Post here if you get A's in your science classes

[oh my god]

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Do you get A's in your science classes? Are you a sophomore, junior, or senior? (I don't want to listen to the advice of a freshman)

If so, what are your study methods like?
The more detail, the better.

I lucked out and managed to get A's in my science classes last term, but I don't want to take any more chances. My study methods are crap and I procrastinate too much, so I'm looking forward to hearing your guys' responses.

Thank you all.

 

[Bernoull]

My strategy is simply to master and make sense of the concepts. To make sense of concepts, I relate the concepts to fundamental principles and then try to derive the concepts from these fundamental principles. This way the concept becomes intuitive and "common-sense" to me. In my mind, I say this has to be this way bcos ..xyz.. it just makes sense. This way I don't need to memorize a lot of things since the concepts become intuitive and I can readily derive the relationships. This helps my retention of material a lot. However, there are some things that I simply memorize and move on, bcos I can't find any apparent rhyme or reason to it..

 

[osumc2014]

Cram Cram Cram! (i know it may sound like bad advice but it works, and whatever works works) college level sciences are almost purely memorization, if its fresh, you ll do well and it will be exceptionally helpful if you just generate random things that make u relate one thing to another

 

[nabeel76]

Do you get A's in your science classes? Are you a sophomore, junior, or senior? (I don't want to listen to the advice of a freshman)

If so, what are your study methods like?
The more detail, the better.

I lucked out and managed to get A's in my science classes last term, but I don't want to take any more chances. My study methods are crap and I procrastinate too much, so I'm looking forward to hearing your guys' responses.

Thank you all.

Well if you 'managed' to get A's in your science courses last semester then your doing something right.

I got A's in the majority of my science courses and several A+'s as well. My study methods were never really the same for any course and largely depended on the subject and the teacher but here is a general run down:

Biological Sciences:

I read all of the textbook chapters relevant to that section of the class and then reviewed the powerpoints prior to the exam. If I had any q's regarding the powerpoints I would go back to that section in the text or go to office hours.

I would try to read the text prior to lectures but this never worked out for me, and I usually ended up reading the text and covering the powerpoints the week of the exam.

Physical Sciences:

I would read the relevant chapters focusing on sample problems, working them out along with the text as I was reading the chapters. I would then do all of the assigned homework. If I felt I had problems with some of them I would redo those problems and other unassigned problems that were similiar to those.

 

[Techmed07]

I got A's in my science classes.

General Chemistry I/II

-Read the book before lecture
-Went to every class
-Did every practice problems I could get my hands on.
-Went to office hours
-Looked online for practice problems and for clarification

Organic Chemistry I ---Organic II is next semester

- Practice Practice Problems
- Read the book
- Office Hours

Physics I

- Practice Practice Problems
- Did Practice Exams
- Office Hours
- Read the book

Physics II

- Practice Problems
- Read the book a little

Biology I

- Rewrite notes
- Rewatch lecture
- Relisten to lecture (I recorded the lecture)

Biology II

- Rewrite notes
- Relisten to lecture

Genetics

- Rewrite notes
- Relisten to lecture
- Read my notes aloud




Rewriting notes takes soo much time.. anybody have a better way?

 

[NNukibw77]

how you study will depend on the class and the teacher (focus on textbook reading or lecture notes or practice problems etc)

but generally

1) do not fall behind - keep up with the material so that when you do have to study the day before a big test you are not teaching yourself a month or two of material that you have not seen since the lecture it was presented. i like to copy/make sense of my lecture notes onto pieces of blank white printer paper

2) if the teacher provides you with a practice test/problem set that is optional, understand how to do it.

3) go to class, ask questions, seek out your teacher in office hours. whether or not your teacher knows you / thinks you are trying can be the difference between a B+ and an A- or an A- and an A.

4) have fun/other things planned when you are not studying. if you don't have fun things planned you will just sit on your laptop for 6 hours in the library but actually get only 2-3 hours of work done. if you are active outside of the classroom it will force you to be so serious when its study time.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

I'm an MCB major, so there's a lot of memorization involved. However, I developed a "bad" habit during biochem last year where I started rereading every sentence an odd number of times (3 times if I'm very familiar with it, 5 times if I'm somewhat familiar with it, 7 times if I'm unfamiliar with it). It's really weird and tends to increase the time I spend when reading material, but it seems to work very well. I nearly always get an A+ in my science courses unless there are no plusses or minuses offered. I also read out loud (whispering, not full blown reading out loud). While I hate my "bad" habit, I can't deny that it works very well. I need to figure out a way to get rid of it though. If I don't read the sentence an odd number of times, something just picks at the back of my brain until I go back and reread the sentence. I know. It's really weird.

