The semester is flying by and we are so eager to see campus bloom in the coming weeks. And if you can believe it, we are already at mid-semester and first block final exams (March 6th)!

Study Tips

• Make time to study. As simple as it sounds, designating time specifically for study and review can make a huge impact in helping you feel prepared and easing pre-test anxieties.
• Anotate your notes. Take notes and review them carefully. When you’re reviewing, write overarching ideas, important details, and definitions in your own words to help you retain the information. Don’t be afraid to revisit your source materials and textbooks.
• Take advantage of your instructor’s office hours. Your instructors want to see you succeed. If you feel like you’re falling behind or need extra guidance on a topic covered in class, reach out and meet during their office hours.
• Rest and refuel! Getting enough sleep and having proper nutrition will help you immensely.

Quick Tip

On campus and need a spot to relax or study? Check out the Commuter Corner on the second floor of the Plaster Student Union (PSU) next to Bear Necessities. The Commuter Corner is equipped with study pods, a microwave, a printer, and multi-seat tables. There’s comfortable seating throughout PSU with a variety of vendors for quick bites and drinks, making it a great spot to tuck into for a quick study session over lunch or between classes.

Commuter Corner, PSU. Image by Madison Reece, 2024.

Take a break

Shortly after exams, students will have spring break. March 14th-22nd, there are no classes and you are encouraged to celebrate your hard work and take a deep breath. For our students in the Ozarks region, there are so many events and activities happening this time of year. Visit Springfield has put together some great guides on spring activities: check them out! For our non-Ozarks students, check out your local activities boards and make time to enjoy your break from studies!

Note that offices remain open during spring break – we’re here if you need anything!

Do you need support?

We understand that the first weeks of the semester are full of transition; you have a new schedule and you’re learning all new information. Hopefully, as you settle into your routine you’re feeling more comfortable and confident on campus and in your online classes. Or, maybe you’re enrolled in second block classes and a brand new round of courses awaits you. Regardless of where your schedule takes you, Missouri State is here to help support you.

• Adult Student Services: let us give you tips on time management, studying skills, and connect you with additional resources on campus
• Bear CLAW includes subject area tutoring, peer mentors and coaches, and the Writing Center and Presentation Center
• Counseling Center: be sure to take care of your mental health.
• Support your physical health by visiting Magers Health and Wellness and the Foster Recreation Center
• Career Center: whether you’re looking to begin preparing for graduate school, an internship, or enter the professional world, the Career Center can help you get started.
• And so much more!

Stay Informed on Campus Happenings

• Academic Calendar
• MO State Calendar of Events

You got this, Bears!

Before you sign off for Thanksgiving break, give your future self something to be thankful for: get prepared for the spring 2026 semester! Find a registration checklist and extra tips and resources to help you start the spring semester on a high note below.

Thanksgiving break: November 22, 2025-November 30, 2025. No classes, offices closed November 26-28, 2025. (See academic calendar)

Your Registration Checklist

1. Meet with your academic advisor

• • Find your advisor’s name and contact information in My Missouri State > My Student Records > Advising Notes
  • With your advisor, you can discuss your degree requirements, course options, and resources for support if you need extra assistance in the upcoming term.
  • If you do not have an assigned advisor, contact the appropriate advising center or connect with your department directly.
  • Check out our tips for making the most of your advising appointments

2. Remove registration holds

• • • You won’t be able to register if you have any holds on your account, so it’s important to get those cleared up as soon as possible.
    • Clicking on the hold often provides more information or a way to resolve the hold, but a breakdown of hold codes can also be found online.
    • To find holds: Log in to My Missouri State > Registration > Registration Status Eligibility

3. Check your registration time

• • Your registration time is the earliest you’re able to register and is based on earned credit hours. You can register any time after your assigned time. It’s recommended to register as soon as possible to increase the likelihood of getting a seat in your preferred section(s).
  • This information is located on your Registration Status Eligibility page.

4. Register for classes

• • Review your Degree Audit to confirm the courses fit your program and requirements.
  • Use Trial Schedule Builder or the Class Schedule Search to review possible schedules. It’s a good idea to consider back up courses or alternative sections if you’re first option is full.

