Getting good grades/Cramming/studying etc

[Supermanwife]

Hello, I don't have a problem with studying because I study everyday mostly all day. My problem is I'm not making the grades I want. I start my masters program in January and have been looking for a while to find out how to improve my memory skills. Can someone please help me out, if you are taking 6 science classes how do you study for them all? I saw many posters say they study every night. Is that studying for each class overnight? What do you do if you have like 3 exams on the same day? What is cramming? I really want to pursue medicine and I have to get over this hump with not making the grades I want because that's the only thing I'm missing and this is HUGE!!! Thank you for your feedback.

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[ChiDr]

Active learning. This is how you will be the most successful if you do not have a photographic memory.

Make connections to whatever you can
Use mnemonics
Draw if that’s your thing
Sing it to a song if that’s your thing
Speak out loud and try to explain what you are learning. If you cannot explain it easily, you do not know it well enough.
Flashcards (quizlet/Anki) with repetition
Videos on youtube

 

[Supermanwife]

Active learning. This is how you will be the most successful if you do not have a photographic memory.

Make connections to whatever you can
Use mnemonics
Draw if that’s your thing
Sing it to a song if that’s your thing
Speak out loud and try to explain what you are learning. If you cannot explain it easily, you do not know it well enough.
Flashcards (quizlet/Anki) with repetition
Videos on youtube

Thank you. I've tried some but how do you balance 6 classes in a week?

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

Do the assigned reading (and read the slides if available) before each class. Take good notes on what you've read. Then, while you're in class, listen and concentrate as though that is the only study time you'll be getting for that class. Ask questions as though the test is immediately after the lecture. Update your notes afterward and review the notes in total just before the exam.

 

[ChiDr]

Can I ask, why you taking 6 science courses per week?

Time management. 20 min intervals. Take a break. Repeat.

I mean, it really comes down to using tools to help you. 6 is a lo

Thank you. I've tried some but how do you balance 6 classes in a week?

You asked how to balance 6 classes. That’s a lot of science knowledge. The main that will help is to use tools.

Why are you taking that many?

Schedule time. Work in 20 min blocks, take 5-10min break, restart. How much time depends on how comfortable you feel with the material. If you are unfocused, studying more is less productive.

Go over material before class, use ppt to take extra notes and make helpful hints. summarize each slide in your own words and review after class.

Use tools, find those that are more effective for you and integrate them into your day more frequently.

 

[Supermanwife]

Do the assigned reading (and read the slides if available) before each class. Take good notes on what you've read. Then, while you're in class, listen and concentrate as though that is the only study time you'll be getting for that class. Ask questions as though the test is immediately after the lecture. Update your notes afterward and review the notes in total just before the exam.

It takes up a lot of time because my professor this semester skipped through chapters so it was a waste to read before hand. For example, chapters are 30-60 pages and the professor only use 10-20 pages out the chapter.

 

[Supermanwife]

Can I ask, why you taking 6 science courses per week?

Time management. 20 min intervals. Take a break. Repeat.

I mean, it really comes down to using tools to help you. 6 is a lo


You asked how to balance 6 classes. That’s a lot of science knowledge. The main that will help is to use tools.

Why are you taking that many?

Schedule time. Work in 20 min blocks, take 5-10min break, restart. How much time depends on how comfortable you feel with the material. If you are unfocused, studying more is less productive.

Go over material before class, use ppt to take extra notes and make helpful hints. summarize each slide in your own words and review after class.

Use tools, find those that are more effective for you and integrate them into your day more frequently.

20 minute blocks? I haven't tried that yet only 50-60 minutes on and 10-15 minutes off. I'll try that. I was in a special master program.

 

[Blanky]

You are taking 18 credits of science? Pre reading, do not take notes during lecture, and anki.

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

It takes up a lot of time because my professor this semester skipped through chapters so it was a waste to read before hand. For example, chapters are 30-60 pages and the professor only use 10-20 pages out the chapter.

If your professor uploads the slides ahead of time, try and review them before class. Also, printing them two per page and taking your notes on the slides themselves will save you a lot of writing in class and allow you to focus more on content. It also makes it easier to associate your notes with the content.

