to study later on and can use those hours to focus on weekly homework assignments. I left these blocks blank here because my assignments change on a weekly basis. If you have the same assignments every week, portion them up into these blocks.

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A study schedule, especially one that utilizes the time between classes, is the best way to do the insane professor-recommended amount of study time. Three to four hours for every hour of in-class time seems absurd at first, but when you break it down throughout your week, it becomes manageable. Use your time well and watch those A’s come flying in (or at least passing grades).