5. Check on your financial aid

• • Check the renewal criteria for any currently awarded scholarships
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Use federal school code 002503.
    • You can still make edits to your 2025-2026 FAFSA if necessary.
  • If you have questions regarding your aid package or need assistance completing the FAFSA, consider scheduling a meeting directly with the Office of Financial Aid.

Be Thankful You Thought Ahead!

If you are planning on taking classes in fall 2026 and spring 2027, set yourself up for success. The 2026-2027 FAFSA is open and applications are being accepted now. Complete by December 1, 2025 for priority consideration and to maximize your eligibility for grants and scholarships.

Furthermore, the MSU Annual Scholarship is also open! The deadline to submit is March 1, 2026; awards are dispersed in Fall 2026. This one application will apply you toward nearly 1,000 different scholarships. Please note that you must be admitted to MSU in order to access and complete this scholarship application.

1. Log into your My Missouri State account.
2. Locate your “Financial Aid & Scholarships” card.
3. Complete your Financial Aid e-Agree (if you have not already done so).
4. Select the MSU Foundation Scholarships link to complete and submit your application.

Additional Resources

• Registration Resources: find guides on using the Trail Schedule Builder and adding/dropping classes
• Academic Calendar: see important dates for spring 2026
  • Winter break: December 22-January 2 (no classes, offices closed)
  • Spring 2026 full semester and first block classes begin January 12, 2026
• Student Support: there are many offices at Missouri State available to help you be successful. Take advantage of them!

Thankful to be a Bear!

Step 2 of learning how to study is actually studying (go back and read Part I: Note-Taking, if you missed it!). Studying is both simpler and more complex than one might think. Studying can be broken down into two smaller sections: preparation and time management.  

Preparation

In my opinion, the preparation takes the most time, because it requires planning (sometimes before you know what you’re planning for!). By reading your syllabus and keeping an up-to-date calendar of important due dates, you’re less likely to be surprised by any quizzes or exams. If you haven’t checked your syllabus or Brightspace lately for upcoming assignments, it’s not too late! Check down and begin preparing for future success.

If you’ve been keeping up with your notes (like we discussed in Part I), then you’ve been preparing! Taking notes help you actively engage with the material and promote retention. Next, do your assignments – doing is preparing.

Every assigned reading, discussion board, and homework assignment is designed to get you to study and retain information. By doing the work, your brain is making connections. 

Read your notes, revisit your graded assignments and make note of what you did well on and what areas could see improvement. Be brutally honest! If you find that you mix up dates in history, or swap integers in calculus, it’s important to recognize so you don’t continue to make the same mistakes.

Time Management

The second step, time management, would come after the test has been announced (or sooner if you’ve been keeping track on your syllabus!). A great way to manage your time to create a study plan. A study plan will help you stay focused and review the information you need to do. Questions to ask while you make your study plan: 

• When is my test? 
• What does it cover? (Specific chapters, topics/themes, etc.)
• Was I comfortable with the assignments and readings that I completed in this module?  
• What areas did I struggle most with?  

By asking these questions, you will be able to have a clear understanding of what you need to do.  

Making a Study Schedule  

While everyone’s study schedule will be different based on subject matter, familiarity level, timeline, etc., the following week-long sample plan serves as a solid foundation.

• Day 1: Make an outline of what you already know. And revisit the textbook to add in additional details that you may have overlooked or forgotten. Also, leave a section for questions – write down any questions as they come (don’t answer them yet!).  
• Day 2: Make flashcards for the unit, focusing on the areas that you struggled with, and quiz yourself regularly. 
• Day 3: Take a brain break! Let your mind sit with information – allow the questions to arise (and write them down). This is a time where deficiencies can be defined clearly. 
• Day 4: If you’re taking more than one class, begin mixing in flashcards from other classes to help your brain recall information when it’s not necessarily primed to do so. (This is a great tip from Cornell University!)
• Day 5: Make a new outline of what you know. You’ve added more details and information in your mind, so it is a good idea review once more. 
• Day 6: Test Eve! Find answers for all the questions you wrote down throughout the week and have not yet been able to answer during review.  
• Day 7: Feel prepared on test day! 

