Study habits

bblair · Nov 28, 2006

I start in August of 07. I have been told to plan on 20-30 hour a week for coursework and studying for the program I am in, in addition to 20 hours a week of clinicals. I would love to know if this sounds about typical.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2006

hi, curlysue82!

most college profs will tell you that for every hour in the classroom you should spend 3 hours outside the classroom in study. you probably need to put in a little more than that to get the higher grades. i use my computer and look for further explanations of school topics on the internet a lot. i learned how to make my own flashcards on the computer. i'm giving you some web links to information from a couple of college counseling departments on how to study. there are some really good study tips there. you can read them over the holidays. you should also start hanging out, if you haven't already, on the student nursing forums of allnurses. here is a listing of them: https://allnurses.com/forums/f196/. but if you are in nursing classes, you should explore the nursing student assistance forum and the nursing student discussion forum. many questions are asked and answered there. good luck with your studies!

http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/accditg/ssindex.htm - strategies for success, an online primer and tutorial on how to study for students from the alamo community college. this is a pretty extensive resource with links on the right side of the page to click into the following subjects: learning styles, note taking, memory techniques, time management, overcoming procrastination, sq3r (a method for getting the most out of reading your textbooks), study tips, critical thinking, preparing for tests, and oral presentations. also, take a look at the faq's (frequently asked questions).

http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/checklis.html - this is a study skill checklist for you to go through and inventory your study habits from virginia polytechnic institute and state university. at the bottom of the form is the link to "study skills self-help information" which is all kinds of information to help you with areas you were weak on in the checklist. if you want to bypass the checklist and just go into the information section, go to this link http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html

http://www.how-to-study.com/index.html - how to study.com: a study skills resource. has a variety of study skills on the website, plus a section on how to read your textbooks. topics addressed on this site include: taking notes, listening, solving math word problems, using references sources, spelling long words, essay tests, test anxiety, using abbreviations, study groups, test taking strategies, reading comprehension, remembering information, vocabulary building, writing a research paper, making oral presentations, managing time, writing techniques, multiple-choice tests and more.

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/study_skills.html - study skills for the nursing student from daytona beach community college nursing department with some good advice.

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/test_taking_skills.html - test taking skills also from daytona beach community college nursing department. a couple of sample questions and how to choose the correct answer for these application type questions.

http://www.efn.org/~nurses/ - this is a website maintained by the nursing students at lane community college in eugene, oregon. for study and learning tips specific to nursing students click on "tips for learning" at the left side of this home page.

curlysue82 · Dec 5, 2006

Hello Daytonite!Wow, Thank you for all that great info. I am new to college and to nursing so it is all a little confusing and overwhelming. From previous post I can tell that nursing school is very competitive so I want to make the best grades possible to make me stand out among the crowd. I have to admit I am a little scared so thank you for all your helpful info. I'll put it to great use.