What would be the worst way to study Chinese?

[flameproof]

Study character from Heisig's "Kanji" books, then having learned 1500 characters perfectly, and have no clue how to pronounce a single one in Mandarin.

[gato]

I've never done any homework in my entire life

你真牛避。

[wushijiao]

I think the worst way to study would be simply not to put much time into studying. If you underestimate how much time it takes to get good at Chinese, then if you have a horrible studying plan, it'll be hard to access whether or not it's working. Most people who study hard and often can self-correct by accessing weaknesses.

[wrbt]

I believe the formal classroom study for a year or two followed by self-study can be a very good path.

It's hard to get started with Chinese so having the inherent schedule that comes with classroom learning can be great for getting your feet wet and giving enough structure to lay the groundwork for self-learning or osmosis or whatever. After 2 (3,4) semesters you will know x number of characters, will have a strong enough grasp of Chinese grammar to stumble thru harder level readings with a dictionary in your hand, etc. and equally important gotten feedback on your pathetic "woah shu may guoren" and had the teacher yell at you when you say 不有 instead of 没有. My 101 teacher would throw erasers for that common offense.

Slowly build a good foundation, then much easier to throw stuff on top of that on your own.