need studying tips

[N10]

Hello all,
i'm still a student and well i guess i have a lot of studying/memorizing to do and a lot to understand(engineering)...& i feel like it's killing me.
everybody out there like me who's still studying or who went through college or anything that required alot of "brain muscle"..
how did you guys study?..any tips that you think helped you towards your success?

 

[T0RN4D0]

This is killing me too. I can't get around to studying.

What i did was pick an easyer college. Went from engineering to logistics haha. Some of the stuff is still killing me slowly, but i can learn what i need in a day or two usually

 

[funkymonkey1111]

it might not translate to your discipline, but i used flash cards all the way through three bar exams (three states, that is....)

 

[Lee1959]

Write and re-write notes, it impresses it in your brain. Do it a few times and by say the third, you have it down pretty well usually. Study for short periods of 20 or 30 minutes, then take a few minutes break, this way you do not tire and just waste time fighting boredom. Study before bed then go directly to sleep with no other tv, music or reading.

I always found those to work well for me. I also used highlighters and highlighted text in books while reading, then went back and wrote down what I highlighted. I know you do not get the money back on the book but I found it worked for me so I did not worry about it.

 

[65535]

What is this studying you speak of???

Ill admit I've not always done well in classes (I too am technically oriented, Physics/Chemistry/Engineering) but my issue I've had with any class is not the studying but the paying attention. Maybe I'm weird but studying never did much for me, a little for the trickier stuff is good. For me what really meant knowing or not knowing the stuff was paying attention in class, if I didn't I had a harder time remembering, if I did things were great.

Never studied like most would. Didn't do much homework either.

I may be some sort of exception, the material never confused me, but I just had issues not being bored to death.

 

[Oddjob]

I agree with Lee1959. For me though I learn better by listening and seeing so accessing your teachers or teaching assistants to reinforce or clarify what you have learned can be helpful. Also if you can study with some classmates it can be helpful to talk concepts out. Repetition is important for retention so once you have learned something review it that same night and then again over the weekend. A lot of students learn something and then only go back to it just before the exam. This may work to get you through but you end up not retaining it for long. You'll become a better professional if you learn while in school as oppose to just going to school and passing exams to get the degree.

 

[Black Rose]

Write and re-write notes, it impresses it in your brain.

That's how I used to prepare for my exams.

I'd rewrite my semester notes the day/night before my exam.
It really helped, especially in subjects that I was not as strong in.

 

[Kestrel]

I found that listening to classical music (instead of the 'popular' stuff) while studying helped me concentrate. Having no music on was similarly not distracting, but wasn't as pleasurable - I could study for longer without getting bored / distracted with mild classical in the background - Baroque such as Bach in particular. YMMV of course.

 

[DoctaDink]

Tough question, as people have many different learning styles (eg: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)
You may want to investigate further your particular style, then work on optimizing that.
I tend to be a visual learner, and when having to memorize things, I sometimes would draw simple cartoons to link items together....silly, but it worked for me. Or, at least, I would try to visualize in my head various items linked together as objects ( not words).
You might find Cynthia U. Tobias' book, "The Way They Learn" interesting.
Also, I've seen similar info from R.M. Felder geared towards engineering students.

 

[jtr1962]

Try to observe real-world demostrations of some of the concepts you're trying to learn. I've found that unless I do that, I really don't learn the stuff. It's one thing to memorize a bunch of arcane facts from a text, and then regurgitate them for a test. I did far too much of that in school, unfortunately. Six months later, I didn't remember much of what I had memorized. However, every time I saw a concept demonstrated to me, or even better did a project involving it, it stuck with me, especially lots of small details I would have forgotten had I simply just memorized them from texts. Remember that long term you'll always need to look up the details. That's what data sheets and texts are for. What you shouldn't need to look up are how basic concepts work. The purpose of school is really to teach you how to teach yourself, not to have you memorize facts from texts. Granted, sometimes you'll need to do some memorizing to pass a test, but that shouldn't be the primary way you learn. And often when these facts are presented within a larger context, learning them is much easier.

As contradictory as it sounds, I hated school ( except for the social aspect ) but love learning.

 

[HarryN]

In general agreement with the above, and I also studied engineering. It actually helps to know which engineering discipline you are in, as they tend to attract different types of thinkers.

It is easy to underestimate the value of study location. I found it helped to study in the classrooms at night, rather than at home. This helps reduce distractions and somehow, it seemed to help me remember things for taking the tests in the surroundings.

Of equal importance, is to find a way to have fun - I mean really get away from the study work. It is inconceivable to imagine surviving college without good music and beer.

 

[N10]

rewriting notes does work but it seems that i have to do it a few times at least and that is really time consuming...i'd usually work on assignments and problems and i find that helps alot too.
And 65535,i can certainly relate to your issue with not always being able to concentrate during lectures but some teachers actually know how to make their classes interesting.
i guess i just have to spend all the hours available studying=/

 

[scout24]

I can't believe it took 13 posts to suggest staying away from CPF until exams are over... Seriously, outside distractions are killers, and nothing worked for me but time and repetition. No shortcutting it...

