MEMORIZING everything

[MarioKart]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey everyone,

I have recently began a series of upper division science courses and labs and am having a lot of trouble keeping up. I have been attempting to memorize every last detail in my textbooks and it has completely taken over my life. Combine this with my math classes and other writing courses and I am on the verge of pulling all nighters. We recently took a test and I was taken aback by how simplified the material was, and how NONE of the information I had spent hours pouring over was present. I have come to a point where I am questioning if I am doing too much. I'm really good at my schoolwork and have always scored the highest test scores, but the information has just increased WAY TOO MUCH. now, MY QUESTION, is it worth it to memorize every last detail in the textbook or should I just go along with the profs power points? The professors obviously pull a majority of questions from the power points, but I'm worried that I'll need all of this information later or that one day the professor will ask one question where I DONT know the answer to. so I've been trying to learn EVERYTHING. should I just go with the power points + supplement with book stuff??? Any other premeds with some advice? Which way worked for you

Thanks sdn!

 

[Glandzburg]

You should be focusing 90% of your effort on what the professor is covering in lectures. Undergrad textbooks are not meant to be memorized; they are meant to be supplementary to the lectures.

 

[frosted_flake]

I recommend asking the professors what they recommend for studying habits. Some professors pull only from the power points, others use book + power points.

FWIW, at my school I rarely use the textbook. I think memorizing every detail of a textbook would drive me to insanity and cause me to drop out of school.

@Glandzburg beat me to it.

 

[Lawpy]

Stick with the prof slides and ditch the textbook (unless you want it as a reference)

 

[frosted_flake]

Stick with the prof slides and ditch the textbook (unless you want it as a reference)

That is my style!

Ever had to suffer through a class that uses Alberts for cell/molec? It was that book that pushed me over the edge, haha.

 

[DrFizition]

The textbook doesn't make the exams, the professor does.

One skill you need as a med student (and doctor) is understanding what info is relevant, how to acquire it, and how to use it. Learn what your prof wants. Study lecture slides. Ask previous students what they did to study.

 

[MarioKart]

Will definetley be taking this advice. Thanks guys

 

[Cinclus]

What you are currently doing sounds unsustainable, and you seem like you have already answered your own question through your experience taking exams.

 

[rsrs3739]

Like others have said, study your lecture notes! In my experience though, professors like to test some things from your "required" reading (chapters you're supposed to have read before lecture) that they don't cover in lecture. I'd read through the textbook at least once and also use it to strengthen your weak areas.

 

[medic86]

You should be focusing 90% of your effort on what the professor is covering in lectures. Undergrad textbooks are not meant to be memorized; they are meant to be supplementary to the lectures.

You should tell that to my virology professor. 😛

 

[Petrichor1]

Yeah I used to do the for bio classes in the beginning and then out of frustration I stopped using the book altogether and took notes while using professor lectures to form transitions and fill in the details. Bio overall is a waste to read the book for. The only times I read the book, word to word, was with Chem and math textbooks which by the way was very impt.

 

[efle]

Time to learn about yield! How much of use is gained per unit time?

Studying off slides or lecture notes is very high yield, for some profs this is all you need. Out of the text, very low yield, for some profs not even useful.

 

[ZedsDed]

Time to learn about yield! How much of use is gained per unit time?

Studying off slides or lecture notes is very high yield, for some profs this is all you need. Out of the text, very low yield, for some profs not even useful.

Since you're a curve-crushing god and everything, you might want to consider starting a "how to study" thread.

 

[studentdocftw]

Focus on powerpoints..use corresponding chapters in the book to reinforce and test the material (assuming practice questions are available) . Either way..your primary learning resource should be directly from your professor while your textbook should be a secondary resource you use for clarification purposes.

 

[efle]

Since you're a curve-crushing god and everything, you might want to consider starting a "how to study" thread.

It's pretty simple really
1) Disregard textbooks for almost all classes. Study lecture/slides content instead.
2) Practice problems.
3) Sleep is for the weak.

 

[ZedsDed]

3) Sleep is for the weak.

How much do you need? I find my memory suffers if I regularly get below five hours.

 

[GrapesofRath]

How much do you need? I find my memory suffers if I regularly get below five hours.

