You might have watched many films on college student’s lives, and you might have imagined that it is a walk in the park. Well, the truth is that being a student is not as easy as it appears in movies. The majority of the students are constantly struggling to navigate their personal, family, and professional lives. At times, students must go for their lecturers, complete their assignments, go to work, meet with friends, and still spare some time to rest. Whereas most of the time spent in a high learning institution has a lot of memories and happy, exciting experiences, it is essential to remember that there are ups and downs in students’ lives. Although everyone has unique experiences, there are common problems experienced by college students. You might consider scrolling through the posts published on the internet to get a good understanding of some of the challenges to expect in college and how to overcome them.
One of the biggest challenges that will stop you from attaining your desired academic goals is yourself. This is because, once in a while, you might find yourself asking questions such as “why me? Why has this happened?” It is essential to note that college is a period when individuals learn how to live independently and pursue their desires and passions. However, it is essential to note that freedom also comes with many responsibilities, which, if not well-managed, can make a person start questioning their decisions and develop self-doubts. Most researchers state that although joining college or any high learning institution is easy, the majority of the students often have difficulty staying there.
Memorization Techniques
Most assignments in high learning institutions are given in the form of essays, research papers, dissertations, and articles. Therefore, recalling all that you have learned shows that you have understood and paid attention to all that was taught. One of the most exciting things about the human brain is that it has a tremendous ability to store and thereafter recall what a person has learned. Researchers believe that human memory is created in such a way that if a person does not utilize it, they end up losing it.
When individuals train their memory to recall what they have learned, they tend to remember information easily. In other words, this means that recalling information is one of the skills, which an individual can learn, improve, and sharpen. In most cases, parents, guardians, and educators encounter situations where the students have difficulty recalling what they have learned. Scholars often have difficulty retaining the concepts that they have learned, which, in turn, makes them disappointed and frustrated. It is essential to note that the entire learning process usually differs from one person to another.
How to remember everything you study
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Avoid distractions
Most students have difficulty recalling what they learn because they are constantly distracted whenever they study. Distractions can be in different forms: friends, relatives, family, pets, the internet, or your phone. If you want to improve your memory, you must study in a place where you can concentrate. You will have difficulty recalling information or attaining your academic objectives if you are constantly distracted.
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Seek assistance
Some students have difficulty recalling information because they are not courageous enough to seek assistance whenever they encounter difficult situations. It is challenging to be assisted when you are not brave enough to admit that you do not know something and need assistance. Therefore, if you want to improve your memory, you must always strive to seek assistance from the right people and places. Apparently, there is no shame in not knowing something. You will have less difficulty recalling information if you have taken your time to understand what you are learning.
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Learn to prioritize the important things
One of the reasons most people have difficulty recalling information is that they have not taken their time to learn and understand what they are studying. Unfortunately, most of the students in the current generation are always looking for the easy way out. Some students have difficulty deciding between attending their friend’s birthday party and going to class. If you want to improve your memory, you must learn how to prioritize important things. For instance, you might consider sparing the better part of the day to your studies and engaging in other activities after you have completed your assignments or studies.
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Avoid comparing yourself
Different people have varying abilities. Your strengths might be another person’s weaknesses. Similarly, some people might take too much time to understand a particular concept, while others might take a short duration. You will be disappointed and frustrated if you keep comparing your abilities with those of your colleagues. This is because everyone is different and unique. If you want to improve your memory, you must learn to appreciate yourself and be grateful for your strengths. The first step towards improving your recalling skills is learning to appreciate your strengths and abilities.
How to Study and Remember Everything
In the current generation, most learning institutions require the students understand a lot of information within a short duration. This often forces the students to spend most of their days and nights cramming. For some students, memorizing for a single course might be challenging. However, it becomes even more disappointing when an individual has a couple of classes. Some students are often on the verge of giving up their academic lives because they feel like they do not have good memory skills. Not everyone is born with the ability to memorize information. Some people, have to train themselves to improve their recalling skills. The following are some of the ways on how to study and remember everything that you have learned.
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Write out what you have learned
Researchers believe that there is a direct connection between our brain and the hands. Therefore, writing can be an effective way of memorizing information. During the lecture session, you might consider writing notes using your hands. Alternatively, you might consider rewriting and reorganizing information after the lecture session. As you write your notes, you might also try and speak out the information loudly. This way, you will have less difficulty recalling what you have learned.
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Use mnemonics
They entail the tricks and systems that make it easier for a person to recall information. A good example is the one provided below, where an individual uses BODMAS to tackle a mathematical problem. Another example is in the nine planets, where an individual may use the first letter of every word. My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
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Come up with studying groups
Sometimes, concepts are best understood when studied in groups because the information is always simplified. For instance, let us say that you wanted to solve a particular mathematical question where there are brackets, division, multiplication, addition, and subtraction. You could use the formula BODMAS to solve such mathematical problems.
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Have a good amount of sleep
Researchers believe that there is a significant relationship between sleep and memory. In most cases, students spend too much time working, playing with friends, and revising for their examinations, such that they forget to spare some time to rest. If you want to improve your recalling skills, you must spare sufficient time to rest. Otherwise, there are high chances that you might end up exhausted, such that you may have a difficult time concentrating on your studies. Although sleep plays an essential role, unfortunately, most students stay up all night cramming for their examinations, which is unhealthy.
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Spare some time to talk to yourself
Although this might seem awkward, the truth is that talking to yourself might be an effective way of recalling information. At times, information tends to stick well in the memory when spoken repeatedly. Therefore, the next time you have difficulty recalling a concept or information, you might consider speaking it loudly and not just rereading your notes.
Is it Possible to Remember Everything?
Generally, most people have difficulty remembering everything they learn. There is a condition known as hyperthymesia, where an individual recalls every event that has taken place in their lives. The condition is rare, and there is only a small number of individuals who have it. The following are some of the ways a person can improve their recalling skills. You might try one or two and check which one of them will work best for you: improve your sleeping habits, improve your eating habits, learn to seek assistance, form study groups, and avoid cramming. On the same note, you might consider discussing with your lecturers or friends some of the ways they have improved their recalling skills. The most important thing is to avoid comparing yourself with your colleagues. This is because what might work well for them might not be the same for you and vice versa.