time management

[erinasky]

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Does anyone have any tips or tricks for time management? I feel like all I do is study and I am not doing as well as I should be for the amount of time I spend on homework. I am taking 14 credits, trig, chem, art history and Greek history (history classes are to satisfy general requirements)

Thanks!

 

[PetPony]

Have you tried other study techniques?

 

[RagtimeWillie]

I set a timer on my watch, plan everything out via time-sheet for each day...set doable goals each day to make progress. I also don't watch TV and eat my veggies.

 

[EngrSC]

I have a big chalkboard/white board that is amazing! It's on casters and is a white board on one side and a chalkboard on the other. Writing out my schedule for the week if things are crazy and/or being able to draw big diagrams to understand things helps me a lot 🙂

 

[equineconstant]

I have a big chalkboard/white board that is amazing! It's on casters and is a white board on one side and a chalkboard on the other. Writing out my schedule for the week if things are crazy and/or being able to draw big diagrams to understand things helps me a lot 🙂

I have a small whiteboard that I've come to love. I used it for practicing structure drawing and naming for organic chem and biochem, and practicing characters and vocab when I was taking Japanese.

 

[EngrSC]

I have a small whiteboard that I've come to love. I used it for practicing structure drawing and naming for organic chem and biochem, and practicing characters and vocab when I was taking Japanese.

Best investment I ever made. They're multifunctional 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for time management? I feel like all I do is study and I am not doing as well as I should be for the amount of time I spend on homework. I am taking 14 credits, trig, chem, art history and Greek history (history classes are to satisfy general requirements)

I think the first step is an honest assessment: Are you really studying as much as you say you are? Not attacking you or accusing you of dishonesty or anything silly ... I just think we all have a tendency to overestimate the time investment. Alternatively, we may actually be sitting there with our notes, but we're getting distracted by texting, FB'ing, or whatever every 5 minutes ... so we're not really effectively studying.

I used to have a study partner who had her books in front of her at least 8 hours a day. But she was hardly studying - she was way more busy texting, taking breaks to make phone calls ... etc. By the time you added up actual study time, it was laughable.

If you can objectively and honestly saying you're investing hours a day of focused study time, then the logical conclusion is that your studying is ineffective. In that case - talk to your school. They probably have people trained to help evaluate your study techniques and provide suggestions.

If you're just not studying as much as you think, or it's time where you're not really focused because of facebook, email, texting ... then the answer is obvious - turn all that stuff off and focus. I'm horrible at this - my posting on SDN goes up when I have a test because I let myself get distracted.

Best of luck!

 

[that redhead]

I know that I personally need to adjust my study technique based on the course and how the material is presented. You're taking (among other things) trig and art history. Trig (or math in general) is more about learning the concepts and actually doing the problems. Do as many problems as possible, check your answers, re-do the problems until you get it. Search for more problems. Ask a TA to go through the problems with you if you're still stuck.

Art history is about memorizing stuff- names, dates, etc. So for me, flashcards would be really helpful for the rote memorization. You can see how the study method for this kind of memorization class is really different than a math or chemistry-type class where you need to learn the concepts and apply them to a problem you get on a test.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I think the first step is an honest assessment: Are you really studying as much as you say you are? Not attacking you or accusing you of dishonesty or anything silly ... I just think we all have a tendency to overestimate the time investment. Alternatively, we may actually be sitting there with our notes, but we're getting distracted by texting, FB'ing, or whatever every 5 minutes ... so we're not really effectively studying.

+1

For me, knowing myself and being honest with myself was what finally allowed me to manage my time wisely. I know that I'm utterly incapable of setting up a study schedule in advance and sticking to it. I know that I'm incapable of studying a little at a time everyday. If I try, it's totally inefficient, and I waste time. The time that I'm "supposed to be studying" but am actually not accomplishing anything is time that's totally wasted! I could have watched tv, or gone out to dinner with friends, or played with my cat, or what have you. So I don't allow myself to waste that time.

