Here are some tips to help you get the most out of studying

* Make sure when you are taking notes during lectures that you copy the information down legibly so that you can re read it afterwards, a lot of students make the mistake of scribbling down notes and this makes it hard to understand what you wrote.

* Copy out your notes into something more readable as soon as you can after the lecture.

* Try to study as much as you can during the daylight hours, you are more alert during daylight hours than you are at night therefore you remember things more easily and the information is more likely to sink in.

* Buy different colour note books for different classes and use these to take your notes down you will be more organised and colours will help you to associate and focus on one topic.

* If you struggle during lectures writing your notes without the lecturer getting too far in front then abbreviate words, an example of this would be ppl instead of people, but make sure you are able to understand the abbreviations afterwards for copying up.

* If you type fast then if possible use a laptop computer to take down notes during lectures instead of writing using pen and paper.

* Always make sure you have a couple of spare pens handy in lectures in case one runs out of ink.

* If using notepads for note taking then try using paper which is lined it helps to keep your notes even and more readable afterwards.

* Make sure that you have read materials relating to lectures beforehand and out the information leaving plenty of space to add notes during the lecture.

* Always make sure that you are fully relaxed and rested before attending lectures.

* Mark and high light key information in different colours to help you remember it more easily.

* If you are borrowing a friends notes to work from make sure that they got everything right, you really shouldn’t copy or borrow someone else’s notes because they might have missed something important or got something wrong.

* When re writing your notes from lectures write them out and then write them out again elaborating a bit more the second time.

* If you are trying to learn a short passage from a text book then sing it yourself by way of your favourite song.

* Get all other things out of the way before sitting down to study, if you have to call your mum then do it now, if you have to a job then do it before you study, just clear your mind of all other distractions first then you will be able to concentrate on your studying.

* Try studying with a study buddy they can test you and you them on the notes you took together in the lecture.

* If you find that you cant concentrate and your mind is wandering from your studying then get up and take a 5 minute break, open the window and let some air in and stretch you legs.