I'm ready for seclusion people

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bennyboy5406

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Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

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Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

Burnout central....don't go for broke.

Honestly, if you can't fit in at least a little bit of time to yourself everyday to do something else like going to the gym or watching a little tv...you have terrible time management.
 
add showering to ur list. and do studying at a library and not at home, in ur bed.
 
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Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

You should study smarter, not study longer. One of my best friends also does this frequently (go on these study-eat-sleep-and-nothing-else runs), and frankly, he isn't doing well in his courses at all. In other words, if you're struggling, this may not be the way to go about it. Why not try getting tutored or something?
 
yes, I will definetly add in some tutoring when needed as well as proper tweaking of the study habits so that they are perfected. keep em coming guys
 
successful students are the ones who have a balanced lifestyle. take it from someone who's been through it: you're on your way to burnout if you have that mindset next term. :luck:
 
add showering to ur list. and do studying at a library and not at home, in ur bed.

I'd definitely consider showering, and going on SDN isn't on the list so I don't recommend it. Are you looking for ideas of what you should do for the semester while being completely anti-social? :shrug:
 
Exercise in between studying will make it easier to focus.
 
One of my classmates went into seclusion last semester, and we all thought she had died. When she came back this semester, a lot of her friends were quite angry at being shut out. And she didn't do that much better. So...echoing what everyone else said, smarter studying habits is key.

But if you're still going to do this, try to squeeze in some volunteering. At least you'll have to do SOME socializing...
 
why not switch one gunner ideal for another?

instead of the impossible "i'm gonna study every hour of every day", why not go for the totally possible "I'm gonna study more than the rest of these slackers." It doesn't seem unattainable, and it usually works.
 
this is not a healthy idea in anyway. yes your grades are important, but your overall well-being is more important.
 
Like everyon else said, you will probably end up doing just as poorly or even worse.

Make yourself a study schedule and stick to it. Add in some time for enjoyable things. Eliminate distractions such as the internet while you are trying to study and make the best of the time that you are studying.
 
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also, you could try tying those rubber turniquets around your arms and legs (loosely!) while you are studying to make more blood go to your head.
 
In my opinion, if you want to seclude yourself, do so. Some people do better in seclusion. Sometimes I need that, but not a whole semester though. If you are going to do that anyway, you should have at least half hour or an hour where you do something enjoyable each day. That will give you a relaxation time to look forward to - going to the gym, watching tv, talking on the phone, whatever - you need that little time to yourself and your work will go a long way. Also try other studying habits which may help to improve your gpa.:thumbup:

Good luck!
 
Seriously...?

Why.

Study at a sustainable rate. This is a marathon... not a sprint.
 
Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

If you want to increase your GPA, going into seclusion may not be the right answer. Learn about study techniques. Talk to people who have taken the classes that you will take, etc.

When next semester starts, DON'T study the same way you did before. It is hard to NOT do something the same twice. You are not happy with your first results, so change it up. Don't change your WHOLE life, just change the way you study. Let us know what courses you will be taking and we can provide some feedback.
 
I did this first year and it totally backfired.

Then I learned to "study smarter not harder" and my GPA increased substantially and I had a much better time.

Seriously, don't do this. It's really going to hurt, because not only will your grades still suck, you're going to be lonely and have missed out on an entire semester's worth of parties & events.
 
why not just cut down on socializing? i dont seclude myself by any means,but i make sure to not party as hard as my friends do, i.e. not 3+ times a week (not including weekends)... there is absolutely no reason for seclusion.
 
Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

I don't think people in med school even do this.. some might.. but the ones I know go to the gym and hang out a lot and get about 8 hours of sleep
 
my advice is to take one day at a time. (For me, looking ahead more than a week would lead to burn out. I'd start out every morning with a quick list of things to accomplish that day and then get to it.)
A quick spontaneous visit to the gym is also very helpful to get out of the daily routine for a bit.
 
Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

I see a perfect medical student in the making. 90% of medical student success is related to public announcements of dedication.
 
hahah...I'm really appreaciating all the responses, alright so some background info..Basically what I recently realized is that I've been hanging out with a few losers, (people that don't understand the concept of college/undergrad/pre-med yatta yatta) anyways, I now understand that to succeed I must completely dissengage them and somewhat go into seclusion for the period of the quarter. That being said, you are all making me realize that this transformation must be more about re-vamping my habits and renewing them to a new style better than previous quarters rather then simply pure seclusion for more of the same studying. After some decision making, I do intend on going to the gym, and if any socialization it will be minimal and NOT with anyone I have been hanging out with. To be honest this is really a realization that the past 3 years I have been brought down and out by 4 people I've hung out with that simply F@%$ me over when it comes to my study habits and what not. Also, my gpa is abysmal at the time being (2.85), that being said, I know for a fact that I have not been applying myself 100% to studying and what I'm truly capable of doing, my parents are specifically upset with this because my dad keeps telling me "I can't keep paying for this every quarter, you either need to re-evaluate your career choice, or tell me that you haven't put 100% of your effort into this"....Soooo its all about a change that I'm trying to make, 1. better studying (quality wise) 2. elimination of bad people in my life (former friends that are of no benefit to me, literally none) 3. more committment to studying, (more hours studied, more homework done).....

So there it is in a nutshell :), it really makes me feel awesome to talk to people on here about this, I feel I'm making a change just when I hear people's input because I immediatly think about implementing it into my daily life..thanks guys!
 
hahah...I'm really appreaciating all the responses, alright so some background info..Basically what I recently realized is that I've been hanging out with a few losers, (people that don't understand the concept of college/undergrad/pre-med yatta yatta) anyways, I now understand that to succeed I must completely dissengage them and somewhat go into seclusion for the period of the quarter. That being said, you are all making me realize that this transformation must be more about re-vamping my habits and renewing them to a new style better than previous quarters rather then simply pure seclusion for more of the same studying. After some decision making, I do intend on going to the gym, and if any socialization it will be minimal and NOT with anyone I have been hanging out with. To be honest this is really a realization that the past 3 years I have been brought down and out by 4 people I've hung out with that simply F@%$ me over when it comes to my study habits and what not. Also, my gpa is abysmal at the time being (2.85), that being said, I know for a fact that I have not been applying myself 100% to studying and what I'm truly capable of doing, my parents are specifically upset with this because my dad keeps telling me "I can't keep paying for this every quarter, you either need to re-evaluate your career choice, or tell me that you haven't put 100% of your effort into this"....Soooo its all about a change that I'm trying to make, 1. better studying (quality wise) 2. elimination of bad people in my life (former friends that are of no benefit to me, literally none) 3. more committment to studying, (more hours studied, more homework done).....

So there it is in a nutshell :), it really makes me feel awesome to talk to people on here about this, I feel I'm making a change just when I hear people's input because I immediatly think about implementing it into my daily life..thanks guys!

Time to dump the loser friends. I had to do in a few years ago (went from having a couple of close friends to no friends and how I have two new friends that have similar goals and drive in life....much better friends).

Dump the losers, focus on your schooling, and then adjust to whatever goes on in life. Just be nice, talk to people (even the stuck up snobs), and you will meet a couple of knew people that you could become friends with.

Your long term goals mean more then a couple of people who are going to only work $12 an hour jobs the rest of their life.
 
One of my best friends also does this frequently (go on these study-eat-sleep-and-nothing-else runs), and frankly, he isn't doing well in his courses at all.

I agree with most of what everyone here is saying. From what I've seen, most people in undergrad who go through the "study-eat-sleep-and-nothing-else" cycles usually don't do very well academically. It may be different in med school though. I know someone who goes through these cycles very frequently and his GPA is a joke (and he's a premed who thinks he's gonna get into med school). :laugh:
 
Time to dump the loser friends. I had to do in a few years ago (went from having a couple of close friends to no friends and how I have two new friends that have similar goals and drive in life....much better friends).

Dump the losers, focus on your schooling, and then adjust to whatever goes on in life. Just be nice, talk to people (even the stuck up snobs), and you will meet a couple of knew people that you could become friends with.

Your long term goals mean more then a couple of people who are going to only work $12 an hour jobs the rest of their life.

What an arrogant comment. What a pile of crap. Make friends based on who you like to hang out with. If you don't like a couple friends, then stop hanging out with them. But dumping them because they don't have similar career interests is ridiculous. If you want to turn your nose at people in 10 years, then, by all means, follow whatever's advice. However, if you like being a human being, then realize not everybody is interested in impressive titles.

