how do you guys study

[eleminopee]

just curious, what are the best study methods that you guys have found? i read, take notes, highlight, reread before tests, than get pissed off because the test questions are poorly written.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pmantz]

I cram, I am super unorganized and my notes always suck, so I don't take a very many. I do however have a good memory.

 

[jackbauer!]

just curious, what are the best study methods that you guys have found? i read, take notes, highlight, reread before tests, than get pissed off because the test questions are poorly written.

jb!

 

[lifeisgood]

I throw on some Marley and take very organized notes using 4 different color pens. I'm with Pmantz on the cramming and good memory thing but I think the colors and care with which I take notes help me remember things even better. The one critical act for this study time is to listen to Bob Marley.

 

[shuna]

Put my books on the treadmell and runnnnnnnnnnnnn..........

 

[Dr. Konfetka]

I rewrite my notes and review them 2-3 times. I always study the morning b/f an exam to keep it all fresh. I hate textbooks and only use them as a refferance.

 

[pmantz]

I throw on some Marley and take very organized notes using 4 different color pens. I'm with Pmantz on the cramming and good memory thing but I think the colors and care with which I take notes help me remember things even better. The one critical act for this study time is to listen to Bob Marley.

I have a wicked case of ADD, I really don't consider it a handicap I just learn differently. I do wish I could take good notes but I can't take good notes and participate intelectualy with whats going on around me. If I absolutely postively have to memorize stuff I just copy it down a couple of times. But I absolutely hate memorizing stuff and can't stand classes and people who do. I feel people are so concerned with regurgitation and just memorizing for tests/quizes that they really don't see the whole picture conceptualy speaking. I find that if I understand the concept and what is happening I retain information better( I am talking about a year later.) I tried the colored pen thing but it didn't last.

I agree music is an essential part of studying for myself, I can't still if I don't have tunes in the back ground. And Bob Marley is great, the steady regea beat as well as my familiarity with his music make for a good studying.

 

[rchuloholla]

have one or two drinks. b4 starting to study...works great

 

[NavyDDS]

I have had a real hard time focusing lately, and all of the sudden
exams are here! I fidget, and can't sit in once place for more than 5 minutes... So much on my mind, and Oh yeh its crunch time. Outch!
Hey maybe I'll see if there is anything new on SDN, or maybe I'll memorize this weeks football stats and get to the bottom of whose who in the NFL (real important stuff), Oh my Grey's Anat is on .... Get my point, I'm a total tangent! But, today, at 7:00 am, after procrastinating x1000, I started studying for my neuro exam (@1:30pm). I mean it was the first time looking at the material, like 2 months of mumbo jumbo, hundreds of pages you know. I didn't do any of the readings since early Nov... So I was a bit behind. But, miraculously, this morning I manifested all the mental powers in the universe and forced the upregulation of new super neurons for my brain, just enough to super focus an absorb the material in 6 hours and do well on the exam! To the T. I did it! I knew the answer to every Q, and it was essay! (gesture-wipe sweat off brow)Unfortunately though, the alcohol that I just ingested from Coors'LT just killed my super neurons Who needs neuroscience when you have Beer

 

[DDSY]

1. I read my notes into a voice recorder.
2. I save the audio file into my computer
3. Then I format the mp3 so that it plays very slowly and more quietly.
4. When I go to bed, I play the audio, along with meditation/subliminal music,
5. I make sure to use the repeat option to play the audio over and over again.

Purpose:
a. To accomplish two task: sleeping and studying
b. To incorporate the material subliminally
c. To save ~7-8 hours of wasted time
d. Repetition is key (see #5)
f. To live a more balanced life (time for both play and work)

 

[DDSY]

The conscious only make up a very small percentage of the brain. If you are in a room, the entire room would be the subconsious and a square centimeter would be the conscious. Learning subliminally will tap into this vast potential. Ever had times when someone asked you a question and out of sheer instinct, you answered quickly? The method requires that you are completely relaxed and implement the sheer facilities of your subconscious.

 

[dddsmack]

Lets see, the last time this thread came up I was bogged down with interviews and studied on the red-eye flights. This time, I have been accepted to some schools and I don't study anything anymore except my NFL schedule for my picks.

Seriously, senioritis is nice.

 

[dddsmack]

1. I read my notes into a voice recorder.
2. I save the audio file into my computer
3. Then I format the mp3 so that it plays very slowly and more quietly.
4. When I go to bed, I play the audio, along with meditation/subliminal music,
5. I make sure to use the repeat option to play the audio over and over again.

