For many students, their first exposure to study skills came from their first teachers, their parents, and/or older siblings and cousins. In many cases, students were told to read the books, take notes (whether from the books, on the chalkboard, on the marker board, or on PowerPoint slides), and study from their books and notes. All students have experienced at least some degree of success.
In looking back at my own education, I know that much emphasis was made on studying details. A large portion of elementary-level education involves learning and memorizing basic facts. However, such an approach may or may not work for people when they get to higher levels of education.
How do you process information? Are you a big picture thinker? Are you detail-oriented? Are you a combination of both?
As a business major in my initial undergraduate and graduate studies, I learned much about big picture thinking. While I was a highly successful student in grade school and high school, I can recall having some difficulties with studying as the material became more difficult. I had my share of teenage angst and shortcomings in my physical health routine--when I stopped playing sports, I was pretty much buried in books or doing volunteer work for extracurricular activities and service opportunities. Yet, I realized in college that perhaps a bigger issue was that I had been miscast as being solely a detail-oriented student. While I am good at proofreading and noticing when details and other concepts are off or out of place, I am able to do so from a big picture perspective.
Realizing that I am a big picture thinker was critical in me becoming a better student. Rather than focusing too much on details, I found myself having an easier time reading textbooks, studying notes, and processing different information at school and at work. Instead of having to memorize speeches, I learned that I am able to focus on remembering a few big picture concepts and can improvise and ad-lib with ease in a wide range of situations. I actually found myself spending less time on homework, yet in most cases, I was actually getting better grades in my classes and was doing a better job of retaining the information in the long term because I was tapping into my potential as a big picture thinker.
As a professional currently in the process of finishing a second graduate degree, I offer the above perspective to all of my readers in this moment. Such concepts may sound simplistic or cliched, but having an understanding of how one processes information can be quite helpful in handling school, work, and other commitments. Following directions, writing down the teacher's notes, and memorizing details will always work to some degree, but it is critical that each of us learns how he/she best processes information in order to put his/her best efforts forward.