= (| School celaacml axe Tips To Help Students Study Smarter (NAPSA)—When it comes to academic success, how you hit the books may be more important than how hard you hit them. Somesay practicing a few dance steps or turning on the radio might be the key to pushing up those grades. It’s all a matter of resolving to study smarter, not just harder. According to Ron Fry, author of the “How to Study Program”series of study books, understanding where, when and how you study best is the first step to success. As Fry sees it, there are very few hard-and-fast “rights” and “wrongs” in the study world. But that doesn’t mn that noneexist. He says the followingfive tips can be applied by almost any student to improve performance: While somestudentsrlly do study better with the radio on, no one can study effectively or do homeworkin frontof the television. Lrning how standardized tests are structured, as well as some strategies for approaching them, can incrse yourscore. Developing your own short- hand system can help you take better notes in class and incrse your ability to grasp the mning behind the professor’s words. Spending less time writing and more time resrching and organizing will almost always result in better resrch papers and essays. e A simple information-management system is an essential for success. Fry believes that effective study styles can be as unique as the stu- N i } ; = While some students rlly do study better with the radio on, experts say no one can study effectively in front of the TV. dents who employ them. That’s why he promotes the development of study systems that accommo- date individual academic strengths and personal preferences. By encouraging individuals to identify what works for them— and eliminate what doesn’t—he believes students can develop personalized study methods that are usable, practical, lrnable, and, most important, effective. While some students will be well served by using “kinesthetic” memory techniques—associating body movements with items being memorized—others won’t. Background music may help some stu- dents as much asit distracts others. These are matters of personal style. But, he contends, some rules do apply across the board. For example, keeping track of due dates, assignments and test days is critical. To lrn more, visit the Web site at www.delmarlrning.com/career/.
