How well do you guys retain what you learn?

[Belyzel4]

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I bet this question has probably been beaten to death, but I guess it's good to refresh the responses. It is something that has always been on my mind to figure out how to just keep stuff stuck in my head. Anyways I was wondering how long do you guys typically retain the information you learn in your classes? What tips do you have for retaining information? (If it's not so much to ask, could you please give a step by step breakdown of what you do to study and retain information)

I have crammed my entire life up to this point (3rd year in college) and I have actually done relatively well (3.8ish GPA in Neuroscience), but the thing is... I barely remember anything at all! I have found cramming using short-term retention to just be so efficient. When I cram, my focus is always high and I am just able to retain almost everything I read. I aced all my pre-med requirements, but if someone asked me something about them... I probably wouldn't be able to come up with a coherent response (uh oh MCAT!).

I really want to venture into "Learning". I want to start studying weeks ahead of tests instead of hours or days. I want to just get a perfect learning system and get that aspect of learning done with. As far as I know, mastering information is as simple as sitting down and repeating what you learn over and over again. That's what I do when I cram, but in a shorter time frame with higher retention due to high focus. My main problem is just focusing when the test is so far away! The best I can usually do to avoid the delayed satisfaction problem is when I study applied courses like physiology because they are just so easy to relate with. I think I have gotten so accustomed to cramming that I just never gave myself a chance to study properly and now it is really difficult to focus when I try to study ahead of time because it is out of the norm for me.

The closest I have gotten to understanding how some people retain information they learn for extended periods of time without forcing it through direct repetition is when I went to a seminar once at my college. The speaker was a doctor who said that most successful pre-med students that make it into medical immerse themselves in their studies, apply what they learn on a daily basis to their lives, and talk as much as they can about what they learn with the people they know. So really if I can nail down how to study in general, I guess I just need to think about what I studied around the clock instead of jumping into leisure activities when I'm not studying.

Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[Mithril]

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[ILikeDrugs]

As a neuroscience major, you should know about LTP. You haven't learned anything in three years. How sad. And mastering information doesn't just involve memorization, there has to be some sort of repetitive application of the material that you're trying to learn.

 

[boko]

humm...well i never try to cramm...i avoid it at all cost..what i've learned in my year and a half of college is that i would review information as i learn it...after class look over notes every night..not just before the test!! that is a little bit of advice i can give you. in regards to really remembering info..you may not have a problem with storing it but you may have a problem with retrieving it...thats what i learned in my psychology class atleast! hope this helps!!

 

[boko]

oh yea..i also try to apply it to life..that way it makes more sense and i always randomly talk about new stuff i learned with friends even if they dont wanna hear it...and i usually just make a joke out of if!!

 

[Pandapurse]

Try to relate what you've been learning to real life situations, and get plenty of sleep! Also, try to enjoy what you've been learning. These few things have always helped me throughout my first semester.

 

[biodreamer]

Quick story.

I had a lab mate who was just like this. He just would not shut up about all the random crap he learned in all of his various classes. I was working on a research project with him and every single day he would go on and on about even the minute details of the lecture he just learned or some current issues in bio/medicine. And it would bug everyone to no end. Not only that, for lab courses, he would ask to take home any of the left over material so he could further experiment with it (cue the eye-rolling). He would bring them to our bio lab and continue the experiment with whatever idea he had.

However, people soon caught on that he had a 4.00 GPA and always KILLED the class curve in every class he was in (typically a 105 in a 50 class average). He was also very outspoken and opinionated, never backing down even to award winning professors. If he believed it was correct, he would defend it to the end or at least arrive upon some agreeable conclusion that was justified. He was extremely obnoxious even to me (a part-time gunner as some might say) but eventually, I came to admire his unending enthusiasm. He's currently only a sophomore and very well respected around the campus and among professors.


Just thought I'd add an anecdote as a counterpoint to "talking as much as they can about what they learn with the people they know" is a "sure way to lose all your Facebook friends."

 

[ILikeDrugs]

One of the best ways to master something is to teach it to others or to the imaginary person sitting next to you. 😀 That's what I would do. However, if the imaginary person starts to ask you questions, it's time to take a break from studying. 😉

 

[UpQuark]

Personally, it depends on the class. For a Gen Ed or even some easier biology courses (bio I, II, cell bio) that typically require more memorization than understanding, I'll always cram the night before and do fine. For classes that actually require you to apply your knowledge (Chemistry, Orgo, Physics) I typically go over material and enter "serious mode" a week before the exam. As a result, I remember more for these types of classes that I have constantly studied. You can ask me anything about my Ancient Roman Architecture class, I took from last year, I won't remember it. The reason why I remember ALOT of Bio I, II and Cell Bio is that these concepts are the base for many upper level classes that I take, which all require constant studying.

Take more upper level courses you'll find yourself being challenged and if you work, you will be able to retain the knowledge.

I'm the same way as you though. I focus more under pressure hence, I can manage some pretty incredible grades by cramming. The problem... studying for the MCAT (no pressure when the test is 6 months away so you have little focus hahaha)

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

What was the OP's question again?

 

[oldyogurt]

Paul Pimsleur (the language learning tapes guy) took advantage of something called Spaced Repetition. Basically when you first learn something, you need to repeat it a few times at short intervals. As you begin to internalize it, you only need to shake the rust off every few months or even longer. According to wikipedia he uses the intervals: 5 seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 day, 5 days, 25 days, 4 months, 2 years.

I think the important thing with learning is to familiarize yourself with something, then over time start playing with it in your head and attacking it from various perspectives, repeat it, and you start to internalize it. When you cram in a lot of stuff in one night you kind of reach a point of diminishing returns.

 

[nabeel76]

You probably remember more than you realize at the moment. I am sure if somebody were to bring up any specifics concerning the core principles discussed in intro bio, chem, physics, etc. you would know exactly what they are talking about and would also be able to recall a lot of it.

Now the nitty gritty details like the names of the enzymes that catalyze the reactions in the Krebs cycle are not going to be remembered by even the students that did study for weeks on end more than a semester or so removed from that class. It's only when you start to see those reactions/details over and over again in various forms in upper level courses that people start to remember it to that detail.

 

[planktonelement]

Depends on what I'm studying and how many times I've studied it before. I'm a Chem major and there is a lot of overlap between upper level courses, so I've learned some of the concepts really well over the past couple years. Also, tutoring for some intro classes has pounded the basics into my head. For stuff that I learn just for class... I retain a little bit of it, but just the biggest ideas and concepts.

 

[rxlea]

As nabeel said, you will be surprised at how much you remember when it counts. I just finished my first semester of pharmacy school and I was definitely surprised at how much biochem and microbiology I remembered from undergrad. I think the most unique/strange concepts are easily remembered while the "nitty gritty" tends to slip through the cracks. I found that relating what I am learning to something else helps me remember it. Sometimes I will come across an article on the topics I am learning and reading it helps me retain a lot. Repetition is probably most important, though.