Best Way to Absorb Material During Lecture

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Read or skim over the material prior to the lecture.
 
CarpeDium said:
Read or skim over the material prior to the lecture.
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This is for sure a must to better understand the lectures.

Also don't be a Chicago Cubs fan cause you'll be all mopy every year when they suck balls again and again and again and ... :laugh:
 
CarpeDium said:
Read or skim over the material prior to the lecture.
Click to expand...

+1

This helps a lot. I used to do this religiously but not so much because I felt like I understood it in class. Have to pick it up again this semester though. Don't know how it is in your class but if the teacher goes too fast for you and other student's notes are even less complete than yours, ask permission to record the lecture. If the teacher says no, don't beg. You won't look good.
 
If your professors post powerpoint slides, print them out beforehand. If they don't, make sure you're taking notes from the slides AND listening to what they're saying. They'll probably drop hints here and there on what's important.
 
Don't pay much attention and just read the textbook. (I do this when my professor can't teach if someone held him/her at gunpoint.)

Paying some attention every now and then is crucial because not everything on the test will be solely in the textbook.

I find that massive repetition and elimination of "harmful stimuli" such as MyFace, SpaceBook, chatting services, texting, Google, TV, and sometimes SDN helps... A lot.

Happy studying 🙂
 
Asking questions and participating will help you retain the lecture too.
 
msb1190 said:
Asking questions and participating will help you retain the lecture too.
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BUT don't be "THAT KID" who thinks lecture=his/her personal office hours.

Write down questions for office hours or try to think ahead like when a prof asks a rhetorical question, instead of glazing over, try to actually think up the answer and THINK about what is being said.
 
red10 said:
BUT don't be "THAT KID" who thinks lecture=his/her personal office hours.

Write down questions for office hours or try to think ahead like when a prof asks a rhetorical question, instead of glazing over, try to actually think up the answer and THINK about what is being said.
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I didn't mean questions specific to the lecture, but if your professor is cool with intelligent, thought provoking questions, you and the professor will get more out of lecture... questions that use the lecture material but then take it further. My classes weren't very big either, so I knew my faculty fairly well.
 
msb1190 said:
I didn't mean questions specific to the lecture, but if your professor is cool with intelligent, thought provoking questions, you and the professor will get more out of lecture... questions that use the lecture material but then take it further. My classes weren't very big either, so I knew my faculty fairly well.
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smaller classes are usually ok. I go to a big school and it's so annoying because there's always that pre-med kid who asks a million questions that only barely link to lecture or they don't get something and have to have it resolved right that moment at the expense of the rest of the class.
 
red10 said:
smaller classes are usually ok. I go to a big school and it's so annoying because there's always that pre-med kid who asks a million questions that only barely link to lecture or they don't get something and have to have it resolved right that moment at the expense of the rest of the class.
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Yeah I'm not encouraging that sort of behavior. The WORST kids in class are the kids that interrupt class and say "Is this gonna be on the test?".
 
BMEZephyr said:
Don't pay much attention and just read the textbook. (I do this when my professor can't teach if someone held him/her at gunpoint.)

Paying some attention every now and then is crucial because not everything on the test will be solely in the textbook.

I find that massive repetition and elimination of "harmful stimuli" such as MyFace, SpaceBook, chatting services, texting, Google, TV, and sometimes SDN helps... A lot.

Happy studying 🙂
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What kinda terrible professors were you exposed to? Lol. I find that I only get about 1 "can't teach" professor once a year.
 
I would say that skimming the material before the class can be very helpful. Also when you're in class try to interact with the material as much as possible. Answer questions. Ask questions. Don't just scibble down notes without thinking about what they mean. In addition, try going back over your notes from lecture right after class and see if you can talk to the professor then to clear up anything confusing. It will save a lot of time later when you're trying to study and you realize you don't really understand what you wrote down two weeks ago. Just remember, it's always better to just learn something right the first time than trying to relearn it or fix gaps in understanding later.
 
roseglass6370 said:
osmosis
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Sigh, if only studying worked like that. I could just sleep with textbooks under my pillow and I'd wake up brilliant. Too bad =(

As for the lecture thing, I find bringing my laptop is the worst thing I can do. Some people say they can't write fast enough, or that they like to type directly into the powerpoint slides, or they want to save paper and not print notes...but if I have my laptop, I will inevitably be on MSN, Facebook, reddit...and not paying attention. And when you take notes, try to write things down in your own words. I find that it helps me understand immediately and also later when I'm looking back at my notes.
 
awang54 said:
Sigh, if only studying worked like that. I could just sleep with textbooks under my pillow and I'd wake up brilliant. Too bad =(

As for the lecture thing, I find bringing my laptop is the worst thing I can do. Some people say they can't write fast enough, or that they like to type directly into the powerpoint slides, or they want to save paper and not print notes...but if I have my laptop, I will inevitably be on MSN, Facebook, reddit...and not paying attention. And when you take notes, try to write things down in your own words. I find that it helps me understand immediately and also later when I'm looking back at my notes.
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I hope in the future we could be cyborgs and incorporate a flashdrive in your brains and learn stuff instantly (you know like in the Matrix). that would be sweet
 
Even if there are powerpoints or lectures for class I still take my own notes. I found that my best memorization tool is to write write write because you will write it how it makes sense to you.

