How to Study

Reading and Comprehension
Chapter 3 introduces the skills basic to any study process: reading 
and comprehension. No matter how well you learn to take notes,
how familiar you become with your library, how deftly you surf 
the Internet, how doggedly you study for tests, if you are reading
poorly (or not enough) and not understanding what you read, life will
be difficult.
Becoming a good reader is a skill, one usually acquired early in life. If
it’s a skill you haven’t acquired yet, now is the time! Chapter 3 also
points out how your ability to recall ideas, facts, and figures can be
significantly increased (quantitatively and qualitatively) with practice.
Making Up for Lost Time
To see a significant change in your life, most of you will not need to
study harder, just smarter. This means making better use of your study
time—spending the same two, three, or four hours, but accomplishing
twice, thrice, or four times what you do now. Chapter 4 introduces the
simplest and easiest-to-use organizational and time-management tools
you’ll ever find—powerful ways to make sure you are always on 
track, including guidelines to develop both short-term and long-term
calendars.
How to Use This Book
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Go to the Head of the Class
In Chapter 5 I talk about the one experience we all have in common,
no matter how old we are: the classroom. I’ll help you take better
notes, encourage your active participation in class discussions—
including pointers on how to overcome the tendency to hide behind
the plant in the back of the room—and help you get a lot more out 
of lectures.
Becoming an Information Hound
Chapter 6 introduces you to the two important resources in your
study career—your library and the Internet—and discusses how to
build up your research muscles to get the information you need when
you need it. You’ll learn about the books, periodicals, newspapers,
magazines, computer software, videos, audiotapes, and other refer-
ence materials available to you at most brick-and-mortar libraries and
suggestions for how to find and use them, including an explanation of
the Dewey decimal classification and Library of Congress systems.
I’ll also cover the use of online resources and the importance of
becoming computer and Internet literate.