If an exam or project is due on Friday, then I spend all weekend and prob mon + tues doing everything in the world I could possibly want to do. All the fun procrastination things. I go and help out at a clinic, watch tv marathon, cook a complicated meal, research internships/externships/whatever else is something that needs to be done but not academic related. Then I make SURE that Wed and Thurs's schedule is 100% clear so that I can really hunker down and do nothing but study. I also sleep like all day + night tuesday so that I'm well rested and can pull allnighters like a champ come wed/thurs.

 

[OwlandPussycat]

I think the first step is an honest assessment: Are you really studying as much as you say you are? Not attacking you or accusing you of dishonesty or anything silly ... I just think we all have a tendency to overestimate the time investment. Alternatively, we may actually be sitting there with our notes, but we're getting distracted by texting, FB'ing, or whatever every 5 minutes ... so we're not really effectively studying.

This. I do this. I am not a very disciplined studier, and I will often catch myself taking a 5 minute facebook break for every 5 minutes of study time. Surprisingly, it's not very efficient.

 

[Emiloo4]

I know that I personally need to adjust my study technique based on the course and how the material is presented. You're taking (among other things) trig and art history. Trig (or math in general) is more about learning the concepts and actually doing the problems. Do as many problems as possible, check your answers, re-do the problems until you get it. Search for more problems. Ask a TA to go through the problems with you if you're still stuck.

Art history is about memorizing stuff- names, dates, etc. So for me, flashcards would be really helpful for the rote memorization. You can see how the study method for this kind of memorization class is really different than a math or chemistry-type class where you need to learn the concepts and apply them to a problem you get on a test.

👍

I find that flashcards don't work form me in most subjects. I just feel like I'm wasting time making them. If they work for you, great, they just aren't for me. I have friends who spend all their time making them and never studying them and wonder what happened. 🙄
Like redhead mentioned, you have to change your studying for each class you take depending on how the information is presented or needs to be processed.
I also have a friend who goes through notes and highlights every.single.word on every.single.page.... that is the most pointless thing I've ever watched.

 

[Awendela]

I find that flashcards don't work form me in most subjects. I just feel like I'm wasting time making them. If they work for you, great, they just aren't for me. I have friends who spend all their time making them and never studying them and wonder what happened. 🙄

I actually find this strategy surprisingly effective. The act of making flashcards and study guides/outlines is honestly at least as helpful to me as studying them because it's sort of like creating a filing system in my brain that I can access on test day. But maybe that's just me.

 

[LetItSnow]

I actually find this strategy surprisingly effective. The act of making flashcards and study guides/outlines is honestly at least as helpful to me as studying them because it's sort of like creating a filing system in my brain that I can access on test day. But maybe that's just me.

Not just you. There are many a test in vet school so far where all I've had time to do for studying is to write my notes. So my entire studying will consist of 1) listening to the lecture in class, 2) writing my notes a day or two before the exam.

The physical act of writing is powerful. I do noticeably better on those exams than if I type my notes or simply sit and read/review the lecture notes/slides/book/whatever.

I know a lot of my classmates do the same thing. Just depends on the exam and how much time you have.

 

[equineconstant]

I actually find this strategy surprisingly effective. The act of making flashcards and study guides/outlines is honestly at least as helpful to me as studying them because it's sort of like creating a filing system in my brain that I can access on test day. But maybe that's just me.

I find something similar. For my organic chem final and then cumulative-over-both-semesters final, I made flash cards for every mechanism we needed to know. I did not go over them at all, except as a convenient place to look up 'wait, what's E2 again' rather than flipping through all my notes. But by making them, I had to look over all the material again, figure out what was important enough to go on the card, and take the time to write it. So even if I never looked at the giant stack, it helped.

Similarly, I type up my notes for most of my classes each week from my handwritten notes. It means I take the time to go through it again, and later (even next semester or years later) if I want to look something up it's easy to Ctrl+F it. Plus this semester I'm getting paid to do it, which is awesome. 😎

 

[prevetdreamer]

I am definitely guilty of being unproductive/distracted while I'm trying to study. One thing that helps me stay on track is to make to do lists. I'll write out everything that I would ideally like to get done that day or weekend and make them specific like "review lecture 8" or "make metabolism study guide" so that I know exactly what I want to get done. Plus, I really like checking things off and this enables me to accomplish small goals throughout my study time, which keeps me motivated to keep going. If I get bored with one thing, I can just move on to another goal instead of doing something stupid.