So, while my method for memorization intensive classes is time consuming, it works very well. It basically ends up with me seeing the material anywhere between 3-7 times before the actual exam. I'm a firm believer that repetition is key for these type of courses and my method hasn't let me down yet. Oh, I also read the textbooks btw; I found that to be very helpful. In addition to that, my notes are very thorough. So I basically read the textbook (3-7 times) and about two to three days before the exam, when I'm done reading the textbook, I read through my notes (this also takes a while). It's been a good strategy so far.

Regarding very conceptual courses (physics, chem, physio, etc.), while I still reread the sentences, it tends to be more towards 3 times rather than 7 times. That's because the concepts make sense and there's no sense in rereading things that make conceptual sense. I enjoy these conceptual courses a lot since not only does it mean I get to spend less time studying, but because they also require me to think rather than mindlessly memorize.

 

[SparkleMotion]

First you have to understand the concepts. If you don't understand every concept you're gambling that there won't be a comprehensive test question.

After you understand every concept, do practice problems until your eyes bleed, or you have a mastery of all applications.

For memorization sciences like bio make flash cards.

 

[swamprat]

Understand the underlying concepts... i don't memorize much. Although I know medical school will require a lot more memorization then I am accustomed to. Then I just take practice tests, from previous years up until present and go from there.

 

[LAman10]

if you get A's in science classes, then you're probably just a natural. If you don't get A's, then there's really no changing that. just settle i suppose.

 

[Techmed07]

if you get A's in science classes, then you're probably just a natural. If you don't get A's, then there's really no changing that. just settle i suppose.

there is no truth in this statement

 

[Global Warming]

if you get A's in science classes, then you're probably just a natural. If you don't get A's, then there's really no changing that. just settle i suppose.

Crap...I'll have no chance. 🙁

 

[LAman10]

there is no truth in this statement

care to provide tangible evidence?

 

[Evergrey]

care to provide tangible evidence?

Dear sir, I believe the burden of proof is on you, not him 🙂

 

[LAman10]

Dear sir, I believe the burden of proof is on you, not him 🙂

hey hey, I'm not the challenger here.

But if I must...
I get A's in my science classes. I am naturally good at science. 1+2=3. bam!

oh man, proving people wrong is TOO easy... I should seriously consider law

 

[oh my god]

If I don't read the sentence an odd number of times, something just picks at the back of my brain until I go back and reread the sentence. I know. It's really weird.

You know you can get help for that right?

Just kidding. Thanks for your reply.. your response was really helpful.

I think you're right.. repetition (once you understand the concepts) probably is the key to doing well.

And yea guys, I got A's in my science courses, but like I said.. Luck was on my side.

 

[Evergrey]

hey hey, I'm not the challenger here.

But if I must...
I get A's in my science classes. I am naturally good at science. 1+2=3. bam!

oh man, proving people wrong is TOO easy... I should seriously consider law

Providing an empty claim and backing it up by saying what you did doesn't really prove anything... At any rate, I know plenty of people who are naturally good at science that get bad grades (ability does not necessarily correlate with grades), and vice versa. I've even read quite a few posts on SDN where a person has gotten Bs and Cs (or Ds and Fs) and then turned things around and gotten great grades in science after that. And furthermore being "good at science" is such a nebulous term as to be functionally useless. There are many different types of science that one can be "good at" which may lead to differing performance in different subjects. FURTHERMORE, saying that someone is "just not good at something" is fatalistic, and I refuse to believe that our destinies are predetermined (or at least unchangeable). Therefore I reject your claim on a categorical basis.

Also, here is a colorful graph to prove that you are wrong: (If it doesn't make sense and overwhelmingly convince you, you are probably reading it wrong!!)

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!

 

[loveoforganic]

Uh, what is that a graph of? Nvm. Why is that graph relevant?

 

[Narmerguy]

I lucked out and managed to get A's in my science classes last term, but I don't want to take any more chances. My study methods are crap and I procrastinate too much, so I'm looking forward to hearing your guys' responses.

Thank you all.

I never understand these posts. Just don't procrastinate. There's nothing magical.

 

[oh my god]

I never understand these posts. Just don't procrastinate. There's nothing magical.

Procrastination is not really my problem as I'm getting better at doing things ahead of time. For this thread, I'm specifically asking for study methods. But if procrastination was a huge problem of mine, your post wouldn't help at all.

