Question about how I study

[asigna]

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So I usually do 6-8 hours of studying a day, and for finals I've been preparing by doing 12 hours. And it's been killing me..

The thing is...I'm beginning to think that this is a little excessive. It feels like I'm doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong, I end up getting the grades I want, but there are people who study a LOT less and still do good. I'm not sure why though. I told myself that I will do anything necessary to become a doctor, even if it means studying more than the average person.

Any advice or tips?


-Thanks

 

[ScholarStud]

Are you actually studying 12 hours? Pure studying and nothing in between? I don't see how that is humanly possible, although I've never gone more than 6 hours in a day so perhaps it's just me.

 

[asigna]

Nah not straight 12. Like I do 4 hours of something, take a break and eat, another 4, then break, and then another four

 

[alexlex143]

You're not alone. I don't think it's too unusual, though it may depend on your course load. I find myself studying a bit less but I have friends that push 6+ too. I do have to work part-time, otherwise I might study more. I definitely have to study A LOT for maximum retention.

To each their own I guess.

 

[Belle Melodie]

So I usually do 6-8 hours of studying a day, and for finals I've been preparing by doing 12 hours. And it's been killing me..

The thing is...I'm beginning to think that this is a little excessive. It feels like I'm doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong, I end up getting the grades I want, but there are people who study a LOT less and still do good. I'm not sure why though. I told myself that I will do anything necessary to become a doctor, even if it means studying more than the average person.

Any advice or tips?


-Thanks

I think 12 hours a day is ALOT. Maybe except for finals it's sort of an exception but you have to let your brain relax. It's harder to retain information if you dont give it a break and I dont just mean like an hour in between each subject. Maybe you should do a particular subject per day doing the 6 hours, ie: 3 hours, 1 or 2 hr break, then another 3 hours.

Maybe you should do the rule of 3 hours per credit. I'm sure that after a certain amount of hours your brain will shut down and stop retaining information efficiently.

The reason why those other ppl are still gettin great grades and studying less is probably because they are concentrating on the Quality of their studying instead of the Quantity. I hope this helps!!

 

[Lady Netter]

- take out distractions -> turn off your phone, block facebook. Concentrate on what you're studying on
- get enough sleep -> if you aren't sleeping well, you're probably not studying well

Everyone is going to take longer or shorter to study. Don't compare yourself to others - do what you need to do to get what you want.

At this point, it's so close to the end of semester, it's too late to change study habits. Do what works. Take the summer to read up a little bit on study tips and ways to change and try implementing them next semester. Don't bother to do it now - it won't work well.

ETA:
- take breaks. I used to think it was easier for me to just bulldoze through the material, but don't do that. Study for an hour then take a 10 minute break -> LEAVE your study space. Go do dishes. Wash clothes. Something else. It'll keep you from going crazy.

 

[asigna]

Exactly how can I study better, and not longer? That's what I try to do but it ends up taking a long time -_-

 

[Daneosaurus]

So I usually do 6-8 hours of studying a day, and for finals I've been preparing by doing 12 hours. And it's been killing me..

The thing is...I'm beginning to think that this is a little excessive. It feels like I'm doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong, I end up getting the grades I want, but there are people who study a LOT less and still do good. I'm not sure why though. I told myself that I will do anything necessary to become a doctor, even if it means studying more than the average person.

Any advice or tips?


-Thanks

😱 This very excessive. YMMV, but I am a full time student, married to a wife who is also a full time student, have two kids > 5 years old, and I study NOWHERE NEAR this amount. I'm lucky to get in 3 hours most days and I still have a 3.7 GPA. I know I will have to ramp it up next spring when it becomes MCAT-prep time, but, this amount has done just fine for me.

 

[Mosa]

Exactly how can I study better, and not longer? That's what I try to do but it ends up taking a long time -_-

The answer to this will be specific to you. What works for others for them to study smarter not harder will not necessarily work for you. I suggest finding if your school offers academic coaching; mine does and it is helpful in leading students to find their learning style and suggesting ways of studying which cater to their specific learning styles. There are learning style questionnaires you can take to assess what type of learned you are (visual, audio, etc.) and create your study tactics to your learning style.

 

[Belle Melodie]

The answer to this will be specific to you. What works for others for them to study smarter not harder will not necessarily work for you. I suggest finding if your school offers academic coaching; mine does and it is helpful in leading students to find their learning style and suggesting ways of studying which cater to their specific learning styles. There are learning style questionnaires you can take to assess what type of learned you are (visual, audio, etc.) and create your study tactics to your learning style.

