NOVEMBER 4, 2021 TIPS & TRICKS

Tips and Tricks for

University

BY

Annika Desando
 Summary
Note Taking
Strategies

Proper Note taking is one of the most important skills for a

student to learn. Having efficient, straight-forward notes
with a lot of information will help you be successful

Tip #1: Make Textbook and Reading Notes First

Many Professors require you to read chapters from the
textbook before class. Reading and taking notes on the
chapter will help you to better understand the lecture and
familiarize yourself with the information being discussed.
Make sure that you are only taking notes on the most
important information. Including examples from the
textbook in your notes is also helpful. If you are having
trouble reading or understanding an assigned reading,
look it over more than once. Read it, highlight any
important information, add your own ideas, and read it
over again. Having a physical copy of a reading can also
help with understanding the text.

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Tip #2: Look Over PowerPoints Before Class
Some professors provide the PowerPoints before their
lectures. Look over the PowerPoints and add any additional
information to your notes. By doing this, you are able to focus
more on what the Professor is saying during the lecture
instead of trying to take notes on both the slides and
Professor. Professors often emphasize topics during lectures,
repeat things over and over, or say "you need to know this for
the exam". Write all of that down. Lectures are often
extremely helpful in giving you hints for what you need to
study.

Tip #3: Find a Note Taking Method that Works for You
There are many ways to take notes. Finding a note taking
method that works for you will help you to better understand
content, stay organized, and pay attention and participate in
lectures. Taking notes is about summarizing core concepts as
precisely as possible in your own words.

Here are a few different methods:

1. The Outline method
2. The Cornell Method
3. The Boxing Method
4. The Charting Method
5. The Mapping Method

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 Summary
Study
Strategies

Figuring out a solid study routine can be overwhelming

especially when adjusting to University. Every student is
different so try a bunch of different methods until you figure
out what works for you.
Tip #1: Do Your B.E.S.T
B - Breathe
One thing that many of you are going to forget to do is breathe! It’s okay to
take it slow. Here are some things to help you not over stress yourself:
1. Write down all of your exam dates in order.
2. Start this during your last week of classes. Chances are you’ll be doing a
Final Review in our classes so this gives you a headstart on your review
notes.
3. Invest in five notebooks (Dollarama tbh.), use one notebook for each class
and start writing your review notes.
4. Once you have your reviews done, you’ll have it with you to re-read and
memorize in the days leading up to your exam. You can read it before
bed, at work, etc.
5. Don’t overwork yourself, try and finish the reviews so you can focus on
the memorizing and retaining of the information!

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E- Eat
You are going to find yourselves getting caught up in
studying and other responsibilities. It’s very important that
you don't forget to eat and drink lots of water. You need to
eat and drink lots of water to be able to focus when
studying and so that you don't like hurt your body.

S- Sleep
This is a big one. Do NOT pull an all nighter the night of an
exam to study. I can tell you from experience that it will
not make you any smarter. You won’t be able to retain
anything if
you can barely keep your eyes open. Instead, I would
suggest you go to bed at a reasonable time and wake up a
bit earlier to study. You’ll be refreshed, awake, and able to
focus better.

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T- Take a Break
I know exams are scary and they can be very stressful.
Every time you feel like the pressure is getting to you, take
a break. It’s important not to overwork yourself to a point
of exhaustion.

1. Give yourself a time limit of how many hours you study

per night. Example: Every night from 5:00pm-8:00pm,
you sit in your room to study and get whatever work
you can get done within those three hours.
2. Allow yourself a five minute phone break every half
hour or so when studying.
3. Don't force yourself to study. If you sit down, open
your textbooks and you really can’t focus then close
your things and come back later. If you are not in the
right headspace than step away until you are.

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Tip #2 - The Pomodoro Method
I love using this when I study. Basically the Pomodoro
method is a study session that includes breaks to keep
you focused and allow you to not become overwhelmed.
To start, set a timer and do your work for 25 minutes.
When that time is complete, take a break for 5 minutes
(get some water, go outside, listen to music, etc.). When
the 5 minutes is complete, study for another 25 minutes
and continue the process. After about 4 or 5 sessions you
can make the breaks longer (10-15 minutes). There are a
lot of websites and apps that you can use for this method.
My personal favourite is the Focus Tomato app. It keeps
track of your focus and break times as well as background
noise like rain or coffee shops if that helps you to focus.

Tip #3 - Audible Notes

For those of you who learn audibly, an excellent option is
to read out your condensed/highlighted notes on a voice
memos app and listen to it anywhere! You can listen at
home, before bed, in the car, or on a run! You can also
read out your notes and say “blank” to allow yourself to fill
in the blank for yourself while listening.

