7 Study Habits of Highly Effective Freshmen

You’ve probably heard the same line, again and again, throughout high school: “Build good study habits now, because college is going to be much more demanding than high school.” Teachers love to say that! And they have a point.

Compared to what you’re used to in high school, college academics will test you in totally new ways. On top of that, the social demands can make it difficult to keep studying as a priority. Building good habits during your freshman year will pay dividends as you become better able to juggle everything your college experience will throw at you — not just academically, with grueling term papers and high-stakes exams, but socially, with new surroundings, new people, and new interests. College will afford you a new level of freedom, individuality, and control over how you spend your time, so use them wisely.

The choice is yours, and the consequences likewise. Will you embrace these seven study habits of highly effective freshmen? They’re sure to pave the path to your success.

How to Build New Habits

Harvard Business Review explains that “a habit is a behavior done with little or no thought, while a routine involves a series of behaviors frequently, and intentionally, repeated. A behavior has to be a regularly performed routine before it can become a habit at all.”

A lot of people want to skip straight to having a new habit without making the daily choices that program your mind to do it automatically. Habits require planning and perseverance.

While it’s traditionally been said that it takes about 21 days to build a new habit, it’s now known that this time frame will vary from person to person and based on the discomfort associated with the habit. If you’ve already laid a solid foundation of study habits in high school, you might find the following advice easier to implement than someone who has resisted studying throughout their K-12 career. Either way, act intentionally, hold yourself accountable, and trust the process. You’ll be acting out these habits before you even realize it.

Habit #1 – Plan Proactively

Keep a calendar, create a plan to spread out your studying, and stick to it.

The first thing you’ll notice when you begin college is that you have a lot of free time outside of class. “On average, a high school student will spend 35 hours in the classroom and a college student will spend, depending on their credit load, around 15 hours,” said Dalton Hoffer, associate director of New Student and Family Engagement at USF. “That gives the college student an extra 20 hours to play with.”

How you divide your time between getting involved on campus and studying is up to you; your parents aren’t around to set your priorities for you. If you’re proactive about planning your schedule, you’ll find it easier to complete assignments on-time.

In an excellent study guide provided by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tutors advised students to break up their studying into small chunks instead of long slogs. “The most effective practice is to work a short time on each class every day. The total amount of time spent studying will be the same (or less) than one or two marathon library sessions, but you will learn the information more deeply and retain much more for the long term.”

But planning is a skill that takes practice, and Hoffer says it’s not unusual for freshman to struggle with it. “Time management is probably the number one challenge that first year students are going to face,” he explained.

First things first: Figure out your time management solution, whether it’s a paper planner, a Google Calendar, or one of those cartoonishly huge calendars you see in TV shows. Whatever you choose, commit to using it seriously. Block out sections of time to work on your studies and show up for yourself. Set reminder alarms so you start on time.

Remember that how you spend your time reveals your true priorities. Hoffer explained an exercise he uses to help students he works with internalize this point.

“When students struggle with academics, we tend to look at how they using their time,” he began. “We will schedule out every single minute for the last two weeks and make sure that they're being honest with themselves. When did you actually go to bed? How long were you scrolling on TikTok? How long were you hanging out with your friends on Friday night?”

Hoffer and the student then color code that comprehensive calendar and highlight the places where the student is spending most of their time. Those highlighted areas are their true priorities.

At the end of the exercise, Hoffer poses this question: “If those priorities that you've set based off of your actions don't match what you really want your priorities to be, how are you going to adjust your time to make sure that you're wisely investing your time into the priorities that you need to be successful?”

Stick to your schedule, even during “easy” weeks when your workload is lighter. The pendulum will swing back, and future weeks will be much more demanding. Even if nothing is due, plan to work on every class every week.

Habit #2 – Work Smarter

Set performance goals and focus on preparing for what will affect your grade the most.

How you study matters — not just the act of sitting down and studying. Effective students approach their studies strategically.