 

[Hoody]

I don't want to listen to the advice of a freshman

yeah, cause they couldn't possibly have anything beneficial to add...

 

[JJThomson]

Mostly you just have study a lot and do what ever it takes (ie: read the book, study slides, always go to class, take good notes).

The best "tip" I have is that if you are strugling with a subject then use the many resources available to you. Go to office hours and/or tutoring if you have to. For math and physics Cramster.com is an awesome website. I aced physics because of that site. Also, the website "course hero" is great. It has a lot of professors old tests on it and I think that after studying everything else taking old tests is the best way to prep for an exam. You have to be willing to put in the work though and not just study the old exams.

I'm a senior and a straight "A" student btw fwiw.

 

[Narmerguy]

Procrastination is not really my problem as I'm getting better at doing things ahead of time. For this thread, I'm specifically asking for study methods. But if procrastination was a huge problem of mine, your post wouldn't help at all.

Flashcards. That's my solution.

 

[GoBriightly]

For most of my science classes, straight memorization doesn't cut it for me... I need to actually understand concepts and why things happen the way they do. I guess it's just how my mind works because I have friends who straight memorize and do as well as I do.
For Anatomy, however, it's all straight memorization for me 😉

 

[SFO-IST]

care to provide tangible evidence?

i went from a 2.84 gpa to a 3.85 last quarter, although my average still sucks. the key for me was simply becoming a geek, cutting out all aspects of my life other than school and my girlfriend. i would go to office hours every day. i would spend a few hours for each subject every day and have questions for the teacher at their office hours. i liked flashcards, but this didn't work for every class. it helps you power through brute memorization, but doesen't work for concepts that can't fit onto a flashcard. good luck. if i can do it so can you!

 

[Snarkalark]

all i do is go to class and pay attention. if i don't understand something, i ask the prof questions until i do. period. sometimes i'll go months without raising my hand and others times i'll ask 6 questions in a single class. i feel like this is where most kids fall short and end up resorting to teaching themselves material despite knowing that they see a paid professional 2-3 times a week.

i've gotten all As without ever studying much or putting in a lot of effort and i'm pretty sure that's why. i also go to a big state school, so who knows.

 

[osumc2014]

all i do is go to class and pay attention. if i don't understand something, i ask the prof questions until i do. period. sometimes i'll go months without raising my hand and others times i'll ask 6 questions in a single class. i feel like this is where most kids fall short and end up resorting to teaching themselves material despite knowing that they see a paid professional 2-3 times a week.

i've gotten all As without ever studying much or putting in a lot of effort and i'm pretty sure that's why. i also go to a big state school, so who knows.

This is true and something I need to work on

 

[harvman11]

For me it's just repetition... I don't bother reading the book, I just go to lecture and pay attention. Then, a week or so before the test I make a "study guide" that contains everything I find important and just read it over a couple times a day. Very easy, takes maybe 4-5 hours to make the guide and then about an hour a day til the test.

The thing is, this won't work for everyone... I pick up the big concepts from lecture, and then just do the grunt memorization starting a week or so before a test. I found this technique freshmen year during organic chem, and have been doing it ever since. For what it's worth, I've gotten all As and A-s other than a B+ in partial differential equations (this method does not work for math/other subjects, just science and engineering).

 

[circulus vitios]

I'm a freshman so take what I say with a grain of salt. I was a straight B student in high school, now I'm an A student. The difference is understanding the concepts and understanding what you're doing (no plug and chugging.)

For biology, just memorize non-stop. I made a huge study guide of everything on the exam and read it over and over and over until I could recite parts from memory.

 

[Mayssy]

My strategy is simply to master and make sense of the concepts. To make sense of concepts, I relate the concepts to fundamental principles and then try to derive the concepts from these fundamental principles. This way the concept becomes intuitive and "common-sense" to me. In my mind, I say this has to be this way bcos ..xyz.. it just makes sense. This way I don't need to memorize a lot of things since the concepts become intuitive and I can readily derive the relationships. This helps my retention of material a lot. However, there are some things that I simply memorize and move on, bcos I can't find any apparent rhyme or reason to it..

👍 I agree. I'll put it in context, maybe you can relate. I have a professor who loves to use powerpoint but her slides have very minimum detail. So it will say something like 'end pregnancy -decrease in progesterone, increase in estrogen -increase in oxytocin, parturition' or somethin like that... If you study only from the slides (and you didn't focus in class, which I don't sometimes) you're stuck wiht memorizing those. BUT if you read book/listen to her lecture this would make sense because oxytocin acts on muscle contractions of uterus (birth) and estrogen has permissive effects because it upregulates oxytocin receptors.

