Study Strategies for Any Subject

Over an academic journey that stretched from the Bay Area to Columbia University, my study strategies have developed from my high school years into a routine that I continue to apply today in my day-to-day life as a working professional. 

While different study techniques work for everyone, I hope that sharing these five refined techniques prove to be helpful for you as you prepare for your studies throughout high school and in college.

Organization and Planning: Charting the Course

All of my study endeavors start with one thing: a meticulously planned study schedule. It was a strategy born out of necessity in the chaos of high school life, but it blossomed into a guiding principle at Columbia. 

Every subject, from the complex theories of economics to a sea of concepts and facts from history classes, was allocated its own space and time. As I dove into the preparation of economics exams, I dissected each curriculum into digestible sections, scheduling my weeks around mastering certain concepts before transitioning to more advanced concepts. 

If I had a history test around the same time, I would designate separate blocks of time to study each section of that material. Similarly, I planned out my study days and times into small chunks so that I had a clear purpose and goal for each block of time devoted to studying.

Writing and Repetition: Cementing Knowledge

The physical act of writing was a key practice for me to retain information. Trust me on this — writing things down is to studying what lifting weights is to building muscle. In high school I wrote everything down, from Spanish vocab to chemistry formulas. 

By the time I got to Columbia, this habit was second nature. As a history student, I would chronicle the events of the past and write out key terms and definitions so that they would be ingrained in my memory. 

Writing is about physically and mentally disciplining yourself to help you remember. So, when you’re prepping for the SATs or preparing for a calculus test, while studying, write, then write again. It’s the repetition that makes it stick.

Textbook Engagement: Diving into the Depths

Call me old-fashioned, but despite the allure of digitized learning, I found my true academic companion in textbooks. In high school, I started reading textbooks as I found the narratives and organization of textbooks to be better suited for the way I learn. 

This strategy paid off big time in college as I found that I learned the best by studying the source text more so than lectures or summaries on a powerpoint. So grab that highlighter and make those textbooks yours. Annotate, underline, question, and connect. 

I also liked to put Post-It notes in important sections to serve as bookmarks. Dive into your texts and you’ll emerge with a grasp on subjects that lectures and YouTube videos just can’t match.

Study Notes and Guides: Personal Encyclopedia

My study notes are more than mere records; they are a reflection of all that I find interesting and important during classes and my studies. These notes evolve into comprehensive study guides that are indispensable when midterms and finals loom. 

I distill lectures, readings, and my own thoughts into these guides, organizing them in a way that makes sense to my learning style. The act of creating these notes is in itself a study session, reinforcing my knowledge and identifying any gaps in my understanding. 

As I progressed through my courses at Columbia, these notes proved to be vital and efficient ways to memorize and understand information presented in thousands of pages covering philosophy, history, and social sciences.

Leverage Your Peers

Students often fall into the mistake of treating peers as competition. In my opinion, learning from others and collaborating on study efforts are often the most memorable experiences. 

For one, engaging with peers who have a strong grasp of certain subjects opens up new perspectives and strategies for learning. These conversations often illuminate different angles of a topic that I may not have considered. 

By discussing challenging concepts and exchanging study techniques, I gained insights that textbooks and lectures may not provide. These interactions are not only academically enriching but also help create connections with classmates who share my academic interests and pursuits.

These strategies have transcended my student years and found a place in my professional life. As I delve into new projects, the principles of organization and planning ensure that I can juggle multiple tasks without losing focus. Writing remains my go-to method for learning anything new, whether it’s a complex business model or a new analysis. And textbooks, albeit now often in digital form, continue to be a well of knowledge I draw from regularly.

Remember, the heart of these strategies lies in their adaptability to what works best for you. As you journey through high school and into college, they are meant to be customized, a flexible framework that supports your unique intellectual leanings and strengths. So take these words and infuse them with your own understanding of yourself. By sharing my own personal studying methods, I hope to have inspired you to find the combination of techniques that resonates, so that you can craft your own unique approach to studying.

– Mentor Daniel