Learn to Study for Success at College and University

Aimed at students in college and university, Learn to Study is a new publication that teaches students the most important study skills for success at college and university. The self help approach provides advice and tips on areas such as: Managing your own learning and getting down to studying, practical tips on motivation and managing study time, learning from lectures, listening and note-taking skills, improving reading and summarizing skills, improving concentration, remembering and understanding, evaluating and thinking critically, planning and writing essays and papers, and finally, exam skills; doing your best when it matters most.

Going to College or University is an exciting yet daunting experience for many students. It’s exciting because you can study interesting subjects, make new friends and pursue new hobbies in College. But it’s also daunting because in order to get a successful academic education, you’ll have to accept personal responsibility for a task for which you have received little or no special training in school. This task requires you to manage your own learning or to become an active, independent and self-motivated student when it comes to planning, conducting and evaluating your academic work. For example, it's up to you whether you go to lectures in the first place. And it’s up to you whether you spend your time studying in the library or going to the shops. And it's your business not that of your lecturers to make sure that you don’t fall behind in your studies. Put simply, if you don't want your free time in College to become wasted time, you will have to master a number of study skills that were not taught in school. For example, you’ll have to learn to listen and write at the same time while taking lecture notes in class. And you’ll have to learn to study effectively – or read with a question in mind. Of course, you’ll also have to master the art of “getting down” to studying regardless of the mood you're in. But most of all, you’ll have to learn to think for yourself – the true hallmark of an educated mind. Put simply, as you can see, your biggest challenge in the years ahead is to manage your own learning effectively. The good news is that by reading this eBook, you’ve already taken a step in the right direction. You’ve realized that you’ll have to become a driver rather than a passenger in your educational journey. And so, the purpose of this eBook is to give you some “driving lessons” in learning. This eBook will explain how you can develop some of the most important study skills for success at college and university. Among the areas covered are: Managing your own learning and getting down to studying, practical tips on motivation and managing study time, learning from lectures, listening and note-taking skills, improving reading and summarizing skills, improving concentration, remembering and understanding, evaluating and thinking critically, planning and writing essays and papers, and finally, exam skills; doing your best when it matters most.

Professor Aidan Moran BA, MA, PhD, FPsSI, AFBPsS, Reg Psychol., C. Psychol., is a Fulbright Scholar, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Director of the Psychology Research Laboratory in University College, Dublin, Ireland. Aidan is an expert in the use of psychological techniques which can improve peoples’ concentration and performance in academic and sporting situations. His recent books include Teaching Thinking Skills at University and Pure Sport: Practical Sport Psychology. He’s also published numerous scientific papers on concentration and mental imagery. He is the editor-in-chief of the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. He began his career in 1978 as a research psychologist. For the past 25 years he’s taught and lectured at University College in Dublin. Professor Moran has served as the head of the Department of Psychology and has published extensively in cognitive psychology (mental practice and concentration) and focuses on the use of psychological techniques to improve people’s concentration skills and performance. He has also advised many of Ireland’s leading professional athletes, including golfer Padraig Harrington and the Irish rugby team. He is a former psychologist consultant to the Irish Olympic squad. Professor Moran was awarded a University College, Dublin President’s Research Fellowship sabbatical in 2008-2009 for a project entitled: Mental Practice, Eye Movements and Cognition in Action. This project involved collaboration with researchers in Imperial College (London) and Harvard University (US). He has delivered keynote addresses at major international congresses on sport psychology in the University of Minho (Portugal), Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), the University of Athens (Greece), and Loughborough (UK). He’s been published in numerous journals, including: Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the Sport Psychologist, Consciousness and Cognition, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, the Irish Psychologist, and Coaching Excellence. He is a regular speaker at academic conferences and corporate events in Ireland and the UK. He’s a member of many professional associations, including the Association for Psychological Science, a Fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland, a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of The British Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association, Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology, and the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.