 

[iapyx]

I have a good tip: stay as far away as possible from CPF

On a more serious note: that tip of write and re-write your notes is a good tip.
Here's how I studied: found a study-mate. Each saturday we got together at his place and we went through the different assignments that we got. Two weeks before exams started we got together each day and repeated repeated repeated. This proved to be succesfull (for us) during polytechnical school and it formed a basis for the TU.

scout24: you beat me to it as I was writing this message I paused for diner and finished it 7 minutes too late

 

[Patriot]

I think it was rightly pointed out that learning styles vary greatly, but that's not to say that tips and suggestions aren't very helpful. One thing I didn't see mentioned yet is the physical adjustments that can improve learning capacity and readiness. I can say with certainty that I do much better in the brain department when I rest well, eat right, stay hydrated, and include exercise in my schedule. I think it's safe to say that anyone will struggle if they're not getting enough nourishment, water, and rest. I once had an employee who was near genius when rested but because he partied like a rock star several days a week he was unable to apply his gift reliably on the job. I'm not calling anyone here "party boy" just using that as an example. I don't understand the precise chemistry or mechanisms which link exercise and a ready mind, but I think there's enough data to show that it can be beneficial. If you have these basic foundations covered then I think you'll be positioning yourself for success once you incorporate a study plan that works best for your learning style.

Best of luck to you with the work and study ahead.

 

[N10]

staying away from CPF for more than 3 + months is a little too much..lol..it's like telling me not to use the internet at all.but i don't take alot of time posting..i'm usually a big lurker with a few occasional posts when something really interests me.For sure as patriot mentioned,rest is fairly important and exercise does kind of help...after some physical activity..you do sometimes feel like you're in a better mood or just more awake(is it the adrenalin or some other hormone stuff?)
basically it's :
1.minimize distractions(including CPF)
2.exercise,eat,rest,
3.try following the lectures without falling asleep(taking notes from the teacher does help)
4 alot of practice and repetitions..

& thank Patriot..i'll be needing a lot of luck indeed...

 

[mossyoak]

i have terrible ADHD, so i gotta block everything out, ill make a playlist on my ipod, with really long songs with "jams" in them that seem to go forever, like live dave matthews band, OAR, bluegrass, whatever works for you, and then ill put a dip in or gum, something that you do without thinking about doing it. and then i go to work, writing and re-writeing my notes, and then before i know it, its been three or four hours and ive got everything down pat.

 

[DoctaDink]

+1 regarding Patriots post.
To be a successful student, it takes balance and commitment. One must balance rest with exercise and activity. Academic activity with extracurricular activity. Work hard but also, allow time for fun. Eat well, but not too much or the wrong stuff. Don't skip meals then gorge or eat lots of simple sugars ("for energy"). Time management is crucial. Try to study "smart" rather than unnecessarily long. Study the hard, more boring or difficult stuff first. You'll always find time to study the easy or fun things. Try to avoid situations that you already know interfere with your concentration (eg: like studying in the dorm where music is blaring and obnoxious neighbors interrupt or are causing a ruckus). Find the kind of environment that promotes concentration and not distractions. I always found my bed gave a sort of "sirens call" to me and if I tried to study by my bed, the next thing I knew, I was taking a nap.
I would opine, that the most important thing is...COMMITMENT. Commit yourself to the task wholeheartedly, and you will accomplish more that you think you can. Kinda like the old coaches saying..."when the going gets tough, the tough get going".
There will always be others smarter and dumber...but will there be any more committed?

 

[bobisculous]

Just finished up my last semester in December. Oddly, I did the best I ever had in college and it was my hardest classes I had to take. I account that because it WAS my last semester. I could not afford to mess up.

Studying changed dramatically for me in that semester. Rather than sit at my computer desk with distractions, I was constantly packing up my backpack and biking to the library. I was there till it closed (1AM) many many MANY times. I was very surprised that I consistently went and stayed so committed to it. Paid off for sure.

As far as actually studying, repetition was a big key. I continually reworked problems on paper. I did a little more reading, but not much.
I think the biggest player in the semester was the absolute isolation from my distractions.

-Cameron

 

[Dave Keith]

After many years in college on both sides of the desk, I heartily recommend the Cornell method of note taking. Google will give you a lot of info about the strategy. Part of the genius of the method is that it eliminates rote re-writing of all the notes and permits you to focus on key concepts and facts.

An interesting non-linear note-taking strategy that works wonders for some people is the Mind Mapping technique. Again, Google will give you many hits on Mind Mapping.

The last thing I found after teaching at college for 15 years is that it is pretty hard to fail a class if you don't miss any class meetings.