Tips for Success in Psychology

Perhaps the greatest appeal of studying psychology as an undergraduate is the knowledge you receive through coursework and readings that can be directly related to student life. Gaining an understanding of cognition, personality, social interactions, health behaviors, and other psychological phenomena allows students to apply scientific principles to their own educational and career goals, as well as provides the knowledge base to promote their overall well-being. Below are just a few of the many empirically-supported tips for student success

  • Schedule daily studying & homework time
  • Make lists of things to accomplish during studying
  • Put off pleasurable events (e.g., TV) until work is completed
  • Complete assigned readings (e.g., read the course textbook(s))
  • Review the class textbook/assignments before going to class
  • Create mnemonics and vivid mental images to aid learning
  • Memorize the material through repetition
  • Generate examples to apply the material
  • Record information related to study tasks (e.g., keeping a study log)
  • Self-verbalize the steps to complete a given task (e.g., “first, I’ll read the chapter…”)
  • Use the chapter review questions to self-test
  • Use a study partner
  • Review items missed on exams, including items guessed at
  • Make an outline before writing a paper
  • Check work before handing in assignments

The information provided above was extracted from the article “How Should Students Study? Tips, Advice and Pitfalls” by Regan A.R. Gurung & Lee I. McCann (2011). A link to the full article is provided here.