Resources for studying

Many students have found specific methods and resources that work well for studying.

Lee believes that a good note taking system can set off the preparation process on a good foot, finding that for her, notes with lots of colors and details help her to memorize the content.

“I like lots of colors in my notes, so I highlight the main topics, I highlight the subtopics and I’ll highlight vocab words or important quotes for the notes,” Lee said. “I like bullet points; I hate essay format.”

Another method which can help is group studying. Chang studied for AP US History in a study group and found talking through the material to help.

“For groups, I really love being able to lean on other people when I don’t know something because I often don’t know things,” Chang said. “We can get sidetracked, which is not always a good thing, but it makes it really

fun. I gained a lot of friends from being in a group.”

Crandall also recommends studying in a group.

“I also encourage [students] to use each other,” Crandall said. “You guys are in such a social stage of life and you’re seeking social connection no matter what. So if you’re going to put your phone down”

Chang also likes using an organization app called Notion. The app helps her to organize her schedule and take notes in a more personalized way.

“[Notion is] really cool because you can really customize the style of your notes,” Chang said. “I think if something’s prettier, I’m more willing to use it. So I use that to organize my weeks and my months and more future planning. So I can try and be more proactive for everything else.”

Senior Abhi Raut uses another unique method of studying: presenting to her parents.

“It’s kind of weird, but if I have time, I will just have my parents there, and I’ll pull up all the Power Points, whether it’s math or Anatomy or [Biology] and go through every lesson with them like I’m the teacher,” Raut said. “It really helps me because then I’ll be able to formulate my thoughts into words out loud. If I’m confused about something, but I don’t catch it yet, I’ll catch it then.”

Raut also recommends writing down the material to help with memorization, citing her time preparing for theater.

“When I was in rep theater and with lines, I just grab a piece of paper and write everything down from memory and just write, write, write,” Raut said. “If I write stuff down, later, when I’m actually taking the test, I can just imagine the piece of paper and the words on it.”