By Devin Rodgers/reporter

Most students forget about 60 percent of what they hear an hour later, a counselor said last week.

In Maximizing Your Memory March 27 on South Campus, Steve Rakoff discussed how to improve or maximize memory as well as how memory can help raise grades.

Many things can affect how strong memory is.

For instance, smoking marijuana or cigarettes, not getting enough sleep and having a diet too low in calories can impact the strength of short-term memory, Rakoff said.

Eating foods with plenty of protein and making sure to exercise regularly can help improve memory, and eating disorders can reduce memory by about a quarter, Rakoff said.

“ We have to take care of not only our brain and what we do, but our whole bodies,” he said.

“ Sleep, nutrition and heart are all very important to our memory.”

The presentation focused on different types of memory and methods that students can utilize to help improve memory.

Methods include verbalizing, which comes from repeatedly saying the information out loud.

Saying something over and over again increases chances of remembering it longer, Rakoff said.

The same thing goes for writing something down. Repeatedly writing information down increases the likelihood of remembering it later.

Rakoff said students should not cram nor wait until the night before when preparing for a test or exam. He also said to review the information every day.

Another method is called “chunking,” which means attaching information to something already known or looking for a pattern within the information that can help in remembering it.

“ Not everything has a recognizable pattern, but sometimes you might be able to find some,” he said.

Students can also use their imagination and get creative by trying to put the information into a short poem or rhyme.

Also, Rakoff said, using acronyms or creating a small story to associate the information might be helpful.

Erica Wyatt, a South Campus student, said the information she learned could come in handy when she is studying for her geology class.

“ Some of the stuff I knew, but other things like putting things into a story [were helpful],” she said. “It’s challenging to see if it’ll work for you.”

Students can put these methods to use to help study for classes and exams, and it just might help raise grades, Rakoff said.

Students who were unable to attend the presentation can contact Rakoff in counseling services on the South Campus or by phone at 817-515-4743.