I would also suggest staying awake in lecture lol.
 
At my University, the classes are fairly large, thus the teachers use powerpoints that they later post on our school web page. What I do is, ill listen to the prof talk about the slides as he goes through them, but only take notes when he says something that ISNT on the slide, that way you are saving your self time/ink/hand cramping.

If your prof doesnt use power points, skim the chapter before class so you can get a general Idea on what is to be covered and if he says something that you do not remember seeing in the book, then write it down.

Good luck!
 
msquaredb said:
Even if there are powerpoints or lectures for class I still take my own notes. I found that my best memorization tool is to write write write because you will write it how it makes sense to you.

I would also suggest staying awake in lecture lol.
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No offense, but I think this is really bad advice, especially since profs usually post their slides online. Copying down slides verbatim will not help you much at all. I find that doing this actually distracts me from listening to things that may be of more value. Only take down things that are repeatedly stressed, and you think are important.
 
Mackey said:
Who the hell goes to class?
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👍

Lecture, at least for me, is pretty useless. I can learn the same material with a deeper understanding faster than it takes for me to go to class, sit in class, and come back home. I like reading textbooks. The only classes I absolutely go to are the ones where they have mandatory attendance (ie. iClickers, sign-in sheets that get passed around midway through the class, etc) and if you miss lecture a certain number of times, you automatically lose like 10% of your grade. Ugh.
 
GreenPlant2010 said:
The title says it all. This is a serious question.
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I used to have problems focusing.

What helps me is to focus less on writing down everything the professor says in your notebook, and focus on what the professor is saying and try to understand it 100%, then your notes are usually more concise because the concept is understood.

Also, I like to sit in the front of class and sit up straight/leaning forward (almost in an aggressive way). If you don't lean back you are less likely to feel relaxed and that is when your mind drifts away.

Doing these things works for me. I used to have a 20 minute attention span. Now my attention span is pretty much unlimited and I have a solid grasp on all the concepts discussed in lecture.

Reading your textbook to supplement lecture will also do wonders.
 
Arriving early is one of the most important factors. By arriving early, you can..

1)Prepare the stuff you need for the class. You can pull out your textbook, pencil case, calculator or etc... In this way, you are prepared before the class begins. It feels good when you are all set to go.

2)Talk to your friends. Strike conversations. I have found out that you perform better and feel you want to come to the class if you know the people in the class. Come early to your classes everyday. Talk to your friends or talk to someone you don't know. It feels good when somebody simply asks you "how are you today." People will talk you back if you talk to them first.

3)Ask questions to your professor. Most of the college professors arrive at their classes early. If you are early too, you get to ask questions.

4)Good impression. People like those who show up early.

If you arrive at your classes early everyday, it can really make a difference.
 
Hope2008 said:
Arriving early is one of the most important factors. By arriving early, you can..

1)Prepare the stuff you need for the class. You can pull out your textbook, pencil case, calculator or etc... In this way, you are prepared before the class begins. It feels good when you are all set to go.

2)Talk to your friends. Strike conversations. I have found out that you perform better and feel you want to come to the class if you know the people in the class. Come early to your classes everyday. Talk to your friends or talk to someone you don't know. It feels good when somebody simply asks you "how are you today." People will talk you back if you talk to them first.

3)Ask questions to your professor. Most of the college professors arrive at their classes early. If you are early too, you get to ask questions.

4)Good impression. People like those who show up early.

If you arrive at your classes early everyday, it can really make a difference.
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My god. You're like straight out of a Disney special. God bless. Don't let the world change you.
 
Hope2008 said:
Arriving early is one of the most important factors. By arriving early, you can..

1)Prepare the stuff you need for the class. You can pull out your textbook, pencil case, calculator or etc... In this way, you are prepared before the class begins. It feels good when you are all set to go.

2)Talk to your friends. Strike conversations. I have found out that you perform better and feel you want to come to the class if you know the people in the class. Come early to your classes everyday. Talk to your friends or talk to someone you don't know. It feels good when somebody simply asks you "how are you today." People will talk you back if you talk to them first.

3)Ask questions to your professor. Most of the college professors arrive at their classes early. If you are early too, you get to ask questions.

4)Good impression. People like those who show up early.

