To help you to do your best in college, here are some practical tips for using your mind effectively

1: Listen carefully at lectures

Good note-takers are "prospectors" rather than "sponges" - they listen for key ideas (nuggets of gold) instead of trying to write down every word uttered by the lecturer. As you listen, try to divide the lecture in your mind into a beginning, a middle and an end. Try to guess what's coming next and always make sure to note any references that are mentioned. If you think you missed something important, don't be afraid to approach your lecturer. She or he will be glad to meet an enthusiastic student.

2: Establish a study routine

A prepared mind is a focused mind. Therefore, try to study at the same time and in the same place every day. This routine approach prevents you from waiting to be in the "right mood" in order to study. As the psychologist William James remarked, it's easier to act your way into a feeling than to feel your way into action.

3: Tidy your study environment

Most people prefer neat to cluttered environments. Therefore, try to keep your desk as a workplace, not as a storage place. This will encourage you to return to your study environment regularly.

4: Ask questions before you read

"Studying" involves more than reading. It involves reading for a purpose - to obtain specific answers to specific questions. For example, in chemistry, why does sodium form an anion whereas magnesium does not? Questioning promotes active learning in three main ways. First, it forces you to think critically about what you are reading because you must distinguish between "relevant" and "irrelevant" information (on the basis of whether or not it helps to answer your specific study questions). Second, it improves memory - the more questions you ask, the more you relate new information to what you already know. Finally, questioning increases concentration by focusing your mind on only one target at a time. Therefore, you should specify two to three study questions, before you read your books or notes.

5: Use summary sheets

As you read, make brief summaries of any information which will help you to prepare essays and exam study questions. This condensed information will help you to prepare essays and exam answers. If possible, avoid such techniques as underlining, transcription or photocopying as they do not condense the material you wish to learn. You are not thinking effectively unless you are trying to summarise what is most important in any passage of text.

6: Reward yourself for work done

You will find it easier to concentrate if you give yourself a reward (ie, a cup of coffee or a visit to a friend) after successful completion of a given study session. Psychologically, activities which are followed by rewarding consequences tend to become rewarding in themselves.

7: Organise your study time effectively

Try to study in blocks of time which do not exceed your concentration span. In general, this means studying for two to three hours at a time and sub-dividing this period into three units of 50 minutes each (followed by a five-minute review period at the end of the entire session).

8: Work SMARTer not harder

If you like to use timetables, then make sure that your study goals are "SMART". Each letter stands for a different feature of an effective goal. In other words, your goals should be specific - (I'm going to study economics tonight between 7.00 and 8.00 p.m.), measurable (I'm going to focus on chapter seven only"), realistic ("one chapter at a time") and timetabled (eg, two hours of private study for every lecture hour per week).

9: Think carefully

The ability to think for yourself requires a sceptical attitude (just like the X-Files investigator) and a toolbox of questions. You should use these questions reading any textbook on your course. Who/what is the source of that claim? What evidence is used to support the theory or claim? How valid is this evidence? Are there any alternative explanations for the evidence provided? If so, how plausible are these rival explanations?

10: Ask lecturers for help

The biggest mistake that new students make in college is to try and sort out their academic problems on their own. Remember, your lecturers and tutors are employed to help you. And they will gladly do so if you approach them with your questions during their office hours. The only people who will never learn are those who never ask for help.