What are some study tips from a Statistics scholarship winner? Part 1 on lectures.

(a) Pre-reading: I try to go through the pre-readings for the next class a day in advance. I don’t necessarily aim to understand everything, but rather get familiar with the material. I find the lectures to be much easier to follow this way.
(b) Formulas: I always derive the formulas and equations introduced in the class at least once, in a way that I am most comfortable with, which might take a different form than the ones introduced in class. This for the most part saves me from memorizing them and ensures understanding of the material.
(c) Note taking in class: I don’t think it’s enough to just listen in a lecture, no matter how focused I am. A lot of the times, it is not the things on the slides, but rather the professor’s explanations to what’s on the slides that help me understand the material. I write these things down in class, as quite often, these things are not documented in any of the materials provided for the class.