How to actually learn in school

By Dreena Whitfield

High school can be filled with a laundry list of things to do: fitting in, plays, sports, friends, enemies, boyfriends, girlfriends and to top it all off...tests. I know the word "test" alone can bring on a sudden case of nausea, but these are a major component of high school, college and even life....so get used to them! At this age, your life is probably filled with so many extracurricular activities that it can be easy to be seduced by the allure of procrastination. However, when you develop a solid system for studying and actually remember what you learned long after class is over, studying will become second nature.

A major component of preparing for a test, whether it is scheduled or a surprise is early preparation. Early preparation should consist of reading more than what was instructed and reviewing your class notes. Be one step ahead and read more than the assigned pages, read the whole chapter! As you read more on the topic, you should review your notes from class and perhaps jot down some new ones. The more you become familiar with the information, the easier it will be to remember.

Solid note taking skills is another great characteristic to add to your scholastic repertoire. When learning something new you should be mindful that it may reappear in the near or distant future. So take notes as if tomorrow is test day, in doing so you will have a solid amount of notes for when it is time for you to actually prep for an upcoming test. Once you grasp the concept of taking good notes, you will carry it with you for the rest of your life. To this day, I take notes as if I'm going to be quizzed tomorrow. Quick tip, if you take a monstrous amount of notes, try to keep things neat and organized so you can find what you need to study. If need be, rewrite after class, create subheads, bullets, asterisks...anything that will alleviate the clutter.

If prepping early by reading more than assigned, reviewing your notes from class and taking solid notes still leaves you stumped, try having a study buddy or study group. These unconventional methods of test preparation can alleviate the stress and chaos of trying to remembering everything yourself. A study group with your peers can provide insight on your test materials and they may bring up some things you may have forgotten to study. Same applies to the study buddy; just be sure that when you're meeting with your study buddy or group that you actually study and not have it turn into a gossip session.

Studying can be very stressful if you procrastinate and wait to the last minute to hit the books. Save yourself the nausea, headaches and anxiety by prepping early; hey you may actually learn something! Developing good study skills in high school is essential, because college will present an intense workload and tests will come more frequently. The struggle to focus on your studies in college will be more trying and procrastination will taste a little sweeter, but you must remember your future is at stake. So develop solid study skills now and party later; you can have the best of both worlds that way!