Anyway, that maybe too much detail but the point I'm making is that indeed if the material seems intuitive, you're doing the right thing, if you're memorizing too much, try reading the book because it's good at putting things in context. I also find it helpful when I've covered all of the material to sit back and see how all of the concepts relate (in one way or another they will). Hope that's helped n wasn't too difficult to read.

G'luck next semester🙂

 

[aker321]

I'm an A student and I tutor study skills, if that gives my advice any credence.

Keep track of what works best for you. Some people learn best by listening (see above the people who record lectures, who don't take tons of notes, and don't find reading very helpful). Some people learn best by reading/watching (people who like to read the textbook, notes, slides, and other media). Some people, like myself, are kinesthetic learners--I do best by problem-solving and writing things down. The very act of writing notes helps me remember.

Always go to lecture. You may not feel like you are learning much that you wouldn't get from the book, but professors spend lecture telling you exactly what is going to be on the exam. Listen for emphasis and repetition. Ask a professor at the end of lecture how much detail you need to know for a topic that is covered heavily in the text but not lecture. If there are discussion sections, GO.

Some general tips: keep every subject organized in separate notebooks. That is--one notebook for each class. It is nearly impossible to keep track of everything if you cram it all into a folder or binder, and things will get lost. Invest in the Five Star notebooks that have several folders (I like 3-subject size) so that you have one folder for a syllabus/homework problems, one folder for exams, one folder for old homeworks, one folder for handouts, etc, all in the same place.

It's also a good idea to make a calendar at the beginning of the semester with the date of each exam in every class. I do this in my cell phone. It helps me plan what I'm going to do for the week before a test--do I need to write a lab report early to make room for studying? Can I go away on a certain weekend or do I need to plan on being home because of the exam on that Monday? Over and over I see students realizing they have exams coming up in 4 days that they had no idea about--and at the same time they need to finish papers, work 16 hours, take two other tests, or whatever. When you have to balance a lot of classes, work, writing, studying, socializing, etc...it helps tremendously to know the big picture of your semester.

For Biology, I read every assigned chapter, before lecture if possible, and take notes. I write down every bolded word and its definition. It helps me stay focused and forces me to read carefully. The day or two before a test, I go through all of my lecture notes (on PPT slides the prof. provides before lecture) and textbook notes and I make a practice test for myself. Essentially, I look for the kinds of information that I know would be easy to get tested on--name 3 of something, what is the y, and so on. I take a break, then take the test, and carefully study things I struggled with. It's again, a kinesthetic style, since I'm writing everything down instead of just reading/reviewing.

For Physics, my lecture is totally ridiculously not related to the book, so I stopped reading it and just focus on the problems the professor gives us to practice with. I use my graded homework assignments that I struggled with and earlier tests to practice the day/night before an exam. I also write out all of the formulas on blank notebook paper (the day before/morning of) so I get that kinesthetic aspect of just writing everything out. I remember them much better the next day.

For Organic Chemistry, I feel like I am always behind, but I read the textbook and do every single practice problem in it and every homework problem assigned. I go to my discussion section, the facilitated study groups they held this semester, and do all of the optional assignments online. I used flashcards to learn the reactions. When I didn't get something, I did it over and over and over until I did understand. Organic was ALL ABOUT understanding the big picture for me.

I took all three of those courses, with lab, in addition to working 13 hours per week and volunteering 5, playing on a club team (about 6-8 hours/week), and traveling a couple of times...and got a 3.98 or so this semester. It takes a lot of work but it doesn't mean that you need to end your social life or that you have to perform miracles.

(For GenChem, do the reading, do the practice problems. For Calculus, never skip a lecture, do all of the reading, and do all of the practice problems. Really, for anything that isn't Biology, just practice practice practice so that you're not trying to figure out how to solve a problem while you're taking an exam. You want to see the question, know exactly what they're asking for, and be in your groove of being well-prepared.)

 

[apumic]

I've TA'd and tutored for science and non-science subjects and have generally been the top student. Honestly, a lot seems to have to do with your background (i.e., not skills or "techniques" someone can just "teach" you), but here is what I do and hopefully some of it may help you:
As a general rule... Go to lecture. Listen and take a few notes on what prof thinks are key points (observe the prof and you can usually figure out what's on the test). Get to know your professors but keep appropriate boundaries in mind and be socially sensitive. Glance at the textbook sometime before school begins. (I usually don't use the book much once class is in session unless the prof relies upon the book heavily; I've found most simply use the book to supplement lectures and/or will tend to [subtly] indicate in class the parts of the book s/he cares about/will test -- it is quite rare that a prof will actually cover more than probably 50-60% of a textbook's content thoroughly.)
All of these may change depending upon the prof (e.g., some rely upon the book more than others).
Generally, focus on concepts, not details. Apply knowledge gained in one class to another. Take courses strategically. Develop strong test-taking skills. Develop a good vocabulary and background knowledge as well as critical thinking skills.