I second this.

 

[music2doc]

So I usually do 6-8 hours of studying a day, and for finals I've been preparing by doing 12 hours. And it's been killing me..

The thing is...I'm beginning to think that this is a little excessive. It feels like I'm doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong, I end up getting the grades I want, but there are people who study a LOT less and still do good. I'm not sure why though. I told myself that I will do anything necessary to become a doctor, even if it means studying more than the average person.

Any advice or tips?


-Thanks

I'm going to be frank here, if have to study this much you will never make it in medical school. As someone who studied less than an hour per week in undergrad science courses and pulled top score in the class most of the time but now studies a solid 4 hrs/day in med school and pretty much continuously for 2-3 days before exams, I just don't see how you can afford to ramp what you're doing up to the equivalent for med school. You need to figure out what's up and adjust or you'll never make it.

 

[ScholarStud]

I'm going to be frank here, if have to study this much you will never make it in medical school. I just don't see how you can afford to ramp what you're doing up to the equivalent for med school. You need to figure out what's up and adjust or you'll never make it.

There, much better; now you sound less arrogant. Everybody gets 1... Don't expect me to go around editing all your posts now... 😀

 

[music2doc]

There, much better; now you sound less arrogant. Everybody gets 1... Don't expect me to go around editing all your posts now... 😀

Oh ok, thanks. Honestly, I got over caring what people thought of me here a long time ago But thanks, the reason for giving my own experience was to illustrate what it takes, not to bolster myself. As I stated, I could care less if you all think I'm smart, stupid, arrogant, humble, friendly....

 

[asigna]

I find it hard to believe that you only studied an hour a week in undergrad...not even non pre med majors do this...if you actually have, congrats. Do you have any tips?

Does anyone have any tips that would work for me to help me study more efficiently?

 

[music2doc]

I find it hard to believe that you only studied an hour a week in undergrad...not even non pre med majors do this...if you actually have, congrats. Do you have any tips?

Does anyone have any tips that would work for me to help me study more efficiently?

Go to class and learn it the first time while you're there. I wasn't counting class time into my hour. I would say take fewer notes, listen carefully, engage the material, and occasionally teach/tutor others.

 

[asigna]

You can't possibly learn everything in the classroom...look at orgo..you'll need plenty of time to practice that..

 

[amazing tekkers]

Efficiency is key.

These are a few quotes on how to improve studying techniques by sdn members. You can always use the search for more techniques.

I agree with those that said understanding the concepts is more important than memorizing every detail. On my first day of O.Chem the professor said those of you that don't just memorize reactions, but understand the chemistry will do best. I didn't know what he was talking about at first, but as the semester went on I focused on chemistry not just this named reaction does A then B then C. By the second semester I was scoring perfect or near perfect stores with minimal studying while other students had color coded notecards with 5000 mechanisms written on them.

I also find that those concepts that the professors usually blow through at the beginning of a chapter/book/semester, those foundational concepts, are the most important part of really "getting it." Spend time understanding the core concepts and building solid foundations, and the "difficult" concepts will come easy.

Finally, I find most people that over-study or take copious amounts of complex notes, are doing what I call "Guilty Studying." They overstudy inefficiently for hours on end so that they feel like they did everything they could when they get the grade. To me if you make more of an effort to understand concepts, you shouldn't need more than a couple of hours to study the material that builds on those concepts. For example, I often take condensed notes at the beginning of a chapter, connecting important concepts to foundational concepts. I then make sure to look at those condensed notes for about 15 minutes each day. Come mid-term or final I am so familiar with all of the concepts by just taking a few minutes each day, I don't need much more than an hour to review.

Also, figure out your learning style. When I'm struggling to get something, I try to find audio on it because I'm an auditory learner. I'll be commuting to work, listening to the audio, when all of the sudden it just clicks.

Work problems and want it. Plain and simple. Instead of trying to write down every word out of the teachers mouth, read your book, work problems, do the self tests, buy the solutions manual, read/study every day. You will do well and realize that lecture is a joke. You will also start to actually understand the material and how it all relates. You do not need to memorize every single thing, just know the concepts and learn critical thinking.

