When it comes to studying most of us prefer to take a nap and be slothful. Studying is often grouped with adjectives like dull and uninteresting. However, studying is beneficial and is a primary key to success. Spice up the way you study with these ideas and you will save yourself from receiving an F!

When taking notes create a key for yourself. Use symbols, highlighters, and colorful pens to organize your notes. Don’t catch yourself flipping through pages of notes helplessly looking for that one topic; with a key your studying time will be reduced. Cornell notes are also a perfect organizer for any class whether its History or Science. Folding your paper in half and simply writing the topic on the left hand side while writing information on the right, creates easy accessible notes.

“My freshman year has been simplified, using Cornell notes saves me at least 30 minutes. Instead of looking for topics, I easily find each section by looking at the left column, said freshman Kayla Hughsam

Planning ahead of time will help save you from procrastination. Studying for 2 hours rather than 30 mins will result in better scores, therefore set a timer for yourself. Studying requires self discipline. View it as training yourself, since it is a key part of developing good studying habits.

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Procrastinating is a tendency most teenagers have, I take a piece of paper and I write myself a list of the things I need to complete. Doing just this simple task has helped me manage my assignments and plan my study time so I still can manage to get eight hours of sleep.

— Sophomore Karla Argenal

Flashcards are a overused method however, it can be one of the most beneficial ways to memorize vocabulary or even simple facts. A pack of index cards is essential for effective studying. When reading annotating is an advantage it can contribute to analyzing and to have a full understanding of what your reading.

With these simple tweaks, you will immediately see results. A couple adjustments and procrastination will no longer be a problem. The cloudy days of bad grades will fade away and the sunny days full of A’s and B’s will come!