How to make your brain work after years away from school?

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ChopinLiszt

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Have any of you nontrads started classes after many years off and felt like you hit a wall or like you couldn't make your brain do what it's supposed to?

Any ideas of how to wake up the brain so you don't have to read each paragraph 10 times to sort of get it into the hippocampus? :bang:

Does the brain eventually function and learn 'normally' once you adjust to studying more, or are the brain cobwebs permanent now that I hit the ripe old age of 35?

Any experience or advice would be very welcome!

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Studying, learning, and memorization is like anything else: you get better at it the more you practice. So....

1) Are you a reader? If not, now is a good time to pick up this habit. Join a book club, and preferably one that reads nonfiction about ideas (say, a philosophy book club) as opposed to one that focuses on the NYT fiction bestseller list.

2) Do you push yourself to learn new things? If you're not already taking classes, then some options include learning to play an instrument, learning to speak another language, or learning some other new skill that will force you to expand your current abilities and think in new ways.

3) Do you learn something new every day? In the same way that you can't become fit enough to run a marathon in one day, you also can't learn any other skill in one day. There is a popular idea that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. While I don't know how accurate the actual amount of time cited is, the concept is correct: if you want to get better at something you aren't currently good at doing, you have to work at it on a regular basis and sustained over a period of several weeks, months, or even years.
 
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My job requires constant critical analysis so it was never really much of an issue for me, but when I start getting brain fog or just can't get focused, I either workout or listen to music and then its easy to get back on track.
 
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It was not an issue for me but regular exercise helped a lot when I hit a slump. (And in general.)
 
If you have been out of the university game for awhile with no critical thinking and analysis since then, ( like myself) then you need to do more than the usual coursework. Definitely try to learn new things that are outside of your courses. I'm slowly approaching an advanced level in a " hard " language. If it wasn't for this dedicated brain focusing activity, I would find going back to school more difficult. It also helps to read reallllyyyy boring stories from the turn of the century. Because they are not written in our current written language, your brain has to concentrate harder and in turn, helps you focus more while reading textbooks for your classes.


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Have any of you nontrads started classes after many years off and felt like you hit a wall or like you couldn't make your brain do what it's supposed to?

Any ideas of how to wake up the brain so you don't have to read each paragraph 10 times to sort of get it into the hippocampus? :bang:

Does the brain eventually function and learn 'normally' once you adjust to studying more, or are the brain cobwebs permanent now that I hit the ripe old age of 35?

Any experience or advice would be very welcome!

Your brain will adjust as it undergoes the specialization process due to medical school. It usually takes me about 2-3 months before I go to auto mode where I can just absorb and recall everything on the first try.
 
Thank you to everyone for your suggestions and advice!
I was pretty frustrated because I felt like I had done quite a bit to keep my brain and body in decent shape - I read a lot, speak a few languages and am always learning bits of other ones, I play the piano and learn new pieces (hence my screen name - love Chopin!), I recently ran my first marathon, etc. But I felt like I could not get out of first gear with these classes! I think I didn't make the connection between starting to get up at 5am for a daughter's before school activity (when I used to get up at 7-8) right when I started my classes this fall, and I've just been groggy and tired! So much for my diagnostic skills.. :laugh:

I have a long way to go before I'm sharp enough to kill the MCAT or do well in medical school, but I did get a 96% on our first exam last week, so yay! I imagine that with each step I'll have to readjust to the new level of intensity.
Thanks again for the feedback!
 
My job requires constant critical analysis so it was never really much of an issue for me, but when I start getting brain fog or just can't get focused, I either workout or listen to music and then its easy to get back on track.

What job is this?
 
Studying, learning, and memorization is like anything else: you get better at it the more you practice. So....

1) Are you a reader? If not, now is a good time to pick up this habit. Join a book club, and preferably one that reads nonfiction about ideas (say, a philosophy book club) as opposed to one that focuses on the NYT fiction bestseller list.

2) Do you push yourself to learn new things? If you're not already taking classes, then some options include learning to play an instrument, learning to speak another language, or learning some other new skill that will force you to expand your current abilities and think in new ways.

3) Do you learn something new every day? In the same way that you can't become fit enough to run a marathon in one day, you also can't learn any other skill in one day. There is a popular idea that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. While I don't know how accurate the actual amount of time cited is, the concept is correct: if you want to get better at something you aren't currently good at doing, you have to work at it on a regular basis and sustained over a period of several weeks, months, or even years.


I love this. So eloquently stated, and so very helpful and true. :) Oh to have a RL mentor like this! :thumbup:
 
And to put perspective on Q's 3rd point above, there is this:
https://www.fastcodesign.com/302756...t-10000-hours-of-practice-makes-you-an-expert

It does by no means negate the importance of point 3 and the general principle. Pretty much for all people, the more you practice something (if you are practicing it properly or in a sound way), the better you become at it. The article is interesting, b/c it shows the other variables at play, which cannot be calculated by any simple equation. That's the beauty and uniqueness of people, to which I have always said, "Yes. People are complex, even when there are loads of them that follow certain patterns. Dig deeper enough, and in most cases, you will see it."

To answer the question of the OP, another thing I do is practice mathematics that I do not always use. It sharpens the mind--both reading and mathematics applications.
 
I came from a liberal artsy background, so there were days when I had doubts about whether I could get my brain into science and math mode. I remember my first or second week of gen chem I, the professor suddenly pulled out some sample problems for the class to try, and I had no idea there was even a mathematical application to the concepts we were learning. Everyone around me was pounding away on their calculators and going, "Did you get 8? I got 8! I got 8 too!" and I was just sitting there wondering where the brain that had earned me straight As throughout college and much of high school had gone.

In my case, there were no shortcuts. I had to spend many, many hours with my books writing out notes and working literally hundreds of pages of problems for some classes. For physics, I found my book's solutions manual, which very thankfully gave detailed explanations of how and why to solve the problems in the book. I'd try a problem first and then consult the manual to see where I was going wrong in my thought process if I just couldn't figure it out.

Over time, you get more acquainted with different concepts and vocabulary terms, and things get somewhat easier. There was no magical way to snap my brain into premedical genius mode, though. Just had to have patience with myself and the mindset that I couldn't give up without at least first truly giving my best effort.
 
What job is this?

Currently, I primarily do data analytics (both market and technical based) for the video game industry, though I do some occasional project management for related software and an incidental virtualization deployment from time to time. TLDR; I tell people stuff and they pay me for telling it to them :D
 
Studying, learning, and memorization is like anything else: you get better at it the more you practice. So....

1) Are you a reader? If not, now is a good time to pick up this habit.

This. Right. HERE!!

The reason I got so much smarter with age (4.0 GPA so far in STEM PhD program) is because I've never EVER stopped reading. One great example are books about medical professionals. LOVE these and often reread them! Plus, being a Scientist has helped a TON too with increasing reading proficiency/intellect!
 
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