And I am practically incapable of studying at home, so I try to avoid that if at all possible. To my brain, home = relax. lol

 

[kakurubird]

Not just you. There are many a test in vet school so far where all I've had time to do for studying is to write my notes. So my entire studying will consist of 1) listening to the lecture in class, 2) writing my notes a day or two before the exam.

The physical act of writing is powerful. I do noticeably better on those exams than if I type my notes or simply sit and read/review the lecture notes/slides/book/whatever.

I know a lot of my classmates do the same thing. Just depends on the exam and how much time you have.

Rewriting notes helps me a lot. Also especially if I'm trying to condense them imto fewer pages so I have to think about what is most important and how can I wrote it most succinctly.

If I'm just reading over notes, I find I tend to "read" amd there isn't a whole lot of recall I get from that. Basically, in order for studying to be effective for me, it needs to be active amd I need to be kinetically doing something.

Again, this kind of thing really depends on how you learn best, so think about that. Do you do better hearing something or reading it or seeing it diagrammed, etc.?
Just something else to consider.

 

[Trilt]

Personally I find flashcards a really frustrating, disjointed way to write notes out; having to turn every detail into a "sound bite" or info or Q&A is really not helpful to me. I tend to do a lot of mindmaps with connecting concepts, and then just general rewriting and personally find it a lot more helpful than flashcards.

 

[PetPony]

It depends on the subject etc. Some things work well for flash cards and others don't at all.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I find that flashcards don't work form me in most subjects. I just feel like I'm wasting time making them. If they work for you, great, they just aren't for me. I have friends who spend all their time making them and never studying them and wonder what happened. 🙄

That's me. I usually finish making my flashcards about 2-3 am the night before the exam. I may or may not get through them all once before the exam. Sometimes I end up with like 800+ flashcards for one exam, and lose hope of ever getting through them. But the process of making them does help a ton. I use a software that allows me to tag important ones or certain concepts, so I can prioritize which ones I do go through. The software also only gives you 20 cards at a time, and repeats those that you get wrong and won't add a new card in that stack of 20 until you start getting some right. So it's made to make you retain info. This method has never failed me. I don't think there's ever been a test where I've scored less than the class average when I've done it this way. The going through powerpoints over and over method on the other hand is useless to me. I bomb exams when I do that. Handwriting helps the best, but there isn't always time for that... and it really hurts your wrists after a while.

I also have a friend who goes through notes and highlights every.single.word on every.single.page.... that is the most pointless thing I've ever watched.

haha, I also do that. But it's not because I'm looking to highlight important info. I just do it to keep track of what I've read. Otherwise, I'll absent mindedly read the same paragraphs over and over and over.

point being... different things work for different peeps. you never know what kind of "worthless" things other people do that actually helps them. as long as they're not failing, they must be doing something right.

 

[psilovethomas]

I use a lot of different techniques and it all depends on the type and amount of material. Before vet school, I made flashcards. I quickly realized that flashcards wouldn't work in vet school because there is just too much info. I make charts for anatomy lab. I read the coursepack for anatomy and write down everything I don't think I will remember on a few pieces of printer paper, that way I have all the info right in front of me in condensed form, instead of having to go through the coursepack and find the nitty gritty details before an exam. For histo, I retype the notes into an outline format, print it out, highlight, and may condense the info I don't know. For micro, I fill out the objectives provided by our prof (you could do this by answering questions posed in books at the end of chapters). It all depends.

 

[wildcatj]

Minner, what flashcard program do you use that does that? I've been looking for another good one.

 

[Emiloo4]

Handwriting helps the best, but there isn't always time for that... and it really hurts your wrists after a while.

I have to handwrite a lot to put things in my brain too. And yeah, I have carpel tunnel syndrome and it definitely flares up more around exams

point being... different things work for different peeps. you never know what kind of "worthless" things other people do that actually helps them. as long as they're not failing, they must be doing something right.