If you arrive at your classes early everyday, it can really make a difference.
Click to expand...
Lol, so you're the kid that sits in the front row of gen chem 2 and writes three pages of notes before class even starts. Good to know. :laugh:
 
Chops369 said:
No offense, but I think this is really bad advice, especially since profs usually post their slides online. Copying down slides verbatim will not help you much at all. I find that doing this actually distracts me from listening to things that may be of more value. Only take down things that are repeatedly stressed, and you think are important.
Click to expand...

Well I dont copy down the slides verbatim I mix what I think is important from each the visual and verbal presentations. The key is writing things in a manner you will understand whether it comes from the slides or from mouth.
 
i personally absorb knowledge presented in class. Sure i take notes and sure i use to record the material. But somehow towards the end of my undergrad career I began to realize everything is connected and that new material that is being presented to me is just an augmentation of something I've already learned.

Take for example learning complex signaling pathways..
Well i see the overall theme of the pathway: to activate gene x, y , z
see themes like protein protein interactions, conformational change,
gene regulation and transcription etc.
I eventually get the bottom line out of the pathway. Turn on genes with ligand A via "pathway" everything else is just details.

The more i began to relate material that i'm presented in class to things i've already learned the more fun learning became. i spend time outside of class just review and practicing to get the material down even more. Sometimes tests are a mix of regurgitate and thinking questions. Hence the reviewing helps me regurgitate where as practicing and knowing those major themes helps me get those thinking and application questions such as what can you do to change this pathway ?

i personally dont read the book or review notes prior to class. i find it difficult to determine what is important and what's not important. i have to go to class to figure that out =) Haha i use to get bogged down with the trees and not seeing the entire forest if you get the idea.. it use to take FOREVER to go through the material before the class starts because of what i just mentioned.. again that's me =) Again i've heard the counter argument for reviewing the material beforehand; it helps you familiarize yourself to new stuff presented in class and that you won't get lost.

also lots of energy drinks and coffee helps me stay awake in class =)
 
1. Actually go to class (even if youre hungover or still drunk from the night before).
2. Print off the lecture slides.
3. Only pay attention to things with highlights, or bright blue boxes around them. Most profs talk about random sh** 90% of the time. This crap gets in the way of actual learning, so make sure to just listen to the 10% that is important.
4. Have a fun social life. This will help kill the stupid "slow" brain cells, allowing for the fast brain cells to go faster. Don't let those stupid cells slow down your smart cells!
 
Most of my professors post powerpoints before class so I put those on a tablet pc for class and record the audio. The microphone on the tablet doesn't pick up faint audio very well, hence the recorder. I note important things on the slides and make a special note when the professor suggests something is likely to be on an exam. I also write the recording time when each new slide is put up so I can follow along on the appropriate slide later when I'm studying or find a specific audio section for a slide / material I need to review. Recently I started putting the recordings on an Ipod and play them in my car on the way to campus each day when an exam is getting close.

Leading up to the exam I try to listen to and follow along the on the powerpoint for each lecture at least once, depending on the difficulty of the class. Using this method I don't have to open the book almost ever. I will have to read for one class this semester after finding the instructor is so bad that he has to correct his exam questions and add words to them halfway through the exam. Trying to understand his bad writing is harder than the material he is supposed to be testing.
 
Sometimes taking notes is the best way to go, but a lot of the times I've found I get more out of a lecture if I just listen instead of trying to write every line on the powerpoint/chalkboard.
 
are you asking for premed classes, or in preparation for starting med school?

the good thing about med school is, i believe, attendance is NEVER mandatory. i think this is some sort of regulation. at least it is at the schools i am familiar with.

personally i dont learn much from lecture either, i am a book-and-note taking sort of person. but its good to attend lecture so that you can write down important things like "please focus on this concept" and "dont worry so much about this one." other than that, i don't take notes, i just go home and study based on what they emphasized in class.

there is so much info in lectures that it really isn't possible to absorb as much as you think you are 'supposed' to be able to. once you realize that, it helps.
 
for me, its paying attention in class.. and by that.. i don't mean trying to get everything down on paper.. i mean listen to the professor.. understand him/her..

then write down stuff u think u didn't get.. then refer to the book for such things when u're studying.. and in the course of understanding the hard stuff.. u'll probably have to read over the easy stuff anyways..
 
This question was intended for Medical School. Don't know why it was re routed to pre-med.
 
1) bring sponge to class
2) put sponge on head
3) absorb material (hopefully)....maybe sound...maybe air....maybe just sweat...or perhaps nothing at all

seriously though

tablet pc....take notes on slides. go over audio/video recordings of lecture if that is an option. perhaps even use a program to convert this to text. apply learned material to related, real life situations......i guess it depends on what kind of learner you are.
 
Some professors are good at teaching. These are the ones you want to go to lecture for. I know that if I didn't go to lecture, the currents/circuits stuff in Physics 2 would've massacred me.

For some professors you're like "the book is less boring than you."
 
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