Study Tips
by Aaron P.
Whether you’re a buggy driver, Scotch’n’Soda staff member, Mock Trial competitor or anyone else here at CMU, one thing is always true: you’re going to need to study! Carnegie Mellon’s classes can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean you can’t excel with some hard work and planning—take it from someone who’s been on the College of Engineering’s Dean’s List every semester! Here are some general study tips to help you succeed:
1) Commit to studying. Ever spent hours on an assignment without making as much progress as you wanted? I definitely have. Sometimes, it’s because you are genuinely stuck or need a helping hand (in which case, I recommend going to office hours or checking out the Student Academic Success Center for support), but more often than not, I find that it’s because I wasn’t fully committed to working during that time. When you decide to study or do classwork, you should commit to that decision and stay focused for the full period of time. You can set yourself up for success by preparing a suitable environment, ideally one that is quiet, away from your friends and distraction-free (silence your phone!). The libraries are a great choice!
2) Practice, practice, practice. For most people, the best way to learn new concepts and material is to apply them: active practice almost always beats rote memorization. This is especially true when studying for an exam or presentation. Instead of looking over lecture notes or presentation slides, try doing practice problems or rehearsing out loud. For exams specifically, I find that doing practice problems right at the beginning of exam preparation is helpful to identify what areas I should focus my time and energy on studying. Pretty much all of the classes I’ve taken at CMU have had ample practice problems, either in the form of practice exams, past homeworks or recitation handouts (and you should be attending recitation!). Make good use of those resources, and don’t be afraid to check past course websites or ask your professor if you need more.
3) Take care of yourself. This is legitimately the most important tip here. Beyond the obvious fact that your health is more important than your grades, the former has a strong impact on the latter! Your studying efficiency will drop dramatically if you are not healthy, and it goes without saying that exam performance will be hit just as hard, if not harder. Make time to eat, sleep and exercise—pulling an all-nighter to cram is almost certainly worse than simply going to bed at a reasonable time after some light review. Your mental state is vital too: mental fatigue and exhaustion will hurt you as bad as their physical counterparts. It can be better to take a break and end a study session early, rather than force yourself to keep going.
Keep in mind that these are just general suggestions—figuring out how you learn best and building study habits that fit your mindset are incredibly valuable, so do what works for you. I hope you found this post helpful, and I wish you the best during your time at CMU!