Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Review your notes after class. Analyze graphs thoroughly. Complete homework assignments early. Study for exams gradually. Create a study guide. Visit office hours. Keep your goals in mind.

Answer: The day after your class, review your notes. If you wrote them by hand, make sure you can read your writing. If not, correct it. It is easier to correct poor penmanship earlier than after you have forgotten what you have written. Quiz yourself on any new key terms. Use highlighters, colored pens, pencils, and sticky notes to highlight important points. Look at the units of measurement for each axis. What is the relationship between the axes? What concept is the graph trying to explain (e.g. supply and demand curves)? Why do the lines slope in the directions they do? Although you likely are busy, aim to get your homework done in advance. This way, if you have questions, you can ask your professor or teaching assistant (TA) before your homework is due. If you complete your homework at the last minute, do not expect your TA to email you back at 3 a.m. When doing your assigned reading, create questions before you read based on the main concepts you are discussing in class or the theme the reading should address. Read while seeking answers to those questions. By reviewing your notes, you are inadvertently studying for future exams. Continue this process by reviewing graded homework assignments when receiving them. Ask your teachers about any confusion you have regarding answers that you did not get right. If your teachers do not discuss the test format, ask. Request information on what types of questions will be ask and how many points will be allotted to each section. Bring together the main ideas from each homework assignment, quiz, or paper. Explain each concept in writing. Share your guide with a classmate to check whether your understandings of the material are the same.  Define the top five or six key terms per chapter. Write down the key ideas and draw the most essential graph of each chapter. Give examples of a numerical problem and an algebraic problem. Use different amounts and numbers than the examples given in class. Write your own exam questions and practice answering them.  Make flashcards for vocabulary terms. Hire a tutor. If you are having trouble understanding economics, consider hiring a tutor for extra individual help. Your professor and TAs have office hours: use them. If you have any questions, bring them to office hours. Attending office hours is a good way to build a professional relationship with your instructors as well. Perhaps you would like to develop your own economics research project. Your instructor is more likely to mentor you if he knows you. Do not expect your professors to be available 24/7 via email or phone. Office hours exist for a reason and email does not supplant the function of office hours. When studying for a difficult exam or doing a tedious homework assignment, remember why you are studying economics. Perhaps you want to work for the National Economic Council at the White House. Maybe you want to be a college professor yourself some day. Having a list near your desk of what you want to achieve with your economic knowledge will help you stay motivated.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Choose either an alligator clip or a clasp barrette. Line the barrette if you choose. Pour a thin strip of hot glue over the top of the clip. Allow the bow to dry for 30 minutes before using it.

Answer: Find a metal clip that is smaller than your bow. Cut a small section of thin ribbon, heat seal the ends and hot glue it securely to the top of the clip. Press the underside of the bow onto the hot glue strip. Press down until you feel it is securely attached.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Identify your learning style. Use mnemonic devices. Study with images. Engage your senses. Make connections. Emphasize recall. Tell a story. Create a mindmap.

Answer: By determining your learning style, you can determine the best techniques to help you retain information more effectively. Many people have multiple learning styles while some people may just have one dominant style. Figure out which style works best for you.  Auditory learners pick up information by listening to it. Lectures, podcasts, discussion groups, and videos may work best for you. Visual learners gain new information by watching it. Charts, diagrams, pictures, films, and written material is most beneficial for these types. Kinesthetic learners adopt new practices by doing them. Participation in an activity, such as a science lab, discussion group, or hands-on class, may help you learn more effectively. These are quick tricks designed to increase the amount of information that your brain can remember. They work by getting you to organize information into memorable patterns. The song “I can sing a rainbow” is one example; it is used to remember color names.  If you need to recall a set of numbers, break them down in sections containing three numbers each and memorize the sequence. This is called “chunking” and is one reason why social security numbers and telephone numbers are broken up into groups. Recall a set of letters by creating an acronym. This is a word formed out of the first letters in a word or phrase. For example, musicians looking to remember the bass staff note order ACEG could memorize the phrase, “All Cows Eat Grass.” Keep tricky pieces of information in your mind via rhyming. For a college history exam, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen-hundred and ninety-two.” Transform written information or numbers lists into visuals, such as a chart, graph, or map. Creating images like these increases your mind's flexibility which, in turn, helps with its ability to remember new information. Don't worry if the final product isn't perfect; assigning images is a very individual thing.  Associate a person's name with a particular image, such as Robin with a bird. Or, when you meet Brad, picture him alongside the famous Brad Pitt. The visuals do not have to be similar for the memory to stick in your mind. Learn the mobile numbers of all your friends by making a mental picture of every number (0-9). Think of a pencil for 1; for 2, think of the head of the duck and so forth. After keeping a picture in your mind for every number, develop a story based on those pictures. Make sure the sequence is not altered. If you need notes, take them by hand and via audio recorder. Then, type them up afterwards. The more ways that you experience something, the better you learn it. Use as many of your senses as you can, perhaps by playing a song as you study. You come to every task with tons of prior knowledge; use it. Ask yourself where you have seen this particular type of information before. For example, if you are writing an essay, remember what worked the last time you turned something in. Connect dates that you are trying to learn with important ones in your memory. It can be your school team winning, your mother's birthday, father's birthday, or any date that is significant to you. You can even break up the dates and remember months based on Zodiac signs. Push your mind to remember every detail in the moment and to make the larger connections later as you talk with others about your experience. Watch a lab demonstration and then discuss your observations with your lab partner afterwards. Pay attention to what your partner noticed that you missed and vice versa. Benefit from the power of an interesting tale. There is a reason why creation stories are remembered and passed from generation to generation. They excite while also passing along knowledge. If you are working with a group, build a story together. For example, if you are studying the history of U.S. presidents, make up a story about each one. Or, better yet, find a real story to remember. A mindmap is a visual chart that uses branches and lines to demonstrate the relationship between ideas. These are great for visual learners. Write the main idea in a box in the center of a piece of a paper, and draw branches off the center to identify similar ideas. Keep drawing out branches to new sources of information, and connect ideas with lines or images.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Sort the moldy blueberries from the fresh ones. Pull off any stems. Consider rinsing the blueberries with one part vinegar and three parts water. Make sure that the blueberries are dry.

Answer:
Look for berries that have white, fuzzy mold and toss them out. The mold can be found around the stem area. You will also want to discard any berries that are too soft or wilted looking; they are too ripe and will rot quickly. Sorting the bad berries from the good ones will prevent mold from spreading. Most of the stems should have fallen off on their own, but it would be a good idea to go through the berries again and pick off any remaining stems. They won't harm you if you eat them, but they will taste bitter. In general, you should not wash berries until you are ready to eat them. Washing them too soon can lead to mold. Washing them with vinegar water, however, can kill mold spores and prevent from mold growing in the first place. Put the berries into a colander or strainer, and dunk them into a bowl filled with the vinegar water. Shake the colander or strainer, then pull it out. Rinse the berries using cool water; this will get rid of any vinegar flavor. Any moisture left on the berries will cause them to mold too soon, so you will need to make sure that they are completely dry before storing them. There are a few ways in which you can dry the berries:  Line the inside of a salad spinner with a few paper towels and put the berries inside. Spin them for a few seconds until there is no more moisture. Spread the berries out on a tray and let them air dry. Use a fan to speed up the process.