Purpose:
a. To accomplish two task: sleeping and studying
b. To incorporate the material subliminally
c. To save ~7-8 hours of wasted time
d. Repetition is key (see #5)
f. To live a more balanced life (time for both play and work)

This looks kind of fimiliar. I love these re-run threads. Its like living your life twice, except now I am in.

 

[DDSY]

Yeah, good old times. . . .lol. . . or good rocky times.

 

[TONItheSURFER]

I cram, I am super unorganized and my notes always suck, so I don't take a very many. I do however have a good memory.

hahaha, that reminds me of ME.

 

[TONItheSURFER]

1. I read my notes into a voice recorder.
2. I save the audio file into my computer
3. Then I format the mp3 so that it plays very slowly and more quietly.
4. When I go to bed, I play the audio, along with meditation/subliminal music,
5. I make sure to use the repeat option to play the audio over and over again.

Purpose:
a. To accomplish two task: sleeping and studying
b. To incorporate the material subliminally
c. To save ~7-8 hours of wasted time
d. Repetition is key (see #5)
f. To live a more balanced life (time for both play and work)

that's very interesting, i remember in psych class about this. unfortunately, it supposedly doesn't work with memorizing specific facts.

 

[tamubeast]

I rewrite my notes and review them 2-3 times. I always study the morning b/f an exam to keep it all fresh. I hate textbooks and only use them as a refferance.

I ditto that. I hate textbooks. Infact I summarized everything from the Kaplan DAT into twenty pages and only studied those pages.

 

[t man]

well, when i set time away to do work, it's 50/50 that i'll actually get anything accomplished. for example, this is supposed to be time that i use to wrtie up my biochem lab report final, but instead i'm posting on sdn.

music definitely helps. some people can't study with music, but fortunately i'm not one of those people. i usually use music without words, like soulive, herbie or some miles something like that cause i can get more lost in whatever i'm reading that way. it's usually something to do with jazz or some relaxing music like that.

i can't study with other people, however. when i study, it's ideally me, my books, my music and very little else. what can i say, i'm easily distracted.

as for what i study, i usually learn all there is to learn from the text and THEN i look at my notes. professors can be clumsy when they deliver material, so i find this works better. hmmmm.... guess i should get back to this report. good luck with finals, people.

 

[Duysal]

just curious, what are the best study methods that you guys have found? i read, take notes, highlight, reread before tests, than get pissed off because the test questions are poorly written.

That is totally me!! I am ALWAYS aggravated with the poor, UNDETAILED quality of most test questions. I always think of all the exceptions/alternative perspectives and confuse myself. I study by answering very specific learning objectives and problems first, and then reading the chapter in question to get a general view of what's going on. Totally the reverse of what you're "supposed" to do, but it works for detail oriented people like myself.

 

[tncekm]

just curious, what are the best study methods that you guys have found? i read, take notes, highlight, reread before tests, than get pissed off because the test questions are poorly written.

Normally I really didn't do much. Then I got into some difficult classes w/ hard professors to boot! (Orgo and physiology). I learned then that if you don't wanna spend 30000000hrs studying, you've gotta take the time and write things down as you study. If you're looking over something important, write it down and think about it as you do it.

I've gotten through college (w/ a good GPA) almost doing nothing--but there are some classes that there is no way in hell anybody is getting an A in w/out either cheating or studying, and studying at least moderately hard.

In that case, do as I said above--oh, and if there are study groups, get in them and try to explain things to people and have them explain concepts back. Trying to explain concepts to people really helps.

 

[pmantz]

well, when i set time away to do work, it's 50/50 that i'll actually get anything accomplished. for example, this is supposed to be time that i use to wrtie up my biochem lab report final, but instead i'm posting on sdn.

music definitely helps. some people can't study with music, but fortunately i'm not one of those people. i usually use music without words, like soulive, herbie or some miles something like that cause i can get more lost in whatever i'm reading that way. it's usually something to do with jazz or some relaxing music like that.

i can't study with other people, however. when i study, it's ideally me, my books, my music and very little else. what can i say, i'm easily distracted.

as for what i study, i usually learn all there is to learn from the text and THEN i look at my notes. professors can be clumsy when they deliver material, so i find this works better. hmmmm.... guess i should get back to this report. good luck with finals, people.

Jazz is good no lyrics to distract you, just make sure its not acid jazz.

 

[t man]

Jazz is good no lyrics to distract you, just make sure its not acid jazz.

personally, aside from head hunters, i find acid jazz too abstract to be enjoyable. but why is it no good for studying?

 

[4thQtrDreams]

personally, aside from head hunters, i find acid jazz too abstract to be enjoyable. but why is it no good for studying?