Bonus Tips 

• Get rest. It’s easy to fall into the thought pattern that you need to study as much as possible, even if it means giving up rest. This is a trap! Your mind and body need to rest in order to perform their best.
• Proper nutrition*  Proper nutrition supports optimal brain function, so be sure you eat well during study sessions and on test day!
  • *If you’re facing food insecurity: visit the Bear Pantry or search Food Finder to find a local food pantry near you. 
• Take advantage of MO State Resources!

Sources and Support

• TedEd, 3 Tips on How to Study Effectively
• Cornell Univerity, Effective Study Strategies
• William Rapaport, How to Study (State University of New York at Buffalo)

Knowing how to take notes and how to study can be a key to success for students everywhere. By building strong habits and diligent practice, your memory will improve and your grasp on the information will strengthen. It’s more than rote memorization, it’s finding ways to deeply understand the information given and build your knowledge base.

Note Taking

Whether you enjoy taking notes or not, it is proven to be a valuable tool in learning and understanding. Simply writing down everything your instructor says word-for-word is unlikely to be helpful. Plus, can you really write as fast as someone speaks? Taking notes forces active engagement with the material. Because you cannot write as quickly as someone speakers, you are forced to condense and paraphrase the message in your own words (this strengthens comprehension!).

Typing and writing are both great ways to take notes, but by writing the information, new neural pathways are created which improves your memory. A study done in 2011 showed that, “Statistically, most studies on the relationship between handwriting and memory (including those conducted in Japan, Norway, and the United States) have shown that people remember information better when it is handwritten compared with when it is typed.” (Handwriting vs Typing, Longchamp) Typing is still an effective learning tool, but has spurs different brain activity.

Whether typing or handwriting your notes, you are forced to make connections with what you know and new information presented. Organizing the information by headings, bullets, and diagrams also helps simplify these complex ideas into digestible content. There are multiple proven note taking methods, but the best method for you is the one that you can stick with.

Cornell Method

This method was devised by Walter Paulk an education professor at Cornell University. With this method, you creat a space to write down facts (Notes), write down questions (Cue), and summarize the information on the page (Summary). You can use the Cornell Method for any subject and for any type of class or presentation: in-person, virtual, video, PowerPoints, etc.

Example:

Learn more from the experts at Cornell

Outlining

Outlining is an easy and simple method for notetaking. Goodnotes breaks down the process into four easy steps:

1. Write down the main point to the left of the page
2. Indent to the right, and note any supporting ideas below it
3. Whenever you need to elaborate on a point, indent to the right and start adding new points below
4. Repeat

This method of note taking allows you to easily identify a hierarchy of ideas and how each point relates to each other. Outlining may not be best suited for diagrams, visuals, or charts, due to the overall structure of this note-taking style. This style is particularly beneficial for online/typed notes where information can quickly be added and adjusted for ease of organization.

Example

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is another popular technique for notetaking. It can be particularly helpful within the review phase of studying, or as a summarization tool. A mind map is a visual representation of information and ideas, organized around a central topic, and branches and sub-branches help to capture relationships. Goodnotes offers 4 separate mind mapping methods: library maps, brace maps, flow charts, and brainstorming.

1. Library maps are best used for organizing everything you need to know about a topic.
2. Brace maps are usefully in breaking down big ideas into small parts- going from big ideas to topic specifics.
3. Flow charts are helpful when you need to illustrate a process.
4. Brainstorming is ideal when ideas are free-flowing. This may not be ideal for structures note taking during a lecture, but can be helpful when you’re generating ideas for creative projects or problem solving.

See examples for Mind Mapping

Summary

This is not a comprehensive list of note taking styles or methods, and more than likely, you’ll end up using a blend of these methods. Personally, I use the outlining method and add in visuals and diagrams as necessary, with labels to help me connect the point to the visual. The Center for Academic Success and Transition has additional academic resources for students on active reading strategies, additional note taking strategies, study tips, and more! Stay tuned for Part II – How to Actually Study.