A ttention students: Now that the school year is in full swing, we’re all faced with the same problem –how to study effectively. Why fumble with old notes and sit around helplessly wondering how you’re ever going to get that “A”?

Liesel Zimmerman, 15, is a sophomore at Starpoint High School. Liesel (pictured below) is treasurer of her class, co-captain of the junior varsity cheerleading team and a high honor roll student. How can she do so many things and still get high grades? Easy: She has a creative and effective way to study.

“When I study, I use all my notes and the papers my teachers gave me. I try to memorize the information and practice the skills,” Liesel said. “I read over all my notes and then I say them out loud. It helps me to talk about it out loud like I’m explaining it to someone else. When it comes to subjects like math, I’ll often write out problems to try and memorize the concept.”

Memorization is a common study technique used by many students, but there are lots of other ways to help remember information. Liesel takes several approaches to her studies.

“I use a lot of pneumonics and rhymes,” she said.

Kayla Carrasquillo, a senior at Newfane High School, studies best when she’s alone.

“Usually me and my friends get off topic or want to go out and do something,” Kayla says.

If you find that you are easily distracted, studying alone is probably a better idea. To stay on task, Kayla works on one subject for a little while, takes a break, and then switches to a new subject. That way the material isn’t all the same.

Taking breaks every 15 minutes or so helps students not to get overly stressed out, especially if the material is complicated and the study session isn’t going well. Make sure to have a nice, water-based drink during your breaks. Studies show that if you are even 10 percent dehydrated, your math skills will suffer.

Making flash cards with subject material that’s fresh in your mind is a good way to study. Kayla also likes to make herself study guides. By typing or rewriting your notes, the material locks into your brain better because you had to physically do something with the information. Try eating something you don’t usually eat while studying. Hopefully during the test when a question pops up about this subject, you’ll remember the strange food and the information will come more easily because you’ve linked it in your brain with that snack.

For people who are visual learners, drawing pictures related to what you are learning also can help you remember it. Auditory learners like Emma Lynn Collins often find that reading notes out loud can help.

Emma, a freshman at Potomac State College of West Virginia University, says, “Since I am really into music, I often make up little songs to help me remember things.”

During the big test, singing the song you made up in your head might just be the difference from that C+ to a B.

Unfortunately, sometimes even after awesome study sessions we can still blank out during the test and forget everything we’ve learned! In these types of situations the most important thing to remember is not to panic.

Emily M. Spina is a sophomore at Starpoint High School.