Ive been listening to "Stung-Out on OK computer" and Christopher O 'Riley's True Love Waits... (both instrumental performances of Radiohead tunes) sometimes they get a little strange but at the right volume they're enough to drown out the other people in the library while not being distracting.

also... corny but.... select tunes from the Rocky soundtracks

As for study methods, me and a friend (similar kinds of students and levels of understanding) read the text aloud to each other.. it helps to actually hear the words.. you dont get stuck on pages for hours like we sometimes do on our own.. What one doesnt understand, the other does and can explain it in terms simpler than the book..

 

[4thQtrDreams]

Put my books on the treadmell and runnnnnnnnnnnnn..........

really? i could never accomplish that.. does your treadmill have a book stand?
I'm thinking of recording my self reading the textbook and play it at 2x speed during my run..

 

[pmantz]

personally, aside from head hunters, i find acid jazz too abstract to be enjoyable. but why is it no good for studying?

Well the head hunters is pretty funky and I think it is classified as Fusion, Acid Jazz is no good to study to because it is avante garde, it distracts me. I personaly can listen to anything when I study as long as I have heard it prior to studying. If it is new music I get distracted. I think acid jazz requires a will to listen to it, it is not for everybody. I really have to be in the mood for it and it never is when I am studying...

 

[shuna]

really? i could never accomplish that.. does your treadmill have a book stand?
I'm thinking of recording my self reading the textbook and play it at 2x speed during my run..

 

[dentstd]

I go to class, listen to lectures, then take the exam.

 

[shuna]

I go to class, listen to lectures, then take the exam.

Good one..

 

[DDSY]

I go to class, listen to lectures, then take the exam.

You don't study huh? Brown must be a piece of cake.

 

[dentstd]

You don't study huh? Brown must be a piece of cake.

The trick is to take 300's and 400's level classes. (Quantum physics, European Lit, ...etc.) They don't make you do meaningless work. They make you think. No amount of studying can make you think better.

So go to class. Listen and make sense of what the prof says. Then apply it on the test. Those who study much do worse on tests.

 

[BUperson]

I think kids dose off way to much in class...don't just go to take notes...try to really understand what the prof is saying

 

[shuna]

The trick is to take 300's and 400's level classes. (Quantum physics, European Lit, ...etc.) They don't make you do meaningless work. They make you think. No amount of studying can make you think better.

So go to class. Listen and make sense of what the prof says. Then apply it on the test. Those who study much do worse on tests.

Few more ppl like you on SDN and im having a nervous breakdown!!!!!!

 

[D for Drill]

I dont study as much as I should, but it is not that much harder in dental school than it was in undergrad. I took 20-25 credits every semester, so I think that helps me to not get overwhelmed with the classes.
Just go to class and pay attention, take good notes and find someone else that takes good notes and then compare them to make sure you have the key points down. The tests can sometimes be poorly worded or more difficult than undergrad, but at least the subjects are exciting.
Unless you are planning on specializing, dont worry that much. I want to know the information for the boards and also because I am paying 40k a year to hear it, but other than that....I am not that stressed like some of my friends at other schools

 

[tncekm]

You don't study huh? Brown must be a piece of cake.

Brown = grade inflation #1 priority. Ridiculous school.

 

[dentstd]

Brown = grade inflation #1 priority. Ridiculous school.

The grading policies of the school while there have no bearing on the quality of students that enter that school. Get into a top school first. If you couldn't get in, then I suggest you shush.

A vastly disproportionate number of students at these kinds of school have gotten 35+ MCAT's, 170's LSAT's, 24 DAT's, or move on to Harvard MBA for criticisms like this. Get a clue.

 

[DDSY]

Few more ppl like you on SDN and im having a nervous breakdown!!!!!!

Don't worry Shuna. He's only from Brown. I bet a guy from "Princeton" will drive him crazy. It's all relative--(heh, I guess that's one part that I like about "physics")

 

[GiveMeDMD]

I throw on some Marley and take very organized notes using 4 different color pens. I'm with Pmantz on the cramming and good memory thing but I think the colors and care with which I take notes help me remember things even better. The one critical act for this study time is to listen to Bob Marley.

I thought I was the only ONE!! haha

 

[tncekm]

The grading policies of the school while there have no bearing on the quality of students that enter that school. Get into a top school first. If you couldn't get in, then I suggest you shush.

A vastly disproportionate number of students at these kinds of school have gotten 35+ MCAT's, 170's LSAT's, 24 DAT's, or move on to Harvard MBA for criticisms like this. Get a clue.

So they produce better than they admit, eh? Strange.

Accepted students:
Average Brown MCAT = 10 (x3 = 30)
Average Brown GPA = 3.6 (less than astonishing)

Get over your lame school. Brown is a joke. I'd take an A from a random CC over an A from brown where the kid could have taken the class a zillion times over to ensure that grade.