That being said, it is important to be able to distinguish when one should be studying and when one should be socializing. Work on that.
 
hahah...I'm really appreaciating all the responses, alright so some background info..Basically what I recently realized is that I've been hanging out with a few losers, (people that don't understand the concept of college/undergrad/pre-med yatta yatta) anyways, I now understand that to succeed I must completely dissengage them and somewhat go into seclusion for the period of the quarter. That being said, you are all making me realize that this transformation must be more about re-vamping my habits and renewing them to a new style better than previous quarters rather then simply pure seclusion for more of the same studying. After some decision making, I do intend on going to the gym, and if any socialization it will be minimal and NOT with anyone I have been hanging out with. To be honest this is really a realization that the past 3 years I have been brought down and out by 4 people I've hung out with that simply F@%$ me over when it comes to my study habits and what not. Also, my gpa is abysmal at the time being (2.85), that being said, I know for a fact that I have not been applying myself 100% to studying and what I'm truly capable of doing, my parents are specifically upset with this because my dad keeps telling me "I can't keep paying for this every quarter, you either need to re-evaluate your career choice, or tell me that you haven't put 100% of your effort into this"....Soooo its all about a change that I'm trying to make, 1. better studying (quality wise) 2. elimination of bad people in my life (former friends that are of no benefit to me, literally none) 3. more committment to studying, (more hours studied, more homework done).....

So there it is in a nutshell :), it really makes me feel awesome to talk to people on here about this, I feel I'm making a change just when I hear people's input because I immediatly think about implementing it into my daily life..thanks guys!

that is crucial.. not more, but ALL homework done :p
 
Go to every office hour. THAT is studying smarter, plus it might get you a letter, etc. Also, you can work out AND study. I use the stair climber or bicycle at my gym and do reading for class. You definitely need at least a minimum amount of working out, 30 minutes of cardio.
 
What an arrogant comment. What a pile of crap. Make friends based on who you like to hang out with. If you don't like a couple friends, then stop hanging out with them. But dumping them because they don't have similar career interests is ridiculous. If you want to turn your nose at people in 10 years, then, by all means, follow whatever's advice. However, if you like being a human being, then realize not everybody is interested in impressive titles.

That being said, it is important to be able to distinguish when one should be studying and when one should be socializing. Work on that.

Your way of thinking is WRONG. It isn't about dumping people because they don't have the same goals in life. It is about doing away with people that keep you from reaching your full potential.

Person A: Wants to get into medical school and become a doctor. Person A is good friends with Person B, C, and D.

Person B,C, and D: They either go to college or not and have no desire to get try and get into medical school and have no interest in focusing on their schooling. While Person A is not happy with his life, Persons B,C,and D want Person A to be their best buddies and do what they do for fun even when Person A needs to focus his/her time on other priorities.

There comes a time in life where people just have to ditch friends when they are keeping them back from reaching their best. It isn't about looking down on them, it is about making sure that YOU give YOURSELF the best chance to succeed at what YOU want to achieve.
 
Go to every office hour. THAT is studying smarter, plus it might get you a letter, etc. Also, you can work out AND study. I use the stair climber or bicycle at my gym and do reading for class. You definitely need at least a minimum amount of working out, 30 minutes of cardio.

Office hours are free tutoring services run by the person who teaches the class. People who struggle in a class and don't use them mystify me. Going to the gym and reading can be accomplished, but generally you can't read anything super technical - which is what most of the reading premeds do. Balance is the most important thing for success.

To the OP, If the people you are hanging around with are 'holding you back' per se, ditch them. It's not whether they have goals and ambitions similar to yours but if they let you achieve yours. I have two roomates who are disruptive to my goals, so most of my time is spent in the Library and with friends who are actually good people. I know people who want to be Fortune 500 CEO's and I wouldn't be their friend, values and morals are what is important.
 
Go to every office hour. THAT is studying smarter, plus it might get you a letter, etc. Also, you can work out AND study. I use the stair climber or bicycle at my gym and do reading for class. You definitely need at least a minimum amount of working out, 30 minutes of cardio.

lol...pre-meds
 
The key is to plan out every hour of your day. This gives you direction. A car with out a driver is without direction and will end up in a ditch.

That said, if you want to be really efficient:

1. Block out 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
2. Block out class time
3. Every night before bed plan out your study schedule
4. Spare hours you can fill with extra curriculars like volunteering and such

Planning is key. But that is only half the battle. After planning you need to exercise discipline.

Motivation is BS. Discipline is where its at. That's up to you though. Discipline is a habit. Your habits can make you or break you. I learned to develop discipline through (a) planning and (b) mental triggers. You need something that is such a strong experience, link it with a simple trigger like music, then whenever you feel weak, starting to slip, lazy, play that trigger --> boom, you're back on track.

Alright good luck, but remember to exercise. It is good to your health and overall life. Whether we like it or not, accept it or not, people iwll judge you harshly based on your looks, so EXERCISE.
 
