Hey Josh, fellow BLS student chiming in. I only learned how to study effectively in the last couple months and it's gotten me a 96 so far in my class. Here's what helped.
Knowing your learning style is pretty helpful when figuring out how to study. I'm a kinetic learner so note-taking is a lifesaver for me because rewriting information helps it stick in my brain. Other strategies I've heard of that might be worth the old college try include recording a lecture or key points from the book and listening to it during your free time (for auditory learners), or drawing diagrams/charts of organized information (for visual learners).
If I could give you only one piece of advice it would be that you have to really take an active role in studying if you want to actually absorb the material. Reading the same paragraph over and over again is just going to make you frustrated and waste your time, because if you've read it once, your brain already recognizes the words when phrased in that order. Try making flash cards for vocabulary words, teaching a friend about what you're studying, or writing your own short answer questions based each section of the chapter. Don't forget to use the reviews in the textbook as a resource, especially the critical thinking questions.
Every time you study, ask yourself how you could apply what you're learning to a real-life situation.
Do yourself a favor and answer questions during lectures, read the supplemental material, and volunteer to demonstrate during labs. Standing around with your hands in your pockets will only earn you a lot of really stressful exams and razzing from the instructors.
Hope you find this useful. Good luck with school!
