Perfectionism is the worst thing for successful studying, says Cem Özgen, a Bilkent Student Development and Counseling Center counselor who helps students with study and time management skills. Thinking you can learn everything in every book is not realistic. This will bring disappointment.

Instead, Özgen says you must determine what to study by identifying the most important material. One way to do this is by reading the first and last paragraphs in each unit of a textbook, he says. Generally, the first paragraph gives an outline of the unit and the last paragraph gives a summary of the unit. Students can use this strategy to choose the important items from the unit and learn them - not all the things from the unit, he says.

Where you study is nearly as important as what you study, Özgen says. Sit in a comfortable chair in a quiet room where there's nothing to distract you like your radio or TV, he says, noting that the library is a good spot. Whatever you do, don't study in bed! Dreams and reality will get mixed, he says.

Staying up all night is not necessarily bad, Özgen says, if done in moderation. If this is not a habit it is not that important that you miss one or two nights of sleep. However, if this is happening more often it is an indication that the student needs to learn better time management skills. While skipping sleep very occasionally may be OK, skipping meals, especially breakfast, is a very bad idea. Özgen says a well-balanced breakfast including fruits and bread is a must so you have the energy to concentrate on your studies!

Most students' biggest mistake is not using time wisely starting at the beginning of the term, he says.