For those who got into very selective schools what are the best study habits?

Best high school study habits that brought many study to the reality of acceptance into a selective college.

One thing that you will find in common among most high achieving students is a lack of tolerance for excuses. If you say that you would like to accomplish something, you need to dedicate yourself to ensuring that you get it done.

Phrases you will rarely hear coming from an Ivy League student include “oh I didn’t do well in that class because I had a bad teacher” or “I just didn’t understand the material”. If you have a “bad teacher”, then you go out and get a study guide and use every free tutorial available on Khan academy until you can ace your assignments. If you don’t understand the material…do the same. Understand the mentality yet?

2. Curiosity is Key

When it comes to studying, two outcomes are essential:

A. That you remember what you’ve learned

B. That you can derive some sort of meaning from it.

B) actually helps with A) in my opinion. Whether its Chemistry or Art History, try to find something in the material that interests you and focus in on it. Go in during office hours and speak with your instructor about it, go pick up supplemental books, or go watch videos about the subject online.

3. Consistency

Every day you need to make progress towards your academic goals. This doesn’t mean that you necessarily need to spend hours in front of flash cards (though that works for some students), but you can't put things off until the last minute.

There were rarely a time in all of high school that I would “cram” for an exam. I would usually start 2–3 weeks before a large exam with making flashcards, study guides, etc. and so by the time the test arrived I was relaxed and competent.

4. Make it Social

If it was between going out with friends and studying the weekend before a test…I would choose both. However, this wouldn’t look like me hopping from one activity to the next. Rather, I found it helpful to get my friends together for study dates where we could quiz one another while still getting some social time in.

While many blogs try to sugar coat it, you often do have to make sacrifices about how you want to spend your time. Don’t hide up in your room every day, but be mindful of who you spend your time around and how their goals align with yours.

Hopefully this helps, and best of luck with your studies!