- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 1
Hi guys ! As you may know I am a undergrad bio major . I was just wondering how do you guys study ? Tips? I'm still struggling with finding my way of studying .
Thanks
Thanks
How do you study ?
- Thread starter Futuredoctor193
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2013
- Messages
- 993
- Reaction score
- 515
I always try to find ways to study more efficiently..studying smarter is better than studying more/harder.
-Read chapters from the book if the professor recommends it.
-Do practice tests if any are available
-Make yourself a study guide for each test, start a few days-week before the exam
-Find what the professor emphasizes...may it be lectures, textbook, power points,etc and study them mostly.
-Read chapters from the book if the professor recommends it.
-Do practice tests if any are available
-Make yourself a study guide for each test, start a few days-week before the exam
-Find what the professor emphasizes...may it be lectures, textbook, power points,etc and study them mostly.
I follow along in the book with my notes, focusing mostly on notes, but the book helps me get the big picture idea. After going through the material the first time and drawing big ideas and main concepts from it, I then go back and learn the small details and memorize. The third time I go through my notes, I tie all of the concepts and the small details to the big picture, and focus mostly on recall of information. Flash cards don't do me any good because they don't allow you to learn the big picture, and for me study guides are a waste of time.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2012
- Messages
- 9,248
- Reaction score
- 8,719
For me, flash cards have worked well, not because of the review they allow you to do (that's just a bonus!) but because it requires a lot of thought to assimilate all of the information into the big picture and then break it down into cards which require actual understanding (rather than memorization) to answer, and which cover all of the key points. Once I've done that, it's pretty well cemented in my brain; I actually lowered the 'learning' curve on Anki because most of my learning was done in the creation, rather than the review, of the cards.
- Joined
- May 10, 2013
- Messages
- 345
- Reaction score
- 243
There are lots of great threads on this topic. You may be best served doing a search, OP. 
D
deleted407021
I generally get very little out of lectures. I learn best by reading the text and taking notes/drawing pictures and charts etc on printer paper (lined paper regiments my thinking too much). I also like to take separate concepts and link them together.
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2011
- Messages
- 2,133
- Reaction score
- 674
How would we know you're a bio major?
Anyway, my studying is as follows: avicii Pandora, at a cafe (or anywhere that is not the library), and with a minor break (3-4 minutes) every 30-40 minutes. The strategies I actually use are class dependent. With bio classes I reread my notes a ton and rewrite them if I feel necessary. Also, after studying the material a lot, I'll pretend like I'm teaching the material to someone. This really let's it all sink in.
Edit: go bucks
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2013
- Messages
- 483
- Reaction score
- 417
I like to take a few of the approaches mentioned above, especially making a study guide. If you can make a study guide that covers most of the topics and understand how they all relate, that will usually put you in a good place. I rarely use flash cards, but rather use a system where I remember by spatial arrangement. I take a blank 8 1/2" X 11" and make a "cheat sheet." Then I study the cheat sheet so that I can replicate the entire sheet from memory.
Alternatively, if a study guide/topic list is given in preparation for a test, I like to talk myself through the outline. For some tests I have literally gone into a lecture hall all by myself and give a "lecture" to no one. I try and recall all the special points/exceptions that the professor made when he or she gave the lecture, and tried to assimilate all the connections between everything with chalk in hand to draw anything on the chalkboard that was necessary. Plus I can talk a lot faster than I can write, even using shorthand....so I tend to study quicker when I have the time/availability to do it this way (even if it's at home pacing back and forth). I find this technique also works well for group-studying where each person has to explain everything about one point on the topic list and then everyone else asks questions as a form of filling in the knowledge gaps.
Alternatively, if a study guide/topic list is given in preparation for a test, I like to talk myself through the outline. For some tests I have literally gone into a lecture hall all by myself and give a "lecture" to no one. I try and recall all the special points/exceptions that the professor made when he or she gave the lecture, and tried to assimilate all the connections between everything with chalk in hand to draw anything on the chalkboard that was necessary. Plus I can talk a lot faster than I can write, even using shorthand....so I tend to study quicker when I have the time/availability to do it this way (even if it's at home pacing back and forth). I find this technique also works well for group-studying where each person has to explain everything about one point on the topic list and then everyone else asks questions as a form of filling in the knowledge gaps.
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2012
- Messages
- 3,226
- Reaction score
- 2,488
Find out what the professor wants us to know and adjust from there.
Some classes I don't go to lecture and just do the problems they assign instead. Some classes I only go to lecture and avoid the homework. It really depends. I try to find the best, most efficient and effective way to study for that class without dedicating a whole lot of time to it. Understanding how you think and learn is key. That will allow you to quickly adjust to each individual class. Efficiency+Efficacy>tons of time
Flash cards do NOT work for me EVER. But that's just me.