The key is to plan out every hour of your day. This gives you direction. A car with out a driver is without direction and will end up in a ditch.

That said, if you want to be really efficient:

1. Block out 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
2. Block out class time
3. Every night before bed plan out your study schedule
4. Spare hours you can fill with extra curriculars like volunteering and such

Planning is key. But that is only half the battle. After planning you need to exercise discipline.

Motivation is BS. Discipline is where its at. That's up to you though. Discipline is a habit. Your habits can make you or break you. I learned to develop discipline through (a) planning and (b) mental triggers. You need something that is such a strong experience, link it with a simple trigger like music, then whenever you feel weak, starting to slip, lazy, play that trigger --> boom, you're back on track.

Alright good luck, but remember to exercise. It is good to your health and overall life. Whether we like it or not, accept it or not, people iwll judge you harshly based on your looks, so EXERCISE.

:thumbup:
 
You laugh now, but there was a thread in the med student forum talking about walking up stairs for classes instead of using the elevator to stay in shape.

I laugh at typical premeds utilizing every minute of every day...even while relieving stress at the gym.
 
Personally exercising helps me feel productive and more focused.
 
Hi everyone, I come to you tonight, to inform you that effective jan 5, 2009 I will begin a period of seclusion for the duration of winter quarter. This will include attending class, eating, drinking, sleeping, studying. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I will be doing this as an effort to increase my gpa and perform as I need to perform. I would welcome any tips/ideas for those who have performed this life-changing task. I'm welcome to all ideas please!!!

Thank you, I may or may not be on SDN for the duration of this period.

Presumably you are coming up on your current finals, right? Rock them for now; worry about next semester next semester.

I have to say, though, that spending a semester that way sounds terrible. Give it a try, I have a feeling you will shoot ahead near the beginning, burn out, and drop the tactic. That will at least have you covered for the beginning! After that you can try some more sensible study tactics.
 
Go to every office hour. THAT is studying smarter, plus it might get you a letter, etc. Also, you can work out AND study. I use the stair climber or bicycle at my gym and do reading for class. You definitely need at least a minimum amount of working out, 30 minutes of cardio.

Ha ha ha lol this is great! I actually laughed out loud when I read this.
Lol to the OP, you know what to do. Ditch your loser friends, n get back in the act.
I think it was my junior yr that I learnt how to study smart...lol I wld play pes 2009 w my buddies till late in the night, then hit the books like crazy for a bit. Like someone said, its a marathon, you gotta pace urself.

...lol i'm still laughit at 30 mins of cardio, n runnin up the stairs n all lol
'I remember when I was a pre-med...'
 
Basically what I recently realized is that I've been hanging out with a few losers, (people that don't understand the concept of college/undergrad/pre-med yatta yatta) anyways, I now understand that to succeed I must completely dissengage them and somewhat go into seclusion for the period of the quarter.

Have you tried just telling them "no" when you don't have time to hang out with them, but keeping in touch for times that you do? If they keep insisting on you hanging out when you cannot you might drop them, and if they are just overwhelmingly negative and that throws your mood and motivation off you might drop them, but I have to agree with one of the above posters who said this kind of thinking (dropping your "loser friends") is a little harsh.
 
Have you tried just telling them "no" when you don't have time to hang out with them, but keeping in touch for times that you do? If they keep insisting on you hanging out when you cannot you might drop them, and if they are just overwhelmingly negative and that throws your mood and motivation off you might drop them, but I have to agree with one of the above posters who said this kind of thinking (dropping your "loser friends") is a little harsh.

Very true. Two of my best friends dropped out of college during their first year, another two or three switched to a community college and some never went to college at all--I don't think any different of them because of it. (In fact, one is quite successful as a computer programmer, he's only nineteen and never took as much as a college course. Success is not necessarily measured by degrees or titles accrued.) I still talk to and maintain friendships with all of them.

There are times when I can't hang out because of studying or other academic-related obligations, but I try to maintain a good balance (I will ditch a pre-med club meeting to spend time with old friends I haven't seen in awhile, but if its the study week before finals I'll usually have to take a raincheck :)

However, every situation is different, and if they're pressuring you to eschew your academic obligations to hang out with them, or not supporting you in your endeavors, then that's another story entirely and I would hesitate in even calling such a person/s 'friends'.

Just my two cents, but I wouldn't completely cut out socializing. If you're not doing as well in school as you'd like to be, then its a good idea to cut down on it, but to eliminate human interaction almost entirely from your life sounds quite unhealthy and ultimately, unsustainable.
 
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