Study Habits

[KingTutATL]

What sort of study habits do the SDN users use?

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[Turkeyman]

For classes where concepts and memorization are key -- I recopy the notes directly after class, or as fast as I can do them(like in the hour between classes, if you have such a break). When test time comes, I rewrite these notes a couple of times over, each time letting the text and descriptions get smaller and smaller, till it is so concise you can't break it down further. That'll take about 2 or 3 rewrites, so its really not much.

For problem oriented classes(math, chem, phys) - skim the chapters of the book as well as lecture notes lightly -- then go above and beyond the assigned chapter/homework problems to get a greater experience of the subject. Practice makes perfect.

Thaaats it, just wish I had worked things out a bit sooner. The progression is what counts, though .

 

[hnbui]

yeah.

Fors more conceptual based classes, i usually rewrite my notes after class. I find that doing this helps me to take in more of the lecture and also gives me better more organized notes which i can later study off. If you can, try to do some study group sessions with your friends.

For the analytical classes, i just practise the problems. That's the main thing. Reviewing the concepts for these classes is good but not that vital.

 

[nekrogg]

i dont copy my notes cause i usually dont get what the teacher is talking about. honestly the teachers at my school suck. but in chemistry and physics, practice is the key. i do about every single problem in the back of the chapter... or at least the ones that matter. for bio i usually make my own study sheets. then i use word to add lines _____ (like that) and fill them in with what was on my original sheet. i do that about 3 times and usually im set.

hope that helped =P

 

[rugirlie]

Wow man, don't all your hands cramp up hardcore? You all must have carple tunnel syndrome by now... I'm a habitual crammer but now I feel like I'm screwed for med school.. I'm looking for new methods but there is no way in hell it is possible to recopy everything 3 or 4 times for med school material... there aren't enough hours in the day!

 

[Turkeyman]

Hehe whoops, I meant I type them up on my laptop over and over

 

[hnbui]

i just recopy my notes once. It's more for the sake of neatness and finding information easier than anything else.

 

[UCLAstudent]

For biology classes, I memorize the lecture notes to the point where I can write down a day's lecture without looking at the original notes. Sounds like a crazy amount of work, but it really helps me. I only read the book if I KNOW that the professor will test on stuff from the reading that wasn't covered in lecture. Unfortunately, I had such a professor last quarter.

For problem-oriented classes (chem/physics/genetics), I do the assigned homework problems two to three times, as well as any practice exams that the professor distributes. The book is just for reference.

 

[zurned]

What sort of study habits do the SDN users use?

I walk around with notes in my hands and smack my friends iwth it to keep me awake thru the boring bio stuff. Annoys them but works for me, so wutever.

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

does anyone here have a remedy for short attention span syndrome? One would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[it.]

for conceptual/analytical classes, i just make sure i understand the concepts and first principles really well-->practice problems/derivations

for memorization-intensive classes, i just make sure i understand the concepts and first principles really well (these classes don't have problems/derivations)...and get screwed over cuz i'm too lazy to sit down and practice regurgitating

 

[murphomatic]

brute force memorization via 3X5 cards.
I had over 3000 for the MCAT

and lots of practice problems

 

[veridisquo]

Flashcards. They're a pain to make, considering it takes hours to sit there and write everything down, so by the time I am finished I'm to tired to memorize anything. They have never failed me though. Flashcards really allow you to distinguish what you know, don't know, sort of know, etc.

Slightly OT, but I've saved every flashcard I have made since the beginning of my college career. They're collecting in a large shopping bag in my closet. It really is a pathetic sight.

Also, I would suggest getting out of your home/apartment/dorm/whatever when studying. A big problem for me is concentration. I need to be as far away from my computer and bed as I can. I'm usually more productive in the library.

 

[mikedc813]

review the material over and over and over again. med school is so much memorization it's crazy. i'm not into flash cards too much.

if i can't go through most of the ideas in each lecture in my head without looking at the powerpoint or my notes than i don't know it. that's the way i study

 

[Turkeyman]

review the material over and over and over again. med school is so much memorization it's crazy. i'm not into flash cards too much.

if i can't go through most of the ideas in each lecture in my head without looking at the powerpoint or my notes than i don't know it. that's the way i study

Ooh thanks for the med school advice man

 

[Wiggy73]

I highlight the important stuff in my notes when I study before a test. Sometimes I do some color-coding. It keeps me from going insane because I'm actually doing something instead of just sitting there and reading them. And my notes end up pretty colors!

 

[Hoberto]

I, also, am a crammer. I can't maintain my interest long enough to memorize endless lists of stuff. I am working on this though since obviously cramming will not work for med school.

For problem based classes I just redo the homework and example problems until I don't need to refer to the notes or solutions to get them. Also, I help other people figure the problems out. Teaching others is most helpful for me.

 

[Thundrstorm]

I take minimal notes in class... just things I don't know and can't find in the text or in handouts.

Depending how busy I am, I'll try to read over the weekends to stay relatively up to date.

Starting 2-3 weeks before an exam, I'll take meticulous notes on everything in the chapters from the text, making lots of drawings and recreating figures from the text (I'm very visual).

A few days before the exam, I condense class notes, study notes, power point printouts/study guides onto notecards w/words on the front and figures on the back.

The evening before and morning of the exam, I read them repeatedly to make sure it's all memorized.

Or atleast, that's what I did before I graduated and stopped using my brain altogether.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Oh, and for problem-based courses, just redo my homework.

 

[DrBuro]

I follow people from my classes around campus and see who spends the most time studying. Then I conveniently find an empty seat next to that person. Voila, an A.