This is key

I've found that one of the best ways to learn is to try to teach the material to someone else. Help other people out if you find that anyone is struggling, it will benefit the both of you a lot more than you'd think.

 

[Gauss44]

So I usually do 6-8 hours of studying a day, and for finals I've been preparing by doing 12 hours. And it's been killing me..

The thing is...I'm beginning to think that this is a little excessive. It feels like I'm doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong, I end up getting the grades I want, but there are people who study a LOT less and still do good. I'm not sure why though. I told myself that I will do anything necessary to become a doctor, even if it means studying more than the average person.

Any advice or tips?


-Thanks

Some thoughts (no need to answer, unless you want to):

1. Are you sure most other people are studying less?

2. What is your course load? (Actually, this answer would be useful.)

3. Are you playing catch up?

4. Does your university have a policy that you don't know about, like where they will only test on material presented in lectures?

5. Do you review your notes right after the lecture? Eating right? Sleeping adequately? That's how I study most efficiently.

6. Is your studying mostly productive, or do you spend significant amounts of time working hard and learning very little? (This can be from a lack of sleep, etc.)

7. Is an undiagnosed learning disability interfering? (You don't have to answer.)

8. Is a psychological issue interfering, such as having your mind wonder away from what you're studying? (You don't have to answer.)

 

[Gauss44]

So I usually do 6-8 hours of studying a day, and for finals I've been preparing by doing 12 hours. And it's been killing me..

The thing is...I'm beginning to think that this is a little excessive. It feels like I'm doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong, I end up getting the grades I want, but there are people who study a LOT less and still do good. I'm not sure why though. I told myself that I will do anything necessary to become a doctor, even if it means studying more than the average person.

Any advice or tips?


-Thanks

Some thoughts (no need to answer, unless you want to):

1. Are you sure most other people are studying less?

2. What is your course load? (Actually, this answer would be useful.)

3. Are you playing catch up?

4. Does your university have a policy that you don't know about, like where they will only test on material presented in lectures?

5. Do you review your notes right after the lecture? Eat right? Sleep adequately? That's how I study most efficiently.

6. Is your studying mostly productive, or do you spend significant amounts of time working hard and learning very little? (This can be from a lack of sleep, etc.)

7. Is an undiagnosed learning disability interfering? (You don't have to answer.)

8. Is a psychological issue interfering, such as having your mind wonder away from what you're studying A LOT? (You don't have to answer.)

 

[asigna]

I am taking 17 credit hours: bio, bio lab, chem, chem lab, calc 1, political science, and a writing class.

I get about 7 hours of sleep. I am up to date with my material too.

 

[music2doc]

You can't possibly learn everything in the classroom...look at orgo..you'll need plenty of time to practice that..

Ochem can be learned mostly in the classroom. The key is to understand WHY things occur, not try to memorize rxns. Most of Ochem is theoretically-derived, so 99% of the time things will follow a very ordered, logical process. +s attract -s (and vice versa), big things get in the way of other big things, things are randomly floating around and bumping into each other all the time (heat means these things collide more often), etc. If you understand the trends and other rules, all you have to do now is become familiar with a few reagents and catalysts (and categorize them in your mind).

If you can do all of that, whenever a someone shows you a couple of molecules and asks what happens or asks how to make something, you can work through it conceptually. Sure, it's good to have seen some examples of similar problems so that you have had practice applying those concepts to known solutions, but doing 10s or 100s of problems in one topic is pretty low-yield, IMO.

 

[deleted303591]

Good luck on finals.

You are not helping yourself by posting a thread, soliciting opinions of people posting on a public forum during finals or reading week about whether or not the time put in studying is excessive.

It is the end of the semester and posting such a thread is only going to be demoralizing to you-while you should be studying.

It is too late to be asking for advice on how to cut down study time, at least on a public forum. That won't help you for this semester. The situation would be different if you were getting help from your school-in person, from peers, friends, faculty, etc.

You should be studying every second aside from personal care and wellbeing, interacting with your peers, and other necessary obligations.

Just remember....

Two to three weeks of hell and then you have free time, to do whatever you want.

(Perhaps ask for strategies and advice on how to cut down study time, make the best out of your courses, and optimize your grades-after the semester ends.)

I personally rely on technology for efficiency, and I am resourceful enough to where I can study anywhere on the fly, via my iPhone, iPad, or Mac-such as in line at the bank or waiting in a doctor's office. For example, all of my notes are digitized.