And yes, absolutely. That was my point too. Find what works for you. I think some people are scared to try new things bc failing an exam from changing your study habits would suck , but OP, if you aren't doing well to begin with, it might not hurt to try something different.

 

[wildcatj]

I totally second the re-writing notes thing. It also helps me feel less panicked because I can shrink a million pages of notes down to something reasonable. And it forces me to truly summarize and organize what I have and make better sense of it. Plus I am super visual, so I find I can picture where things are on a page to help trigger the info during an exam.

 

[Emiloo4]

I totally second the re-writing notes thing. It also helps me feel less panicked because I can shrink a million pages of notes down to something reasonable. And it forces me to truly summarize and organize what I have and make better sense of it. Plus I am super visual, so I find I can picture where things are on a page to help trigger the info during an exam.

Yep, that's me. I like to try and figure out pictures and graphs instead of memorize concepts. Just doesn't work for me.

 

[LetItSnow]

I think some people are scared to try new things bc failing an exam from changing your study habits would suck , but OP, if you aren't doing well to begin with, it might not hurt to try something different.

I think there's a crapton of truth in that.... the study partner I mentioned who 'studied' all the time and did poorly was stuck in a nasty cycle. She felt like she studied all the time, but the 'doing poorly' part just made her think she needed to study more, which just stressed her out more, so she still did poorly. She was too afraid to try changing her actual approach, because she was doing poorly so there was all that pressure on every test to do better. So she just sorta kept butting her head against the same wall, test after test. I kept offering suggestions, and she just kept saying "no, no, I just need to find more time." Poor girl 'studied' more hours for a couple lousy undergrad classes than most of us do in vet school, and she just kept struggling.

If it's consistently not working, it's time to try something new.

 

[485501]

One thing that helps me is being able to have all my materials for whatever I'm studying spread out around me. It's way more effective for me to study on my bed or on the floor or on a couch with a table in front of me than sitting at a desk or at a table in a chair. I usually have my textbook/s, notes, dictionary of biology, notes from related/prerequisite classes, and my computer spread out around me, plus any other materials. A bonus to having things set up this way is that it makes it a bit annoying to get up, so I tend to study longer. Also, if your notes/materials are mostly not on your computer, you can put it at the edge of your reach, and then the temptation to constantly go back to your computer to do something unrelated is reduced (for me at least).

For straight-up memorizing, I've done a LOT of experimenting on this, and by far the best way for me is to read something while listening to someone else/a recording of me reading it out loud. Sounds a bit odd, I know, but it is easily two or three times faster for me than any other method I've tried. Second best is reading things aloud to myself - not whispering, either, I mean talking in a stage voice. Third best tends to vary by what type of info I'm memorizing, but I have had some success at various points with flashcards, writing things out, making a list and then writing it in a different order, reading the same thing over and over, making mnemonics, setting things to music in my head (or out loud), making puns with the info, reading the same fact from several different sources (e.g. phrased differently, on paper and on computer, in different fonts, in different colors, etc.).

I also find I study best when it's not completely quiet, but there's no words in the noise. So, instumental music, ambient noise, birdsong, people talking too far away/quietly for me to make out words, etc. all help my concentration. I do know some people, though, who swear by earplugs to get them to focus.

 

[Awendela]

For stuff that is memorizable, I also make recordings for myself. I have a thirty minute commute to school and work, so I have at least an hour every day where I'm driving. Having something I can listen to (and try to repeat/talk along with) goes a long way toward maximizing my study time.

 

[tropictuco]

I make my own "tests". I put all my notes in question and answer form, just making up a booklet of notebook paper with my Questions and Answer Keys. I find it superior to flash cards because I have more freedom to make drawings to label or compare and contrast tables. It's also a lot easier to cart booklets of notebook paper around with me than bulky flashcards. Like a lot of people, the actual making of the study guide helps a lot, because I really have to understand the material and consider it differently to make it.

I do "take my test" once or twice before I take the real exam, because I find that making myself recall the material like I would have to on an exam really helps. I think there are studies showing that as well...

