How Do You Make Yourself Study?????

[medschoolfreak8]

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I'm taking the January MCAT and I've barely started to study. Every night i tell myself "next day, you'll study for 8+ hours, you'll cover this and that...etc." but each day i end up studying less than 3 hrs. with most of that time filled with my mind wandering off.

how do you guys get yourself to seriously sit down and study for a long period of time? i often get either real bored or frustrated when i don't get something...any tips...thanks 🙂

 

[viper2fast505]

oh I know that feeling. Let me tell you that all day of studying never comes. For me it took a bad MCAT score on the real thing to get me going. And really it was not hard to get motivated after that. Hope things go better for you.

 

[Funky]

I'm taking the January MCAT and I've barely started to study. Every night i tell myself "next day, you'll study for 8+ hours, you'll cover this and that...etc." but each day i end up studying less than 3 hrs. with most of that time filled with my mind wandering off.

how do you guys get yourself to seriously sit down and study for a long period of time? i often get either real bored or frustrated when i don't get something...any tips...thanks 🙂

Here's what I do. Atmosphere is everything for me. If I have a hard time getting motivated, I go to the closest library and study until I get what I want to study accomplished. There's something about being next to a lot of books or seeing other people suffer too that helps me along.

 

[Nikki2002]

here are a few different things you can try:

--go to the library and keep moving around to different tables to keep from getting bored. sit near others and see if that helps.

--sit at a computer and type the main ideas of what you are reading or write stuff as you go along.

--go in a private study room and talk out loud to yourself.

--walk around or stand up as you are reading.

--write on a dry erase board to help memorize physics equations, etc.

i don't know when the mcat is this month, but you need to focus on high yield stuff now. make a list of what you must cover everyday--like one day cover optics, magnets, kidney, heart, genetics, etc. don't waste your time studying stuff you already know--just skim it. try to get at least a couple practice tests in. forget o-chem and verbal--that would be my advice.

 

[mvenus929]

Get away from distractions. Without the use of the computer, books, etc, I get bored enough to study.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

A combination of Ritalin and the realization that I get mind blowing sex from my girlfriend if I study (her idea to keep me driven). So basically, pharmacology and bribery.

 

[AK1kinase]

I'm taking the January MCAT and I've barely started to study. Every night i tell myself "next day, you'll study for 8+ hours, you'll cover this and that...etc." but each day i end up studying less than 3 hrs. with most of that time filled with my mind wandering off.

how do you guys get yourself to seriously sit down and study for a long period of time? i often get either real bored or frustrated when i don't get something...any tips...thanks 🙂

I've been having problems "motivating" myself lately as well. But the thought that I'll have to go through this hell again if I mess it up usually does the trick. I really don't want to repeat this experience.

Also, if you truly "barely started to study" and are "taking the January MCAT" and not scoring well on practice tests you shouldn't take it. Chances are you're not going to like the results.

 

[dr.kicia]

I've been having problems "motivating" myself lately as well. But the thought that I'll have to go through this hell again if I mess it up usually does the trick. I really don't want to repeat this experience.

Also, if you truly "barely started to study" and are "taking the January MCAT" and not scoring well on practice tests you shouldn't take it. Chances are you're not going to like the results.

agreed

 

[superwillis]

Plan each day's studyplan well in advance:

I kept a wall calendar, and whenever I got practice test results, I'd see which were my weak areas, and ration those sections out over the next week. By the end of the week, I had usually a good grasp of that material. This also helps because on particular days when you don't feel like studying at all, you can look at your wall calendar and see what you need to cover that day - it feels as though someone else wrote it, and you get more motivated to do it.

 

[Gospe1]

Honestly, to be a total nerd, I find watching like 5 minutes of something motivational helps me a lot. For me Naruto actually does the trick because I emphasize with him and the entire show is about him conquering environment, enemies, self through hard work and sheer guts. I know its a kid show but it packs an emotional punch. Another thing is talk to somebody whos really gung-ho about the MCAT. When I talk to this one friend on mine whos absolutely crazy about studying and such I get freaked out and start studying as well.

 

[DiverDoc]

Plan each day's studyplan well in advance:

I kept a wall calendar, and whenever I got practice test results, I'd see which were my weak areas, and ration those sections out over the next week. By the end of the week, I had usually a good grasp of that material. This also helps because on particular days when you don't feel like studying at all, you can look at your wall calendar and see what you need to cover that day - it feels as though someone else wrote it, and you get more motivated to do it.

Agree. I write down a "MUST GET DONE" list everyday for the next day. Then I have a list for things if I have enough energy after I get my listed stuff done

 

[estairella]

Honestly, to be a total nerd, I find watching like 5 minutes of something motivational helps me a lot. For me Naruto actually does the trick because I emphasize with him and the entire show is about him conquering environment, enemies, self through hard work and sheer guts. I know its a kid show but it packs an emotional punch. Another thing is talk to somebody whos really gung-ho about the MCAT. When I talk to this one friend on mine whos absolutely crazy about studying and such I get freaked out and start studying as well.

Yeah I also identify with him. Like, I TOTALLY grew up wanting to be a NINJA!!

Wait, what do you mean doctors can't chuck ninja stars at their patients?!

 

[Funky]

Honestly, to be a total nerd, I find watching like 5 minutes of something motivational helps me a lot. For me Naruto actually does the trick because I emphasize with him and the entire show is about him conquering environment, enemies, self through hard work and sheer guts. I know its a kid show but it packs an emotional punch. Another thing is talk to somebody whos really gung-ho about the MCAT. When I talk to this one friend on mine whos absolutely crazy about studying and such I get freaked out and start studying as well.

i for one would kage bunshin myself a clone and tell him to go study while i take a nap or something

 

[Yope]

wouldn't a practice MCAT be bad enough to destroy the clone?

hurricane chronicles starts next month!

 

[killinsound]

i have no idea what you guys are talking about... except when does 338 coming out? 😀