 

[mmmcdowe]

hey hey, I'm not the challenger here.

But if I must...
I get A's in my science classes. I am naturally good at science. 1+2=3. bam!

oh man, proving people wrong is TOO easy... I should seriously consider law

I'm going to go to bed tonight after washing behind my ears and PRAY that you are being sarcastic here.

PRAY.

 

[Techmed07]

hey hey, I'm not the challenger here.

But if I must...
I get A's in my science classes. I am naturally good at science. 1+2=3. bam!

oh man, proving people wrong is TOO easy... I should seriously consider law

...........this does not merit a response from me.



Does anybody know a better way to study for Biology classes other than rewriting notes? I am asking for individuals whom have done this before and than switched to a different method.

 

[apumic]

...........this does not merit a response from me.



Does anybody know a better way to study for Biology classes other than rewriting notes? I am asking for individuals whom have done this before and than switched to a different method.

Learn them the first time? Take fewer notes?
Honestly, IMO, if your notes are so "thorough" that you have to rewrite them to memorize and/or understand concepts, you're writing too much!!!
Looking at my old gen bio notes, my entire semester fits on ~30 typed pages (including diagrams, charts, etc.). I ended up with a >100% in the class (average was around 70%; the prof offered about 1% extra credit, which I got, and only missed like 2 points the entire semester). What you take notes on should not be what the professor or book says but your processed interpretation of the key points. If you're taking more than 2 pages of sparsely written notes per hour of lecture (i.e., 2 pages w/ lots of blank space), you're writing too much.

Instead of rewriting your notes, take fewer notes. Get to the points that matter, memorize those and you shouldn't really need to "rewrite" beyond filling out study guides if/when a prof gives them.

Think of it like alcohol. Unless you like a mixed drink, why take the drink when shots are so much quicker? Now, if you like the drink (or writing a lot), then by all means go for it, but if you'd rather just get to done more quickly, take the shots -- same effect, less effort. (And, if you're anything like me, while I may enjoy a mixed drink, wine, or a beer in addition to shots, I've never quite found the same enjoyment out of a lot of unnecessary writing!)

 

[LAman10]

I'm going to go to bed tonight after washing behind my ears and PRAY that you are being sarcastic here.

PRAY.

haha, yeah I'm being sarcastic. NO WAY would I go into law. Lawyers make less money, drive slower cars, and get fewer girls than doctors. Maybe I'll do MD/JD.

 

[Techmed07]

Learn them the first time? Take fewer notes?
Honestly, IMO, if your notes are so "thorough" that you have to rewrite them to memorize and/or understand concepts, you're writing too much!!!
Looking at my old gen bio notes, my entire semester fits on ~30 typed pages (including diagrams, charts, etc.). I ended up with a >100% in the class (average was around 70%; the prof offered about 1% extra credit, which I got, and only missed like 2 points the entire semester). What you take notes on should not be what the professor or book says but your processed interpretation of the key points. If you're taking more than 2 pages of sparsely written notes per hour of lecture (i.e., 2 pages w/ lots of blank space), you're writing too much.

Instead of rewriting your notes, take fewer notes. Get to the points that matter, memorize those and you shouldn't really need to "rewrite" beyond filling out study guides if/when a prof gives them.

That would not fly at my school. You have to write everything down presented and spoken. Missing a word or a sentence could easily cost you 2 points or more on an exam. My Biology I class was heavily concept based..rote memorization did not work. He was so adament on this fact he created open-note test..which resulted in a less than 10% of the class recieving A's.. and a very high drop rate. Genetics, although was not concept based and not open notes.. proved to be difficult because of the amount of information and memorization. For example.. the amino acid on the N-terminus is correlated how long a protein would last before it is degraded (N-terminus rule). This concept was easy enough to understand.. however, the professor could care less about the concept she wanted to know which amino acid correlated to which time before degradation.....X amino acid correlated with the protein lasting more than 20 hrs....

I tried making flashcards, but I ended up with a 84 on the exam using that method. When I rewrote my notes for the final.. I got a 91. I am taking Cell Biology (tons of memorization) next semester... I need to know if there is a better way than just rewriting notes.