You won’t retain much of what you study unless you decide what you want to accomplish at the start. Set performance goals for yourself that support your overall academic goals. You could start with a list of questions you want to answer or a list of terms you want to memorize. To stay motivated, it’s important to set goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Take the time to read and understand the course syllabus you receive on the first day of each class. This document will tell you how much each exam, paper, or homework assignment will affect your overall grade. Your professors will also emphasize certain terms or topics during their lectures. Those are clues for the exam that you should take seriously. Effective students begin with the end in mind: To maximize performance, they prioritize the coursework that most affects their grade, spending less time and effort on lower-impact coursework.

This approach will also keep you from becoming discouraged. According to a study guide provided by Sonoma State University, “As your most difficult assignment or subject will require the most effort and mental energy, you should start with it first. Once you have completed the most difficult work, it will be much easier to complete the rest of your work.”

It’s hard to stay motivated when you have a high-stakes exam or lengthy paper looming over you. Tackle it first with all your might. The rest will be a breeze.

Habit #3 – Don’t Procrastinate

Get your work done early so you avoid long nights and unnecessary stress.

If time management is a freshman student’s top struggle, procrastination is a close second. Throughout college, you will see your peers pulling all-nighters, frantically scrambling to complete work that they’ve known about for weeks or even months.

Hoffer sympathized. “It's easier to ignore the elephant in the room, right? It's easier to just put that off and keep doing all the social things that you want to do. But it’s always better to do the big thing first.”

In college — and especially at a large, dynamic university like USF — there will always be something to do. Every time you sit down to study, an event on campus, a club meeting, or a well-intentioned friend will entice you to put off work and play. It can be tough to adapt to so much stimulation and distraction, but put first things first; stick to your studying schedule.

Procrastination is rooted in perception. It’s caused by the belief that a task will be frustrating, boring, or demand too much effort. When you’re overwhelmed or exhausted, you’ll feel the allure of procrastination, and it’s difficult to resist in the moment. You can avoid reaching that point by breaking tasks up into smaller pieces and spreading them out over time. Try to spend a few minutes each day on the task instead of hours at one time.

Hoffer offered another tip to avoid procrastination: “Turn your phone off. Mute notifications while you're getting things done because those can be really distracting. It's easy to fall into a TikTok hole, so making an effort to remove those distractions while you're focused on work is critical.”

If you take the first habit, Plan Proactively, seriously, you will avoid the procrastination pitfalls your peers are falling right into.

Habit #4 – Collaborate

Join a group that supports your studying efforts and improves your results. Don’t be afraid to take initiative.

A lot of students want to study with their friends, but friends aren’t always the best people to support your academic goals — and they probably aren’t in the same classes as you. Effective students strategically form groups that enforce accountability and benefit from collaborative learning.

Hoffer acknowledged that a lot of students struggle with finding a study group to join. He encourages students to start by making friends with one person from each of their classes. Over the course of the semester, that two-member group will probably grow as others see that you’ve done the hard part: starting a group from scratch.

“Take the lead and invite your classmates to a study group,” Hoffer urged. “Don’t wait for someone else to do that.” Pick a time, pick a location, and spread the word. As Field of Dreams taught us, if you build it, people will come.

If you are still unable to form a group, most colleges have collaborative learning resources you can participate in, like a writing studio, where students go to get advice on their papers; workshops that teach study skills; or something equivalent to USF’s Peer Advisor Leaders (PALs), upperclassmen who help younger students build good habits. In addition to improving your academic performance, your involvement in these programs may introduce you to other students looking for reliable study partners.

If you have questions about course material, email your professor or teaching assistant for clarification. Trust us: they’ll be happy to hear from a curious student. Professor office hours are among the most underutilized academic resources, especially considering no one is better prepared to help you than the person who designed the course. Your instructors want to see you succeed. Take the initiative to show up and learn. It’s not an imposition; it’s a win-win.

Habit #5 – Teach Others

Test your knowledge of the material by teaching someone else.

People who teach a topic gain a unique perspective that helps them better retain information. An article in Inc. magazine cited research that found people remember 90% of what they learn when they use the knowledge or teach it to others. That’s in contrast to learning from a lecture (5%) or reading (10%). They concluded that “instead of forcing our brains to remember more information with ‘passive’ methods, we should focus our time, energy, and resources on ‘participatory’ methods that have proven to deliver more effective results, in less time.”