This is the thing though with asking someone like elfe who walks around destroying curves at a top 20 school and hitting 40+ MCATs in his sleep. What he does and what works for him isnt going to work for many; he by definition is in the minority of what he does and how he performs.

In my own personal experience, asking the people who's brains are like god damn pentium chip's often wasnt that helpful for me. When someone can just memorize all 800 terms there are for an exam with one pass of the material or can do reverse 30 step ochem synthesis problems in their head in under 2 minutes, there's just not that much they can teach me that can apply to me.

I do agree with you though, I can perhaps understand not getting much sleep the night before the test out of anxiety or wanting to see the material right before the exam. But in the nights before the exam when you are learnign the material and instilling it in your memory? That's a recipe for disaster for me, no way my memory consolidation is going to be up to par without at least 5-6 hours sleep.

 

[Goro]

If you attempt to memorize everything, I guarantee you that you will learn NOTHING.

Hey everyone,

I have recently began a series of upper division science courses and labs and am having a lot of trouble keeping up. I have been attempting to memorize every last detail in my textbooks and it has completely taken over my life. Combine this with my math classes and other writing courses and I am on the verge of pulling all nighters. We recently took a test and I was taken aback by how simplified the material was, and how NONE of the information I had spent hours pouring over was present. I have come to a point where I am questioning if I am doing too much. I'm really good at my schoolwork and have always scored the highest test scores, but the information has just increased WAY TOO MUCH. now, MY QUESTION, is it worth it to memorize every last detail in the textbook or should I just go along with the profs power points? The professors obviously pull a majority of questions from the power points, but I'm worried that I'll need all of this information later or that one day the professor will ask one question where I DONT know the answer to. so I've been trying to learn EVERYTHING. should I just go with the power points + supplement with book stuff??? Any other premeds with some advice? Which way worked for you

Thanks sdn!

 

[Glandzburg]

I do agree with you though, I can perhaps understand not getting much sleep the night before the test out of anxiety or wanting to see the material right before the exam. But in the nights before the exam when you are learnign the material and instilling it in your memory? That's a recipe for disaster for me, no way my memory consolidation is going to be up to par without at least 5-6 hours sleep.

Adding to what you are saying, you should definitely not being trying to learn the material the day/night before the exam (especially as you get into upper level classes, and medical school). I spend the week or so prior really nailing the concepts down in my head, then spend the day before the exam just taking one more pass through all of the material to refresh the terminology, etc. so it's all fresh in my head for the exam. Then I'll get a solid 7-8 hours before the exam so I can actually think through the questions and not be a zombie. Not getting enough sleep before exams makes my head feel "foggy" and makes me feel incredibly anxious during the exam. I'm generally very calm and collected during exams, something I attribute to actually getting enough sleep.

 

[efle]

I was just kidding with 3)
sleep is good

 

[Lawpy]

It's pretty simple really
1) Disregard textbooks for almost all classes. Study lecture/slides content instead.
2) Practice problems.
3) Sleep is for the weak.

How much do you need? I find my memory suffers if I regularly get below five hours.

I'm pretty sure if #1 and #2 were done well and efficiently, good sleep follows easily (at least for biology and chemistry courses).

Physics/engineering and humanities courses are a different story altogether. But still, good sleep can be achieved easily by prioritizing efficiently. Efficiency is really the critical deal here.

I was just kidding with 3)
sleep is good

🙁 damn too late

 

[eteshoe]

I'm pretty sure if #1 and #2 were done well and efficiently, good sleep follows easily (at least for biology and chemistry courses).

Physics/engineering and humanities courses are a different story altogether. But still, good sleep can be achieved easily by prioritizing efficiently. Efficiency is really the critical deal here.



🙁 damn too late

True. I don't think I was the most efficient engineering undergrad but I was able to survive by the sheer fact that I could operate off of 3 hrs/night each week (I did end up basically 'dying' each weekend lol)

 

[McSpicy]

For upper-level biological science classes I do the following: 1) Read lecture notes/textbook chapters and take notes before class 2) Print out lecture notes and annotate according to the lecture 3) summarize on a single page (front and back) all the key points from lecture 4) Do practice problems/study guide 5) Re-write my old notes on the subject until I can recall everything verbatim