People are paying to ensure their kids get good grades w/ their lame inflation policies.
http://www.allstaressays.com/ivyleague/brown.asp

 

[lifeisgood]

I thought I was the only ONE!! haha

Well then, I'm glad I'm NOT the only one

 

[dentstd]

I'd take an A from a random CC over an A from brown where the kid could have taken the class a zillion times over to ensure that grade.

You do that.

And check what you wrote and what I wrote. Sounds like you made a response to a claim neither of us made.

Why're you posting stats for the medical school? An acceptance rate of 3.1% is very selective. 3.6 GPA is plenty high, and a 30 MCAT's respectable.

And look here:
Acceptance Rate 13.8%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate (Binding) 22.9%
Top 10% of H.S. Class 94%
SAT 25/75 Percentile 1380-1550

I love those numbers!

 

[dentstd]

Enough of this nonsense! There are too many ppl out there who like to make themselves feel better about their accomplishments by minisculing the accomplishments of others. tncekm's one of them. You do what you need to to make yourself happy.

 

[tncekm]

You said they produce a disproportionate number of extremely high scoring students, and I responded by saying its odd that they produce such excellent students, yet accept at a far lower standard. You mentioned medical school, I did a 3 second search and found that info.

Its a disgrace to "Ivy League". Thier grade inflation policies are just disgusting, and they don't have my respect (or many, many other people's respect) for that reason. But, brown isn't the only "Ivy League" school that is inflating grades like crazy--its just probably the worst.

Practically unlimited retakes, no grades lower than C can show on a trasncript , graduating 42% of its student with honors--its a despicable school.

It doesn't make me feel any better to know Brown is lame. It just makes Brown lame. The only thing that makes me feel good about myself is success.

 

[tncekm]

BTW, I don't want you to take this personally. I'm sure you're an intelligent person, its more so me expressing my disgust with the institution.

 

[dentstd]

You said they produce a disproportionate number of extremely high scoring students, and I responded by saying its odd that they produce such excellent students, yet accept at a far lower standard. You mentioned medical school, I did a 3 second search and found that info.

Its a disgrace to "Ivy League". Thier grade inflation policies are just disgusting, and they don't have my respect (or many, many other people's respect) for that reason. But, brown isn't the only "Ivy League" school that is inflating grades like crazy--its just probably the worst.

Practically unlimited retakes, no grades lower than C can show on a trasncript , graduating 42% of its student with honors--its a despicable school.

It doesn't make me feel any better to know Brown is lame. It just makes Brown lame. The only thing that makes me feel good about myself is success.

I said "these kinds of school"...meaning top schools, not just Brown.

I referred to the undergraduate schools producing top scorers. You responded by critiquing the acceptance behaviors of the medical school.

And if you care that much about grade inflation, I suggest you don't go to a pass/fail dental school, or even consider it an option. Harvard Dental is pass/fail, and they can retake tests. Columbia is pass/fail. UCSF, I think, is ungraded. I'm sure the list goes on and on. These dental schools seem to think that, when the quality of students are high enough, it's not necessary to start distinguishing among them.

 

[tncekm]

Dental school is one big long class for the NBDE and med school for the USMLE. There is no need for grades when the only scores that matter are on those tests.

 

[dentstd]

Dental school is one big long class for the NBDE and med school for the USMLE. There is no need for grades when the only scores that matter are on those tests.

Step 1 is the hell that hadth no fury. I know that. Forget studying in undergrad. The bigger issue is how do we study for grad?

 

[tncekm]

Step 1 is the hell that hadth no fury. I know that. Forget studying in undergrad. The bigger issue is how do we study for grad?

Agreed. That's all that matters in the long run.

Do you ever just sit back and think about all the years of studying you have in front of you and say to yourself "my God, life really does suck"? I do that from time to time.

 

[t man]

Ive been listening to "Stung-Out on OK computer" and Christopher O 'Riley's True Love Waits... (both instrumental performances of Radiohead tunes) sometimes they get a little strange but at the right volume they're enough to drown out the other people in the library while not being distracting.

also... corny but.... select tunes from the Rocky soundtracks

i've heard christopher o' riley's take on radiohead, and i'm definitely a fan as well. nice.

i usually reserve radiohead for times when i'm feeling especially like a failure (note avatar). if you're a big radiohead, you should give muse a try. despite what most people will tell you, they are not radiohead ripoffs and have a lot to offer the radiohead fan. they're really ambitious, which is something i tend to appreciate. and they're not as... err.... down and out as radiohead can be.

also, dude... 8 words: karate kid soundtrack, joe esposito, you're the best.

and to the fans of rebel music!