 

[apumic]

That would not fly at my school. You have to write everything down presented and spoken. Missing a word or a sentence could easily cost you 2 points or more on an exam. My Biology I class was heavily concept based..rote memorization did not work.

You just contradicted yourself. (Rote memorization....have to write everything down)
You never have to write down everything presented or spoken. It's all a matter of knowing what to write down (and later memorize/understand). This is largely determined by two factors: 1) knowing the concepts (the concept dictates the important details) and 2) knowing the professor (the professor chooses which important details s/he feels are best for testing). I've been in classes like what you describe and I still have to say you'll do better if you learn to distill the important information. (A good instructor knows that it is most important that you are able to remember the critical information from the course and will not test on extraneous details -- for example, one "dirty little secret" of many a bio dept is that nobody in the dept actually remembers all the details of the individual steps of the Kreb cycle even though they make you memorize them, because either they never deal with it at all and so have forgotten all but the basic concepts or they do in-dept research on one part of one step and so only really know the one area they are researching.) Memorizing extraneous crap won't help you. However, a solid background will. (That is what cognitive psychologists would tell you as well. The background or depth of understanding is what matters. Repeatedly reviewing your notes by copying and recopying them has little to no measurable effect on actual performance beyond a simple placebo effect.)

He was so adament on this fact he created open-note test..

Which makes it all the more critical you write down what matters (and nothing that doesn't as this will simply slow down your reading of your notes). Writing down a bunch of extraneous material the prof said isn't going to help you (unless s/he specifically indicates otherwise). In the event that it might, however, you would simply adjust your note-taking style for that one prof. In this case, I would simply recopy my notes (in Word using the copy/paste feature), distilling key topics at this pt (having marked earlier in my over-detailed notes what was actually likely to be on the test). I would then study my distilled version and have both copies for an open-note test.

which resulted in a less than 10% of the class recieving A's.. and a very high drop rate.

Nice.

Genetics, although was not concept based and not open notes.. proved to be difficult because of the amount of information and memorization. For example.. the amino acid on the N-terminus is correlated how long a protein would last before it is degraded (N-terminus rule). This concept was easy enough to understand.. however, the professor could care less about the concept she wanted to know which amino acid correlated to which time before degradation.....X amino acid correlated with the protein lasting more than 20 hrs....

And she probably indicated this during lecture (either expressly or implicitly) and you should have written that information down. This is the kind of detail that a prof feels is important for you to learn along w/ the concept. Strong students simply "know" the prof is going to test on this and/or are able to derive the answer to this question from the concept. They aren't going to test your conceptual knowledge directly. It's the application that matters. I am not sure how your tests are structured, so that would change how one studies for them but there is always a way of working the system, whether you were tested via multiple choice, essay, short answer, fill in the blank, matching, open response, etc.

I tried making flashcards, but I ended up with a 84 on the exam using that method. When I rewrote my notes for the final.. I got a 91. I am taking Cell Biology (tons of memorization) next semester... I need to know if there is a better way than just rewriting notes.

Distilling concepts is what I'd suggest. If you're getting low As and Bs, you sound like you're in the "diligent B student" trap, as I like to call it. You're a hard-worker and a great student but until you figure out "what the 4.0s know," it's going to be tough to achieve at their level. What the "4.0" students know is how to listen and know what the prof is saying is important. They are able to "distill" important concepts.

I will say, though, that I do not suggest flashcards. They tend to break concepts apart and do not reinforce the kinds of connections (associations) you want to establish.

 

[HealingbyFaith]

I don't think there is a generic "better" or "best" way or else we would all be using it and making straight A's. However, there is a "better" way individually. Personally, I like trying different methods and blending them with old ones. I read this thread to pick up on some new ones. =)

Sooo, I'll share a few of mine that haven't been mentioned much already.

Learn from you mistakes: I like to make quizzes for myself chapter by chapter and take it in a few days. Try to inticipate what your teacher would ask. You may not realize you don't know something until you see it in question form. So study that chapter as if the test is tomorrow, make a quiz and then take it in two days. It will show your gaps.

Listen to yourself: I recently started recording myself reading my notes...the next day I would read my notes again as I listened to my recorded voice. As you listen to them it seems to sink down better. Sometimes when you study you may subconsciously not absorb information but once you are forced to read every single word and listen to it, you may look at the concepts differently.

