I know the real hard work has not started yet but I would like to start developing some effective study habits right now.

How should I study? Read text before class? Make notes before class? Make notes during lecture and combine?

Any tips/comments are appreciated Thanks

Hey MacEng, I'm in the same situation and I'm testing out methods too. Umm it totally depends on the class. If the class is PBL you have to read and make notes before class so you can actively participate. For other classes, I find it better if I read through the suggested pages, and then take notes in class. Not sure if this totally works for me yet, but in theory it sounds good lol.

I assume you are in 1st year ENG so my opinion will apply to that only.

- Keep yourself up to date with class. You will not have time to study before test.
- Make a clear schedule on when things are due, avoid any surprise.

On choice between lecture/text/note/tutorial, different people have different opinion.

Lecture: I personally am skeptical on 1st yr lectures as they are mostly reading off textbook, but they do keep you up to date.
Textbooks: are good but you have to be selective, for example skip most proofs of the theorems in math text, rather focus on the application (aka questions you'll get in test).
Note: I am just not a note person and rarely revisit my note, I think textbook is far better.
Tutorials: are amazingly helpful if you have a decent TA. They summarize the knowledge and give you experience on real question. But if your TA speaks barely louder than mosquito, and you are totally lost, don't bother wasting time.

My 2 cents...

Hey MacEng! The way I usually studied for my classes was I would make notes during lectures and paid close attention to the prof. For the physics classes, I struggled a lot in 1D03 but for 1E03 i did better because I decided to read ahead b4 lectures and do the sample problems (ie. CAPA). Even if I didnt understand fully what I was reading, when the prof covered the concept again during class it made more sense to me . Then, for courses that provided notes on webct, I would print them out ahead of time and then make further notes on them during lecture.

I'm like diegocn, I rarely reread my notes. I actually just read the entire chpt and then review my own little side notes I made during lecture, but I never just study off my notes. Also, I suggest you do the suggested problem sets and sample tests for all courses - they really help especially for math and physics.

Lastly, if I'm stuck on anything I just ask the prof or TA to clarify it for me. It's really good because it's one-on-one with the prof, & you can just keep on asking until you fully understand.

I think the biggest problem is how to study with peace and quiet..I live on the biggest rez on campus and there are times where i feel like opening my door and telling people to SHUT UP! lol..

Tried ear plugs..but they feel akward after quite some time..

There are quiet study rooms in all of the residences on campus. There are also four libraries with quiet study areas. On top of that, the second and third floor of the student center can be used as study space as well, but depending on when you can go can be a little bit loud.

Hey,
Here are some articles on test-taking that we wrote a while back:

Part 1: http://www.macinsiders.com/showthread.php?t=1736 7
Part 2: http://www.macinsiders.com/showthread.php?t=1742 1

One thing I would like to stress: do practice tests...you probably didn't have that luxury in high school, you'll be surprised how much they help.