 

[Suess]

do not take notes during lecture

Why don't you recommend this?

 

[Blanky]

Why don't you recommend this?

First I want to say that everyone learns differently. But something I have noticed is that many students will be moving at 99 mph writing notes as the professor speaks throughout the entire lecture. Said student is always mentally holding onto the words only focusing on getting them down on paper. I find that many students do not retain any information in this way and then proceed to go home and struggle to learn the material based on what they could get down on paper. I prefer to quickly read the power points which are almost always loaded up pre lecture and then actively listen to what the professor is saying and critically think. This method has proven effective for me and I would advise anyone to at least give it a try.

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

... many students will be moving at 99 mph writing notes as the professor speaks throughout the entire lecture. ... many students do not retain any information in this way ...

I 100% agree with this. This is why lecture, if at all possible, should be review/notes updating rather than scrambling to take notes. This is also why, if lectures slides are posted, you should print them and write directly on them - it saves a ton of writing time which gives you more "thinking" time during class.

 

[Medic741]

Hello, I don't have a problem with studying because I study everyday mostly all day. My problem is I'm not making the grades I want. I start my masters program in January and have been looking for a while to find out how to improve my memory skills. I have test anxiety and I'm starting to believe that is due to me not feeling ready for the exams. Can someone please help me out, if you are taking 6 science classes how do you study for them all? I saw many posters say they study every night. Is that studying for each class overnight? What do you do if you have like 3 exams on the same day? What is cramming? I really want to pursue medicine and I have to get over this hump with not making the grades I want because that's the only thing I'm missing and this is HUGE!!! Thank you for your feedback.

I think you'll be surprised how much your study habits will change when you finally hit stride. By halfway through the second year of med school have noticed that how I study has changed enormously.

>Use active learning resources. Whatever these may be, *find a Q bank* for your courses. Use them actively and during the learning phase before you've mastered material. I use Q banks as a way to learn material, think it's worth a try. Process looks like... Approach a question, and when you look at each multiple choice answer think about what every single one points to, and why it's right or wrong. If you don't know what any of the multiple choice answers points to, open a textbook and figure it out. If you get an answer wrong, figure out why and don't move on until you know you'll get it right next time you see it again.

>Read textbooks for class. I read Robbins along with our coursework and it's been invaluable. Be sure to put the time in to do the reading.

>Handwritten notes / learning summaries. I use an ipad pro to handwrite notes into and build learning summaries during a course by having the slide deck open in one half of the screen, the summary note on the other and dragging important parts of slides into the summary note and taking a few extra notes.

>Use Anki! Make custom flashcards *from your handwritten summary* by asking a question "How would you differentiate X from Y in a physical exam" and just copy in your handwritten summary into the answer field. Make a few anki's at the end of every lecture, that night go through your deck. Day before the exam go through the *entire* deck over and over until you can answer all the cards in your sleep (that's the cramming part).

The goal is to stay on top of everything and figure out what works for you, but the consensus is that active learning beats everything and re-reading your notes just doesn't work all that well for 99% of folks. GL and hope this helps!

 

[BC_89]

I 100% agree with this. This is why lecture, if at all possible, should be review/notes updating rather than scrambling to take notes. This is also why, if lectures slides are posted, you should print them and write directly on them - it saves a ton of writing time which gives you more "thinking" time during class.

For OP, this is exactly what I’ve done in the past that’s helped tremendously. On top of it, I’d also have my apple 2 iPad out recording the lecture while I have the printed slides. That’s pretty over the top, but on the weekends I’d focus what my struggles were on the slides and skim through my lecture recording to see if it was clarified.

Hence I’d always ask questions more so than going 90mph taking notes. As others stated, to each their own.

 

[deleted709753]

six classes sounds painful. Back when i did my pre-med posbac I took two classes per semester, as did many others who did the same program. I studied my ass off for two classes and earned good grades; it was still tough. Never once was asked about taking "only" two classes per semester in my interviews.

 

[jdrb0130]

Look up and read about memory. Studying involves memory. Memorizing concepts to apply to questions. You can't answer certain questions if you don't remember what you studied.