Learn from yourself: Go through your notes chapter by chapter and write down big concepts. So for chapter 1, study your notes for 30 minutes or so. Write down the big topic titles, and then try to explain it OUT LOUD. You can really see how much you know by trying to explain it. It's like a self study group. After you try to explain it, reread that section and see if you were on the money or if you left out big holes.

Study groups: study groups are for everyone. Some people can't study alone and that's sad. The true way to utilize a study group is to learn the information BEFORE going. Once the group comes together go through the topics together and quiz each other. If you were fuzzy on a concept, now is the time to learn from your peers...or maybe you were the only one who didn't write down something in your notes that you thought wasn't important that WAS. This has definitely happened to me.

Flash cards: They will NOT work for every class. If you do use them, don't write on 10 packs. If you know information, don't write it down. Study first and THEN the put the info that just won't stick on the cards. Just keep flipping them over and over til ya get it....only do a 5 at a time until you master them. Then add in 5 more and master the 10 before moving to 15 in total. You'll retain so much better.

Stories: I am the QUEEN of Acronyms. They are not for everyone though! Some people can't remember the words w/o the acronym. My brain will use it temporarily, but after a while it goes away and I just know the info...doesn't work like that for everyone though. Also, make your notes make sense by using real life examples. I'm a bio and chem tutor and I found that some students learn best by relating foreign concepts to something they already understand. For instance: It is sooo hard explaining conversion factors and moles to students who didn't have high school chem. I relate this to a dozen of eggs or like pennies and dollars. Even though there are individual componets that make up the egg/dozen, there is a simpler way of referring to it. Instead of saying, buy me 48 eggs, we say, I need 4 dozen.

Rewriting notes for me is a semi-waste of time. Rewriting does help it stick but reading my rewritten notes does nothing for me. So I'll rather rewrite notes in a productive way like making a quiz. btw, I type my quizzes so I can take them again later for like the final.

Another method for studying for the final is to look at old tests and be able to explain why every option that was incorrect for the multiple choice is wrong and why the right answer is right. You can find online tests from other schools and do this method to prepare for any test too.

The main reason my methods work for me is because I GO TO CLASS. When something seems familiar to me (after I've heard it in class) it sticks sooo much better. I hated missing class for interviews. I noticed that when I studied for tests, it was harder for me to learn the info I didn't hear in class, despite me reading it in the book. So go to class and at least GRASP a big chunk and then try methods to OWN the info.

Hope these techniques can help someone. 🙂

I was told that the methods used in college won't work in med school. I don't know what's left for me. It seems like I've at least tried them all. lol 😀 ...If you know more, please post.

 

[Techmed07]

You just contradicted yourself. (Rote memorization....have to write everything down)
You never have to write down everything presented or spoken. It's all a matter of knowing what to write down (and later memorize/understand). This is largely determined by two factors: 1) knowing the concepts (the concept dictates the important details) and

No, recopying is not rote memorization...it is actually a form of active learning..while rereading your distilled notes is a form of passive learning or studying. In most of my biology classes there is no way to know what is going to be tested. The professors like it this way (no practice tests ect..changing what they focus on each semester). They want you to attempt to learn all the information presented. Trying to create a sparknotes version of the notes may result in you missing a couple questions on a detail that your professor said as a after thought. Most of the A's students record the lectures.

2) The background or depth of understanding is what matters. Repeatedly reviewing your notes by copying and recopying them has little to no measurable effect on actual performance beyond a simple placebo effect.)

I do not agree with the fact you think rewriting (I did not say recopying ..there is a difference) your notes has no benifical returns it offers more than a placebo affect I assure you. See below-

http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html#takenotesinclass

And she probably indicated this during lecture (either expressly or implicitly) and you should have written that information down.

No, she did not.

Distilling concepts is what I'd suggest. If you're getting low As and Bs, you sound like you're in the "diligent B student" trap, as I like to call it. You're a hard-worker and a great student but until you figure out "what the 4.0s know," it's going to be tough to achieve at their level. What the "4.0" students know is how to listen and know what the prof is saying is important. They are able to "distill" important concepts.

I have a 3.95 ( B+ in honors political science).. My way is working just trying to find a faster way...omitting information does not seem like it is going to help me.

 

[HPSPpayissues]

My strategy is simply to master and make sense of the concepts. To make sense of concepts, I relate the concepts to fundamental principles and then try to derive the concepts from these fundamental principles. This way the concept becomes intuitive and "common-sense" to me. In my mind, I say this has to be this way bcos ..xyz.. it just makes sense. This way I don't need to memorize a lot of things since the concepts become intuitive and I can readily derive the relationships. This helps my retention of material a lot. However, there are some things that I simply memorize and move on, bcos I can't find any apparent rhyme or reason to it..

