Teaching Yourself to Learn

You know how to learn. That's part of what got you into MIT. However, learning@MIT is on a different quantum level from high school. Instructors here don't want you to give back the facts and formulas they've just taught you. They want you to understand the concepts that bind a field together and be able to apply those concepts in new situations. This doesn't always come naturally: many students need to learn again how to learn.

But when it comes to learning one size does not fit all: there is no single "right way to study". You are the expert on what works and doesn't work for you. Use the material in this section to identify areas where you currently could do better and to consider techniques you may not have seen before.

How to Use this Material

In this section you can explore pages randomly or use it as a mini-course:

• First, figure out what you need to learn by Assessing Your Skills and Needs.
• Next, consider changes in where you study, when you study, how you read, and how you take notes. In other words, Study Smarter, Not Harder.
• The biggest obstacle for many students is lack of time. We can't offer more than 24 hours in a day, but we do have a lot of tools and techniques for making the best use of those 24, in Take Charge of Your Time.
• The rubber hits the road during hour exams and finals. Learn to love tests, or at least not fear them, in Tackling Tests.
• All the study skills in the world won't help if you get sick: learn about Staying Healthy.
• MIT expects Academic Integrity in every aspect of your work. Learn in this section where the boundaries are and how to stay within them.
• In the end, no one can teach themselves everything they need to learn. The final page shows you where to Get More Help.

If you have any questions or would like feedback on some of the activities suggested here, please contact us. We would be happy to speak with you about your assessment results and suggest further resources.