Hello fellow UMKC students. I am Kathleen Ramo, a Bachelor of Health Sciences student in the School of Nursing here at the university. As mid-terms approach I would like to share some study tips that I find useful. Before you get started it’s helpful to find out what your learning style is so your time is used effectively. There are many short quizzes online! To find out your learning style click here: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml. Below are some tips I find useful and I hope they are helpful for you as well! Good luck on your mid-terms!

• Give yourself plenty of time with the amount of material you have to study for.
• Take a short break when things no longer start to make sense. When you go back to the question after a short break you may find you know the answer with a clear head.
• Don’t pull “all nighters”. It always ends in regret and your brain doesn’t function at its full capacity without sleep.
• Eat! Don’t skip meals to cram for exams. Your body needs energy to focus.
• Ask questions. If something doesn’t make sense don’t hesitate to e-mail your professor or another student. Material that you may not understand maybe someone else can lend helpful hints
• Study without distractions. Yes, this means turning off your cell phone if you have to and shutting your computer down. You know how tempting social media is.
• Make “to-do” lists for each class you need to study for and put time frames on each item.
• Focus on one task at a time. During mid-terms your list of “to-dos” grows and can get quite overwhelming. Cross one thing off at a time so you feel accomplished.
• Use tables and/or diagrams; draw pictures, use arrows and label. 
• Make flash cards for key terms.
• Have someone else quiz you after you are confident with the material. Any questions you cannot answer confidently is material you should go back over.
• Be organized
• Highlight and/or use different colored writing materials.
• Drink plenty of water!
• Be prepared for your exam. The night before make sure you have everything you need ready to go. No one needs the extra stress of lost car keys the morning of an exam.
• Details, Details, Details!

Study Tips for classes with a study guide:

1. Handwrite the questions and the answers. This helps to retain the question and the answer as a whole.
2. If you prepare you study guide in advance don’t just fill it out and set it aside, go over it! Multiple times!
3. If you prefer to work in groups make sure you discuss solutions to the answers because just writing down answers does not help with information retention. Always write your own answers after group discussion so each person is learning and working.
4. Highlight and use different colored writing materials for each chapter or question on the study guide. This helps when you are going back over your study guide so you understand what you’ve written and what material coincides.
5. If your instructor has prepared lecture notes, use them to help fill out your study guide. If they have taken the time to prepare notes it’s probably important to them.
6. Watch for reoccurring themes throughout the material. If it appears more than once it’s probably important.