This works VERY well for undergrad, even in top 25 schools. Mastering concepts and then relating things, even different concepts to the whole, worked amazingly well for me. Afterward, I went on to cram as much detail as I can... However, my rote memorization skills took a dive during my undergrad, and I almost paid big for it my first semester of med school 😳. But you do adjust and get used to it.Med school is 90% rote memorization, you know. But those that get top 10% are those that can well corelate and integrate various concepts together. About 20% of med school exams are almost 2 -3rd order questions, some even much harder than the MCAT ones. Knowing and being able to apply various concepts pay dividends for squeezing out higher order questions on class exams, shelf exams, clinical integration courses, and steps!😀

 

[Techmed07]

This works VERY well for undergrad, even in top 25 schools. Mastering concepts and then relating things, even different concepts to the whole, worked amazingly well for me. Afterward, I went on to cram as much detail as I can... However, my rote memorization skills took a dive during my undergrad, and I almost paid big for it my first semester of med school 😳. But you do adjust and get used to it.Med school is 90% rote memorization, you know. But those that get top 10% are those that can well corelate and integrate various concepts together. About 20% of med school exams are almost 2 -3rd order questions, some even much harder than the MCAT ones. Knowing and being able to apply various concepts pay dividends for squeezing out higher order questions on class exams, shelf exams, clinical integration courses, and steps!😀

Sounds like concept maps

 

[apumic]

No, recopying is not rote memorization...it is actually a form of active learning..while rereading your distilled notes is a form of passive learning or studying. In most of my biology classes there is no way to know what is going to be tested. The professors like it this way (no practice tests ect..changing what they focus on each semester). They want you to attempt to learn all the information presented. Trying to create a sparknotes version of the notes may result in you missing a couple questions on a detail that your professor said as a after thought. Most of the A's students record the lectures.




I do not agree with the fact you think rewriting (I did not say recopying ..there is a difference) your notes has no benifical returns it offers more than a placebo affect I assure you. See below-

http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html#takenotesinclass





No, she did not.


I have a 3.95 ( B+ in honors political science).. My way is working just trying to find a faster way...omitting information does not seem like it is going to help me.

Fair enough. I don't think you are quite understanding what I am suggesting, to be honest. Distilling requires processing and I am not saying every professor gives obvious signs of what will be on a test. What I am saying is that people have tells. In the same way you can read a person when playing Mafia, you can "read" a professor unless that person has not yet seen the test and it was written by someone else entirely. That is, if the person knows what s/he intends to test on, s/he will "tell" that s/he intends to test on something simply by his/her behavior. As students, we simply have to learn what a given person's tells are.

The syllabus entry you quoted is great if you need it but it's really a lot of unnecessary work for many students and may undermining active learning as it asks you to passively copy information as it is said. It is the processing that occurs while taking key points in notes that matters, not the copying.

 

[Techmed07]

Fair enough. I don't think you are quite understanding what I am suggesting, to be honest. Distilling requires processing and I am not saying every professor gives obvious signs of what will be on a test. What I am saying is that people have tells. In the same way you can read a person when playing Mafia, you can "read" a professor unless that person has not yet seen the test and it was written by someone else entirely. That is, if the person knows what s/he intends to test on, s/he will "tell" that s/he intends to test on something simply by his/her behavior. As students, we simply have to learn what a given person's tells are.

The syllabus entry you quoted is great if you need it but it's really a lot of unnecessary work for many students and may undermining active learning as it asks you to passively copy information as it is said. It is the processing that occurs while taking key points in notes that matters, not the copying.

This is exactly what happened with my genetics professor. She made the exam a day before it was given in addition she used a test bank that came with the book... she was a horrible teacher. I will try your method just because it seems like it will save a lot of time...

 

[apumic]

This is exactly what happened with my genetics professor. She made the exam a day before it was given in addition she used a test bank that came with the book... she was a horrible teacher. I will try your method just because it seems like it will save a lot of time...

In that case, you're probably right. I would have been SOL on the first test, lol, and making it up later. (Although I have yet to have this happen and I graduated w/ a 3.8 and have had a 4.0 in every semester since then.) I'm just suggesting that you can probably get by with less work. At the same time, if what you are doing is working for you, then it works for you, you know? Don't mess with your strategy to much or all at once. If anything, change it a little at a time and see what works. I don't want my "efficiency strategy" to be your downfall! lol. Good luck, though. It sounds like you're doing awesome in college so far!