Some classes I don't go to lecture and just do the problems they assign instead. Some classes I only go to lecture and avoid the homework. It really depends. I try to find the best, most efficient and effective way to study for that class without dedicating a whole lot of time to it. Understanding how you think and learn is key. That will allow you to quickly adjust to each individual class. Efficiency+Efficacy>tons of time
Flash cards do NOT work for me EVER. But that's just me.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 1
Previous post before
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2012
- Messages
- 9,248
- Reaction score
- 8,719
Yes, we all look up every single users post history before joining a thread
All these fancy methods may seem like the "ticket" to getting an A but what really is important is to UNDERSTAND the material and don't move on until you do, even if it takes like an hour to UNDERSTAND the concept.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2013
- Messages
- 272
- Reaction score
- 229
1. Study lecture 1
2. Re-study lecture 1
3. Study lecture 2
4. Re-study lecture 2
5. Go back, study lecture 1 and then 2 again
6. Study lecture 3
7. Re-study lecture 3
8. Go back, study lecture 1,2, and 3 again.
9. Continue this process...
Then get sleep, wake up very early on day of exam and re-read all notes from lecture 1 to last lecture; puts information into short-term memory as a back-up plan. This works wonders for me.
2. Re-study lecture 1
3. Study lecture 2
4. Re-study lecture 2
5. Go back, study lecture 1 and then 2 again
6. Study lecture 3
7. Re-study lecture 3
8. Go back, study lecture 1,2, and 3 again.
9. Continue this process...
Then get sleep, wake up very early on day of exam and re-read all notes from lecture 1 to last lecture; puts information into short-term memory as a back-up plan. This works wonders for me.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2011
- Messages
- 89
- Reaction score
- 50
I actually have found that flash cards don't help me at ALL. Rather, they hinder my recalling ability because then I strain to remember "that one card." Granted, I've only given them a shot a few times, but the initial experience was too sour for my taste. What I do for most memorization-based classes is to condense ALL the study material into one-two pages.
I begin by taking detailed notes on all the chapters on unlined paper and drawing little pictures/diagrams/acronyms along with it to maximize retention. After doing this, I usually have 6-8 pages of notes. I then go through the notes, trying to find similar concepts and start redoing my notes with all similar concepts grouped together.
You'll notice that many of the professors have "repetitive slides," with one slide as the "thesis" for 3-4 of the succeeding slides. When you group the information in those 3-4 slides together, you'll notice that you can always understand the "thesis" slide MUCH better, reinforcing "concept learning" versus rote memorization.
This is particularly helpful for Organic Chemistry, I've noticed. I've condensed my entire Orgo 2 Reactions into one gigantic flowchart thing that's one page (front and back) going into the final. Yes, I know there are comprehensive reaction sheets, but those are equivalent to flash cards, where you're just memorizing reaction by reaction instead of memorizing how certain groups of molecules react Ex. Grignard Reagents. If you do end up trying to "remember that one reaction," I've found that it's easier to picture the entire flowchart and the position the reagents are, rather than a single reaction. You do have to be smart with how you place things, you can't just scatter reactions everywhere (acid catalyzed right base catalyzed left etc.)
When I have these final few pages, I study them in the 1 or 2 days leading up to the test along with practice tests, where I jot down the details the professors are focusing on. It's MUCH easier to go through two pages of notes with a few details than 10.
I begin by taking detailed notes on all the chapters on unlined paper and drawing little pictures/diagrams/acronyms along with it to maximize retention. After doing this, I usually have 6-8 pages of notes. I then go through the notes, trying to find similar concepts and start redoing my notes with all similar concepts grouped together.
You'll notice that many of the professors have "repetitive slides," with one slide as the "thesis" for 3-4 of the succeeding slides. When you group the information in those 3-4 slides together, you'll notice that you can always understand the "thesis" slide MUCH better, reinforcing "concept learning" versus rote memorization.
This is particularly helpful for Organic Chemistry, I've noticed. I've condensed my entire Orgo 2 Reactions into one gigantic flowchart thing that's one page (front and back) going into the final. Yes, I know there are comprehensive reaction sheets, but those are equivalent to flash cards, where you're just memorizing reaction by reaction instead of memorizing how certain groups of molecules react Ex. Grignard Reagents. If you do end up trying to "remember that one reaction," I've found that it's easier to picture the entire flowchart and the position the reagents are, rather than a single reaction. You do have to be smart with how you place things, you can't just scatter reactions everywhere (acid catalyzed right base catalyzed left etc.)
When I have these final few pages, I study them in the 1 or 2 days leading up to the test along with practice tests, where I jot down the details the professors are focusing on. It's MUCH easier to go through two pages of notes with a few details than 10.
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2013
- Messages
- 2,992
- Reaction score
- 1,897
If I would get 10$ bucks every time someone makes a thread about this topic I would have 100 bucks lol. No offense OP, but if you look below numerous threads from the past and present have been made about this same topic.
Last edited:
