Need help on how to study

[magnetman224]

Hey all, I don't want to seem as if I'm asking a stupid question, but recently as I have been coming home from college, I have been finding myself exhausted and it seems that every time I sit down to go hard and study, my drowsiness sends me drifting and I just read without understanding until I completely almost fall asleep. Any tips on how to study? best way to make a schedule? how long to study for? I'm taking bio and chem so I'll really need a good plan in order to get that 4.0 that I dream of in each class.

Thanks in advance

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[NotASerialKiller]

Hey all, I don't want to seem as if I'm asking a stupid question, but recently as I have been coming home from college, I have been finding myself exhausted and it seems that every time I sit down to go hard and study, my drowsiness sends me drifting and I just read without understanding until I completely almost fall asleep. Any tips on how to study? best way to make a schedule? how long to study for? I'm taking bio and chem so I'll really need a good plan in order to get that 4.0 that I dream of in each class.

Thanks in advance

Well you definitely shouldn't be studying by just reading. Any form of "active" studying is more engaging and will help you infinitely more. Not that surprising to hear that you can't focus and drift off to sleepy land if you're just opening a textbook and reading everything.

For memorization courses you can rewrite the key points of notes, make flash cards, etc. For chemistry you should be doing practice problems. If you're just really tired in general, take a short nap as soon as you get home and work after that.

edit: Also what year are you in? Are you sure science is for you? There are definitely courses that I didn't find all the stimulating that were related to my degree, but your interest in a topic will definitely influence your ability to study. I once took an anthropology class that had 5x less material to memorize than a physiology course, but I found that studying for it was absolutely brutal because I didn't give two solitary ****s about what I was studying. Have you taken courses in other areas that you find genuinely interesting? Maybe you're discovering you want to be an art historian! (though I hope for your sake you're not...)

 

[magnetman224]

Well you definitely shouldn't be studying by just reading. Any form of "active" studying is more engaging and will help you infinitely more. Not that surprising to hear that you can't focus and drift off to sleepy land if you're just opening a textbook and reading everything.

For memorization courses you can rewrite the key points of notes, make flash cards, etc. For chemistry you should be doing practice problems. If you're just really tired in general, take a short nap as soon as you get home and work after that.

edit: Also what year are you in? Are you sure science is for you? There are definitely courses that I didn't find all the stimulating that were related to my degree, but your interest in a topic will definitely influence your ability to study. I once took an anthropology class that had 5x less material to memorize than a physiology course, but I found that studying for it was absolutely brutal because I didn't give two solitary ****s about what I was studying. Have you taken courses in other areas that you find genuinely interesting? Maybe you're discovering you want to be an art historian! (though I hope for your sake you're not...)

Oh, I definitely love Biology, I even spoke to the professor about assisting his research(he said if I do well my first semester, he will "see", though I would be the only freshmen), it's just that I'm literally too sleepy and I do agree that I need to take a nap in the noon, I'm just scared I won't be able to fall asleep at night afterwards. Chem comes really easy for me, surprisingly, it's just that it's annoying to study, haha And I'm actually taking Anthro as well LOL, and I can agree, I'm literally on the verge of napping in every one of the classes, it's wayyy too easy. I haven't, because I am taking English, Bio, Chem, and Anthro, but maybe next year or junior year I will take genetics because that is my favorite sub-field .

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Oh, I definitely love Biology, I even spoke to the professor about assisting his research(he said if I do well my first semester, he will "see", though I would be the only freshmen), it's just that I'm literally too sleepy and I do agree that I need to take a nap in the noon, I'm just scared I won't be able to fall asleep at night afterwards. Chem comes really easy for me, surprisingly, it's just that it's annoying to study, haha And I'm actually taking Anthro as well LOL, and I can agree, I'm literally on the verge of napping in every one of the classes, it's wayyy too easy. I haven't, because I am taking English, Bio, Chem, and Anthro, but maybe next year or junior year I will take genetics because that is my favorite sub-field .

Ah, well then that sounds like more of a sleep regulation issue than a studying issue. I've had issues with insomnia before, and there are plenty of techniques you can look up to help you get restful sleep at night (take melatonin before bed, try to go to bed at the same time every night, don't eat/exercise/use screens before bed, etc.). These are probably better options than napping in the afternoon, which you're right, can mess up your sleep schedule. If none of that works, you can always become a caffeine addict, it seems to work for a lot of people.

 

[Goro]

Your college should have a learning or education center; seek them out ASAP.

 

[Dr.Sticks]

I find it hard to concentrate at home;
I'm in the campus library usually 2 hours before class, sometimes even earlier if I have a lot to get done. I get most of my work done on campus, and do not bring much with me to work on at home. I find it much easier to study and focus that way.

So I'll make it simple
1.Find a quiet, distraction free environment.. (turn your phone off, don't get on facebook, SDN, etc..)
2.Use mnemonic devices to memorize (http://psychcentral.com/lib/memory-and-mnemonic-devices/)
Ex: I need to memorize say a bone in anatomy class, fibula lets say.. So I'll say fibula the flimsy one.. just some BS that makes me remember it
3.Find your own learning style(lectures? reading? notes? videos?)