Tips for Studying More Efficiently

[Snape_GOAT]

I'm a D1, and our class just came back for the second semester. This semester has more classes than the last semester. There were a handful of heavy classes like anatomy last semester, but this semester has more classes that are fewer credits.

My biggest problem is not being able to follow along in lectures. In pre recorded lectures, I try to write down everything I think might be important for the exam and end up pausing and rewinding constantly. An hour lecture drags for two hours as a result.

Our live lecturers also take attendance. I can't jot down what's needed during the live lectures so I end up having to rewatch the recording to take down what I missed. This means I sit through a single lecture twice.

Any tips on how to save time? I want to try doing better not to write down every detail but I get nervous that something that was said aloud but not in the slides will show up on an exam.

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[HatInTheCat]

Not sure what works best for you, but I wrote out flash cards during lecture in quizlet for my didactic classes. That way, I had study material to look at in bed or wherever I went with my computer.

I paid attention in class so I didn’t have to listen to the lecture again at home. Nothing more annoying than having to listen to six weeks worth of lectures the night before a test.

Get to the main points of what instructors want you to know. Don’t focus on the small details. Breadth >>>> depth. Dentistry is all about memorizing facts and concepts. If you can get in the habit of drawing out stuff for your gross anatomy classes as well, you’ll be good.

Good luck!

 

[ESPN907]

Many classmates and myself make study guides in an outline format and that helps organize and structure the material in y your mind and also easily reviewable. Just go slide by slide, hitting the most important things.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

I may be a dinosaur but I find Board Review materials to be very helpful. After all, schools are preparing you to pass them. An old professor once mentioned that people learn by repetition. I find that learning concepts such as Krebs Cycle from different material sources (repetition) helped me (this was before the internet). You can group relevant anatomic parts together such as Cranial Nerves to a mnemonic and customize it (you can make it as inappropriate as you want) so you will remember them.

 

[bracketbuster68]

Are you trying to get A's B's or C's?

 

[knewstance]

I (and most of my classmates) would just take notes directly on the slides, that way you aren't re-writing everything that is already written and you can underline stuff already written on the slides which were really emphasized in the lecture. This should help you follow along with the lecture a little more quickly. Also, I would spend 10-15 minutes after each lecture flipping back through the slides to make sure I captured all the main points while the lecture is still fresh in my head.