 

[kanderson615]

My study strategy involves outlining and making flashcards. I write notes in class, and then when I get a chance, I outline the material by typing my notes into Word. As I'm outlining, I make flashcards using StudyBlue. I put a minimal amount of material onto each flashcard, and I try to write it out as if I'm writing a test question. I make one flashcard deck for each lecture, and they usually end up being huge because I put a tiny amount of material onto each card - but it's worth it because that way I can easily separate out what I do and don't know. If I'm cramming and don't have a lot of time, I make flash cards straight from my notes, but I do find that the outlining really helps me organize the material in my mind.

As far as time management goes....... Haha I'll have to get back to you on that one. But really, I find that I'm a little better at time management now that I'm in vet school than when I was in undergrad, mostly because I don't have any other choice. I know that I can't afford to not study, so I just do it (all night, every night.... bleah). Now, how effective I am is another story...

 

[PetPony]

I'm really trying out new stuff this semester to figure out what works for me before I start with Ochem.

Tonight I decided to write down my goals of what to know about each BacT lecture as a minimum. Symptoms etc. about diseases we learned. Once I can answer that, I give myself new goals.

Reviewing podcasts has really helped me in Bio. I wish we had them in every class. I literally went from a 55 to a 77 to a 90 on my tests thanks to the podcasts. I asked my repro prof to think about doing podcasts and he said he'd think about it. Hopefully by the time I take the class again, he will. It would help me a ton.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm really trying out new stuff this semester to figure out what works for me before I start with Ochem.

I found that really the only thing that helped with o-chem was meth.

Kidding. I actually liked o-chem.

Ha. Still kidding. Have fun!

(Fun Factoid: I am absolutely not a chem type, but I somehow scored the class high on our o-chem final with a grand total of 37%.)

 

[kanderson615]

(Fun Factoid: I am absolutely not a chem type, but I somehow scored the class high on our o-chem final with a grand total of 37%.)

Overachiever!

 

[twelvetigers]

Irony: reading thread about people wasting time instead of studying at 1:18am the night before an exam.

Ugh.

 

[PetPony]

Any tips for ochem will be welcome!

 

[equineconstant]

I do "take my test" once or twice before I take the real exam, because I find that making myself recall the material like I would have to on an exam really helps. I think there are studies showing that as well...

👍 Repeated recall leads to better memory than repeated reading. A psych researcher came to our school and presented on that topic.

 

[tropictuco]

Any tips for ochem will be welcome!

Get a nice 4-color switcheroo pen. Every time the professor switched colors when he was drawing, the entire lecture hall would echo with the noises of switching multi-color pens. But seriously, I don't do multi-color notes in any other course but it really helped in o-chem.

My best advice is to draw, draw, draw. Get a whole package of notebook paper and plan to go through it. The ONLY way you will pay attention to the tiny details that are necessary is if you draw the structures and mechanisms. Over and over. Do any problems they provide because they will give you speed and familiarity on the exams. Honestly, there's no shortcut. It just takes a lot of time 🙁. And some luck.

PS I am taking a Physiology exam in an hour and posting on here....yay procrastination!

 

[NStarz]

Any tips for ochem will be welcome!

Just throw in the towel now I really don't know how I got through that class.

 

[nohika]

Minner, what flashcard program do you use that does that? I've been looking for another good one.

I'm not Minner, but I'd put money on it being Anki (or something similar). It's a somewhat popular SRS that basically spaces out info.

If it's not Anki, Anki is still worth checking out. 😀 I use it for some extracurricular stuff.

 

[EngrSC]

I actually find this strategy surprisingly effective. The act of making flashcards and study guides/outlines is honestly at least as helpful to me as studying them because it's sort of like creating a filing system in my brain that I can access on test day. But maybe that's just me.

👍 Me too. If I just read over material I find myself daydreaming. But if I make flashcards or write out a study guide I actually retain the material because I have to focus on what I'm writing. I usually don't have to go back through the study guide or the flashcards. I find that I have to be actively engaged and doing something to retain information.

 

[equineconstant]

Get a nice 4-color switcheroo pen. Every time the professor switched colors when he was drawing, the entire lecture hall would echo with the noises of switching multi-color pens. But seriously, I don't do multi-color notes in any other course but it really helped in o-chem.

