Getting the Most from Your School for Makeup

You have decided you want to become a makeup artist, chosen a school, enrolled and paid the tuition. A crucial ingredient to getting the most from your school for makeup is learning beforehand study and student success strategies.

Time Management

First and foremost, you should develop a schedule. Calculate your daily school hours, work hours (if applicable), travel time and a realistic estimate of the number of hours a day you need for meals, household chores and other obligations.

Next, set aside blocks of time each day for study. Your study time does not necessarily have to be one chunk of time. In fact, splitting your study periods into smaller portions is better than attempting to study for 2 or 3 hours straight. Research has shown that students retain more information if they study in several shorter sessions of 30 to 45 minutes. Be realistic with your schedule planning; unattainable expectations will make it impossible for you to adhere to the schedule and cause stress.

Studying

Choose a quiet non-distracting environment for studying. Always study in the same room or area so your brain comprehends it is a place for studying, not anything else. Take study breaks away from where you study so you feel refreshed when you return. Try not to study within 30 minutes of bedtime; it is unproductive and you will not likely remember what you studied the next day. Also, cramming at the last moment does not work. Permit yourself rewards for studying (i.e. phone a friend, watch your favorite show).

Basic Rules of Success

Attending class religiously, arriving on time, listening, participating, completing homework and working hard are all basic rules, but, nonetheless, cannot be emphasized enough. They are vital to your success as a student.

Other helpful tactics include sitting at the front and center of the class, organizing binders and notebooks and reading as many magazines, articles and other information (not just assigned materials) about makeup artistry as possible.

Prioritizing

Prioritizing both your school life and personal life is essential to managing student life. Purchase an agenda or use a computer to note all the tasks you need to accomplish each day. Assess each item for urgency and mark its priority in relation to your other obligations. Resist any temptation to complete tasks out of order of priority to avoid not having time to finish the most urgent.

Just as with your schedule, remain committed to your agenda. Procrastination is another stressor. Learn to say "no" to requests and activities you do not have time for. Self-discipline is a learned behavior that requires practice. In time, it becomes automatic.

Exams

The word "exam" strikes fear into many students. This does not have to be. With proper preparation, exam writing techniques and common sense, students can approach exams with confidence.

Review all the material and evaluate it based on importance. Concentrate the majority of your study time on the subjects with the highest significance. Allot small study segments to lesser subjects.

If you find it helpful, study with a friend or in a group. This may be advantageous as you can "test" each other's knowledge with random questions and you may realize you need to understand certain topics more thoroughly.

Write a summary or notes on recipes cards. Condensed notes have been proven to assist in memory retention.

On the day of the examination, carefully read the instructions and scan the entire exam before you begin. Keep extra paper next to you. Begin with the questions you feel confident about. As you are answering these questions, write down ideas that pop into your head about the harder questions on your extra paper. Be assured your brain is working on the tough questions while you answer the questions you understand.

There is no substitute for hard work and applying yourself, but getting the most from your school for makeup will be less challenging if you practice student strategies for success.