1. TAKE THOROUGH NOTES. I highlight most of the key ideas on the slides; however, this does not mean that what is not on the slides is unimportant. In particular, I recommend (urge/plead/beg) that you take notes on the entire lecture--not just the powerpoint, which is only part of the lecture. As I explain examples, similarities and dissimilarities of theories and syndromes, and review themes, I am trying to pull all those key ideas and definitions on the slides together, expand on them, and help them make sense.

2. REVIEW YOUR NOTES REGULARLY. It may not be necessary to review your notes every day, but you ought to keep up to some degree--at least twice a week. This has three advantages: First, it decreases the "cramming" burden; Second, if there's a section of your notes that are unclear, you will know about it in time to get it clarified by me or one of the grad assistants. It can be a very anxiety-inducing discovery to realize the night before an exam that a section of your notes is virtually unintelligible. Third, and most tangible, it should be directly related to your quiz and exam performance.

3. INVOLVE YOURSELF IN THE MATERIAL. Get engaged in the course material--participate in WebBoard, think about the issues, argue about the importance and implications of material presented in the text and in lectures. This will provide opportunities for rehearsing the factual information you want to learn in addition to developing your critical thinking skills.

4. "READ" YOUR TEXTBOOK. Reading a textbook in order to learn information for an exam is different from reading for enjoyment. Highlighting key ideas is useful, but you may find yourself highlighting almost the entire text. Try making notes, either in the margin or on a separate sheet of paper, as you read. These can be memory cues, ideas about how the text and the lecture fit together, or notes about what seems to be important. The key is to be active; this will make your memories richer and more easily accessible. Finally, read the chapters as they are covered, for two reasons: (1) smaller chunks are easier to deal with and to remember; (2) it gives you a chance to review it later.

5. MAKE A PLAN. Get your stuff organized and plan when you want to review what material. Have a sense of purpose--schedule different parts of the task, including breaks.

6. TAKE NOTES ON YOUR NOTES. As you review your notes, the key, again, is to be active. The following have been helpful to me and many others:

*making condensed outlines

*making lists of key points for each concept

*making lists of different approaches to similar ideas

*making lists of similarities and differences among concepts

When you do these kinds of things, you are not only reviewing the material, but you are organizing it and re-organizing it in a variety of ways. This will help you learn it.

7. MAKE STUDYING A SOCIAL EVENT. Find someone else in the class with whom you can compare notes, share ideas, and discuss the material. Social interaction helps you to process and organize the information actively. If you can help a friend understand the material , then you know it well. Plus, studying might actually become (gasp!) fun.

8. TEST YOURSELF (or have a friend test you). Testing yourself periodically is very useful. The most obvious reason is that you identify material you need to continue to study. A second reason that is at least as important: You identify material that you already know and don't need to spend more time on. Then, you can focus your efforts. You also build confidence--with each self-test, you discover that you are better prepared. It also helps to test a friend.

9. USE RESOURCES WISELY. There are very useful study aids embedded in the text, the course website, and the text website. The sample exams should be very useful for diagnostic self-tests and practice. HOWEVER: Remember that there will be lecture material that is not covered in the text or study guide. You will need to study your notes well also to perform at the highest level in this course. Feel free to ask questions in class, e-mail me, or to come to office hours with questions. The grad assistants will also have office hours (which will be announced), and they can handle many of your questions. Use WebBoard to pick the brains of your colleagues. If you find that you have problems in exams related to understanding questions or to test anxiety, there are university offices that can help you. Come and see me about it.

10. AVOID CRAMMING. Following the steps outlined above will help you create alternatives to cramming. Cramming is simply a less effective way to study than spreading the work over time. You will learn less material.

11. KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE. Another disadvantage of cramming is that it can disrupt your sleep. Disrupting your regular sleeping schedule can have a detrimental effect on your brain's ability to consolidate new memories and will impair your ability to perform the following day. Also, you should know that many drugs (including alcohol and caffeine) can disrupt your brain's functioning in ways that you might not notice (in addition to very noticeable ways). Only you can decide if the lost sleep, restlessness, irritability, and subsequent exhaustion are worth the inefficiently-learned information you might retain from a caffeine-fueled all-nighter.