Hoffer concurred. “When you're talking it out and you're writing things out, you tend to retain information a lot easier than when you don't. If they can find opportunities to take what they're learning in the classroom and implement it in real life, it’s going to help them.”

When you seek to be understood, you’ll get a good measure of your own understanding.

This is where a study group will come in handy. During a study session, go around the room and have each person explain part of the course material, then have a discussion. The group can give feedback: What was explained well? Were there any flaws in their understanding that should be corrected?

You can teach people outside of your study group, too. Call a family member and ask if you can share what you’re learning in class, then invite them to ask you questions. That twenty-minute conversation will have so much more value than twenty minutes spent reviewing your notes.

It can also be helpful to think like your professor. If you were in their place, what would you put on the exam? Try designing a quiz that your professor would approve of — maybe you could even ask for their feedback!

These exercises will make you think more carefully about what you’re learning and imprint the correct answers on your memory.

Habit #6 – Embrace Diversity

Find a study group with different strengths and personalities so everyone can help each other overcome their own weaknesses.

Diversity is humanity’s greatest strength. As individuals, we each have unique talents. We also have our own unique perspectives, interpreting and remembering information differently based on our experiences. When we team up, our strengths can bolster the weaknesses of others in our group, and their strengths will make up for our own weaknesses.

Consider this nerdy analogy: A Dungeons & Dragons adventure party made up of five barbarians — combat specialists that lack magical abilities — probably won’t make it too far into a campaign. Different challenges will present themselves along the way; swinging a battle ax won’t solve every problem. An effective party will include other classes of characters: a cleric who heals, a wizard full of wisdom and powerful magic, and a charming bard who can talk their way out of anything.

In the same way, an effective study group is built on synergy. One person might have an uncanny memory, accurately recalling specific moments from class. Another might be an extraordinary note-taker, and the third a terrific explainer. No one person in your group will excel at every aspect of studying, but you’ll be amazed at how efficient and effective your study sessions become when you each bring varied skills to the table.

Decide what role your study group is missing, if any. Then, keep your eyes open for a new member who can fill that role.

Habit #7 – Exercise Self-Care

Take time to recharge and reward yourself for your hard work.

Studying can be mentally and physically draining, so don’t forget to care for yourself. If you’ve planned properly, taking breaks won’t decrease your productivity. On the contrary, it might improve it.

Harvard University agreed. “Rest allows our brains to compress and consolidate memories of what we just practiced,” they wrote. “Make sure that you are allowing enough time, relaxation, and sleep between study sessions so your brain will be refreshed and ready to accept new information.”

Staying active between study sessions is also important. Exercise will improve your mood and replenish your motivation and mental energy. “When you're active, you're releasing endorphins that make you happy,” Hoffer pointed out. “You’re more likely to wake up on time and go to class when you're healthy.”

Rewards are another important aspect of self-care. As you make progress on your studying goals, reinforce positive feelings with a special treat like your favorite snack, a new piece of clothing, or time with your significant other. You might think that waiting until task completion is the best way to motivate, but recent studies have shown that “giving people an immediate bonus for working on a task, rather than waiting until the end of the task, increased their interest and enjoyment in the task.” Reward yourself for sitting down to work, then again periodically throughout the process.

By incorporating self-care into your studying philosophy, you can avoid burnout, avoidance, and associated challenges like procrastination. Think of your brain like a saw. Over time, it will become dulled with use, but doing things to care for the saw will make it sharp once more.

Embrace New Ways to Learn

As a college student, you have freedom — maybe more now than you will at any other point in your life. You must choose what you do with the time you’re given.

“We encourage our USF students to take control of their own journey here,” Hoffer said. “Part of that is figuring out what works best for you and identifying study habits that are going to help you be more successful, not only inside the classroom but outside as well.”

These habits are going to be drastically different from what high school demanded. “Don’t be afraid to try out new ways to study,” he suggested. “Try to think of new, exciting, out-of-the-box ways to approach learning.”

In this article, you’ve encountered a wealth of new learning approaches. These are the seven study habits of highly effective freshmen. Whether you choose to adopt all or some, they will make a difference in your academic performance.

If you’re a freshman at USF, the New Student Connections team is available to help you through your transition to college life. Email newstudent@usf.edu to reach a Peer Advisor Leader.