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Tip #4 - White Board
Another strategy for those who like to write information
out, but don’t necessarily want to take the time to make
cue cards, is using a white board! White boards and
markers are cheap (you can get them at the dollar store!)
and are a great way to help yourself retain information.
You can write out a theory name and its components, a
term and its definition, theorists and their
findings/successes, and so on and so forth! And then...
you can ERASE IT and try again!

Tip #5 - Study Groups

Of course, this strategy is more difficult now that we are
experiencing a pandemic; however, it is still possible to
achieve over the phone or video chat! Connect virtually
with a group of friends, and study together! Ask each
other questions, help each other memorize concepts, and
think of examples together! This is a strategy that works
for a lot of people!

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Tip #6 - To do Lists
First, make a brain-dump list. Write out everything you
need to get done that week. Whether it’s an assignment,
studying for an exam, doing a discussion board, a reading,
or whatever else, mark it down! This is where people often
stop with their lists. Now, you’re looking at a list with a
million and one things on it, and you become so
overwhelmed and stressed and don’t know where to start!
The next step is to distribute each task into a weekly list.
Go down your to-do list that you just made, and mark
down what task you want to do on what day. If you have
an exam Friday, mark down that you need to study on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you have
a discussion board due on Wednesday, mark down that
you need to finish it on Tuesday. By doing this, you are
ensuring that you will tackle every single thing on your list
Now, you have little daily goals, and checking them off is
extremely satisfying! If you prefer to write lists on your
phone or computer, you can absolutely do that! It works
the exact same. If you prefer to write your weekly lists on
your calendar/agenda rather than on a notepad, then do
that! Don’t be afraid to adapt these strategies to your
style!

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 Summary
Tips on
Writing a
Midterm /
Final

Writing an exam can be scary especially if you do not know

what to expect. Here are some tips to help you.

Tip #1: What to Bring to an Exam

Bring a pencil, pen, eraser, white out, highlighter, and student
card (if you’re writing in-person). During in person exams,
most use scantrons which is a sheet in which you fill in little
bubbles to identify your answer to a multiple-choice or true
or false question. These scantrons can only be filled in with a
pencil. Pens are helpful during short-answer, long-answer,
essay, or problem-solving components. Highlight key words
or terms in exam questions. You need your student card to
write in-person exams. I always keep my student card in
my backpack.

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Tip #2: Grounding
When you sit down to write your exam, whether it’s in front
of your computer, outside of your lecture hall waiting to go
in, or at your desk ready to be handed your exam, take a deep
breath. Then, find 5 things in the room you can see, 5 things
you can feel, and 5 things you can hear. For example, I could
say, “I see my professor at the front of the room, my scantron
sheet in front of me, my classmates sitting all around me, the
GAs holding the stack of exams, and the white board with a
good luck message from my professor. I feel my feet on the
ground, my back against my chair, my pencil in my hand, my
hair falling in front of my face, and the air conditioning
blowing right over me. I can hear my professor talking to the
GAs, my peer next to me talking to their friend next to them,
my peer in front of me taping their fingers on their desk, the
door opening and closing as people come in and out of the
room, and the AC unit blowing".

Tip #3: Starring Questions

If you ever approach a question on an exam and simply have
no idea what the right answer is, write a star next to the
question, and move on. At the end of the exam, start back at
the beginning of the exam and tackle all of the starred
questions. Sometimes, you can find the answer to the
question somewhere later in the exam. Sometimes, you are
able to determine the right answer when you approach it a
second time. Other times, you still may not know and just
have to make an educated guess.

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Tip #4: Check the Clock
As soon as you sit down to write your exam, make note of the
clock. During the exam, keep checking the clock! The worst
thing is only having 10 minutes left and having to scramble to
finish your exam in time, not really fully thinking about the
questions, as you just want to get done in
time.

Tip #5: Never Leave a Question Blank

Sometimes there’s a short-answer question and you are
so exhausted and have absolutely no idea what to write.
But it is so important to write something down. It might be
wrong, but it might be right. You could also get part marks!
The same goes for MC or T/F questions. If you don’t know it,
just guess!

Tip #6: Check Your Answers

Once you are done your exam, make sure to check your
answers! There have been many times where I have
forgotten to look over my exam only to realize that I filled
in the wrong bubble on a multiple choice question or
accidentally skipped a question. Trust me, it is worth the
extra bit of time.

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 Summary
Campus
Resources

University of Windsor has many resources to help you out.

Here are a few important ones.

Student Counselling Centre

"The Student Counselling Centre (SCC) is a space where
registered students can access confidential mental health
services at no additional cost to them"
https://www.uwindsor.ca/wellness/304/counselling

MySuccess
Where you can make academic advising appointments, writing
support desk appointments and find opportunities with ignite
https://success.uwindsor.ca/home.htm

Student Success and leadership Centre

"a variety of programs to enhance your academic learning,
personal success and leadership skills."
https://www.uwindsor.ca/success/

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