My best advice is to draw, draw, draw. Get a whole package of notebook paper and plan to go through it. The ONLY way you will pay attention to the tiny details that are necessary is if you draw the structures and mechanisms. Over and over. Do any problems they provide because they will give you speed and familiarity on the exams. Honestly, there's no shortcut. It just takes a lot of time 🙁. And some luck.

PS I am taking a Physiology exam in an hour and posting on here....yay procrastination!

👍 I repeat, whiteboard. Has the added advantage of not wasting a ton of paper.

 

[EngrSC]

👍 I repeat, whiteboard. Has the added advantage of not wasting a ton of paper.

This is the best invention of all time: http://www.schoolsin.com/LUX-MB4836...prodads&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=feedexact

 

[tropictuco]

👍 I repeat, whiteboard. Has the added advantage of not wasting a ton of paper.

....that never occurred to me, ever. Why am I in college again? 😕

But doesn't your hand get all blooky and covered in dry-erase guts? Of course, my hand gets covered in lead when I write furiously....

 

[PetPony]

....that never occurred to me, ever. Why am I in college again? 😕

But doesn't your hand get all blooky and covered in dry-erase guts? Of course, my hand gets covered in lead when I write furiously....

Keep a napkin or something similar on hand.

 

[erinasky]

Thank you for your honesty and I appreciate your comments! I try to get all of the emailing and fb'ing out of the way first so I can focus...but there is always the occasional text, or email along the way. I think I need to find a new way to study. I haven't been in a chemistry class for almost 10 years and I can't study it the same way as my art history class, I guess I learned that the hard way...I dropped it this semester because I am no where near what I need to be getting to be happy with my GPA this semester.

 

[cowgirla]

I have a giant whiteboard on the wall (~6ftx4ft), a smaller one as a table top (4ftx3ft) and a 4 month white board calendar on another wall. Also have Google Calendar that syncs to my iphone, a schedule in OneNote and a To-Do list on OneNote.

That being said, I suck at time management. All the effort in the world is no substitute for motivation I'm studying for this afternoon's surgery final RIGHT NOW. Skipped class this morning to study because we had another major exam yesterday, so I had yet to start studying for this final.

Depending on the class, I try to make either flashcards or an outline. Sometimes the flashcards cover all the material, sometimes it just a few key words/defnitions/main points. The oultine is usually just a retyping of everything written on the slides, because I can't study off of power points. I can't just read through the outline though - need to have a colored pen or highlighter to keep my eyes focused, so I do end up underlining or highlighting nearly everything on the page. Little stars mark super important things.

I relisten to 99% of my lectures, because I hate sitting in class and have no attention span at 8am in the morning. But, when I relisten, I can stop and rewind when I miss something due to day dreaming, or fast forward through tangents.

 

[erinasky]

well, thank you for taking the time to respond and help me! How did the test go?

 

[EngrSC]

I have a giant whiteboard on the wall (~6ftx4ft), a smaller one as a table top (4ftx3ft) and a 4 month white board calendar on another wall. Also have Google Calendar that syncs to my iphone, a schedule in OneNote and a To-Do list on OneNote.

OCD much??

Clearly I have some catching up to do!

 

[krue]

Any tips for ochem will be welcome!

Buy a good molecular modeling kit and use it every time you study. I went over each functional group, mechanism, etc. and got an A.
There's something about feeling and manipulating the information that cements it in your brain.
Good luck!

 

[equineconstant]

....that never occurred to me, ever. Why am I in college again? 😕

But doesn't your hand get all blooky and covered in dry-erase guts? Of course, my hand gets covered in lead when I write furiously....

When I got my whiteboard I also got a big pack of colored markers that came with an eraser. Although I won't deny that I have the occasional case of multicolored fingers right before a biochem quiz...

 

[tropictuco]

When I got my whiteboard I also got a big pack of colored markers that came with an eraser. Although I won't deny that I have the occasional case of multicolored fingers right before a biochem quiz...

SOLD! I looooove playing with pretty colors....😍