Customer Reviews

Study Smarter, Not Harder (Self-Counsel Business Series)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was a wake-up call for me. Thanks to Kevin Paul, i managed to score straight As for my PMR(a very important exam for 15-year-olds in Malaysia). The exam was in October, but even in May, i was still underprepared. Truthfully, i lost the momentum to study, and i fooled myself by pretending that the exam was 'at the end of the year',little did i know that it was
only 5 months till October. When i bought this book, (with hope that it would motivate me), it really made me realize how important education was. The study tips and techniques that was shown in the book, gave me hope that it was still possible for me to excel in my exam. Right after i finished reading this book, i planned a study schedule for myself, and did everything that Kevin Paul advised students to do. I discovered the miracles of Mind Maps and realized how it had made studying FUN for me, as well as increasing my understanding in a particular topic. I made coloured note cards, and used colourful pens to memorize important terminologies. I also used the power of the subconscious mind by reciting affirmations to myself five times a day to increase my self-confidence and truly believing that 'I Can Do It!'
I am still practising what i have learnt from this book. Now that i enjoy studying, i don't mind sacrificing hours of my free time to learn new things because i know studying can be FUN when i study the SMART way, not the HARD way!
Thanks, Kevin Paul, you're truly a blessing to me!

This book is truly excellent and completely common sense, but most people would not think of the strategies it provides. It's all about maximizing efficiency by relaxing, focusing, and using time wisely. Making goals and uniting all the intelligences. Simple, but effective.

I recommend this book for 18+, too much younger won't be able to grasp a lot of it and it seems to focus on college students.

I bought this book for my younger brother who is a freshman in high school. I was originally interested in "What Smart Students Know" by Adam Robinson for my brother. I ended up buying that book and this book, "Study Smarter, Not Harder", based on all the reviews that I had read.

Boy, were all those reviews right!!! I read the book myself to help my brother out, and I found it beneficial for myself as well! It is an easy, quick read. The principles are simple and easy to apply to your own life to make changes little by little.

And what Kevin Paul talks about in this book makes sense! I am especially impressed by all the evidence and research he mentions that supports his suggestions in learning. And I know I tend to be a skeptic. And with the little time that I have, as a medical student, this was well worth it.

I definitely believe that everyone has "genius potential." Schools and teachers are realizing that there are multiple intelligences. However, it seems that our education system has not uniformly embraced this fact and adjusted the system in a way for our students to better learn.

In sum, Learn how to learn for high school, college, medical school, law school, a new skill for your job, for a career change! With all exponentially increasing amount of information that is out these days, learning how to learn will be one of the most important skills to have in this day and age.

So, Before you read any other study book, READ THIS BOOK! Get this book for your child, your sister, your brother,... yourself!

The book concentrates on the psychological techniques of better studying. In essence, the optimum psychological state for studying involves getting into a "relaxed intensity" state of mind. In order to enter in such a state, one must continually and patiently practice studying at the same time and location. One must also practice clearing both internal and external psychological distractions. It also provides some basic fundamental study techniques such as note taking, listening, and asking better questions. A good buy but it will not be a lifesaver for those who are trying to earn better grades.

This is a great book! It explains how people learn and how to take advantage of your natural abilities. The stragedies it gives are practical and it is a good book to read if you have problems with procrastination.

After finishing the book I feel robbed of my money and my time. Although the author does provide some helpful tips, he wastes a lot of space stating the obvious, repeating himself NUMEROUS times, and filling the margins with absolutely useless random quotes whose purpose is only to consume space and make the book look larger.
This book is for the novice and for those who believe everything they read. The author is only marketing the lure of good study skills, he doesn't actually teach them to you. One may think the book looks nice, big, inviting, and there are many pages. But a lot of it is repeated b.s. If you would like better books check out "What smart students know" and "How to become a straight-A student"

Every year I try to learn a few new methods of "remembering" more of what I study. Usually I've gone to the memory books. However, you soon realize that mnemonics alone aren't enough. The real task is to figure out better ways of integrating new material with the knowledge you already have. Until reading Study Smarter, Not Harder the best I had come across was Kenneth Higbee's Your Memory. Higbee is excellent on mnemonics and has a very nice chapter on study skills. Kevin Paul takes the opposite tack, having very little on memorization but much on the study environment, the psychology of the learner, and specific approaches to various methods of study. Paul's entire books is filled with practical advice, very little is presented and left as abstraction.

If you want to learn to maximum potential the first time, study this book first!

This book might be helpful for the following students:

students who have never tried to study and don't know where to start
students who have convinced themselves that they are too dumb to learn
students who never had the chance to learn study skills from parents

If you are in this group, I encourage you to buy the book; the advice will help you develop the right frame of mind for studying. However, conscientious students have already internalized this advice, with the possible exception of the relaxation techniques. For conscientious students, though, learning to breath deeply into the belly won't be worth the price of the book or the cost of reading it.

Mainly, the book lacks concrete advice on how to make your study time more effective. A much better book is Adam Robinson's What Smart Students Know.

I bought this book and a few others while I was preparing to get into Graduate school. My GPA from undergrad was a 2.54, but I've always been a smart kid, just not school smart. I love to read, but could never get my grades up. Well, after reading this book i found out why.

I was studying all wrong, and it was showing. After taking entrance exams and doing well, I'm enrolled in graduate school and just finished my first semester with a 3.5, something I don't think I did once in undergrad. And my classes are so much harder now with so much more notes, but I'm doing better and actually enjoy the lecture.

I wish I had a book like this 5 years ago. Since I can only go forward, I'm taking this book everywhere I need to learn something new. The principles and guidelines are excellent, and they're helping me digest material that I would've given up on a few years ago. If you decide to go to college without buying this book (and other books like it) I would suggest that you reconsider your decision.

I was all the way into graduate school before I finally figured some of these nuggets of wisdom out for myself. Many listed in this book are some I had not thought of. Our first grandchild is a freshman in college this fall (2007), so I purchased the book for him. After commenting in margins and highlighting with Post-it tabs, I mailed it to him. I plan to purchase two more for his younger brothers, freshman and sophomore in high school. Each child needs it at his study desk for reference.