tired... frustrated, and cold.

[MDAG11]

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since highschool I've never been a straight A student -- or anything close to it really.

Freshman year of college: cum: 2.4
soph: cumulative up to 2.6
Junior year: current:

This quarter I'm taking ochem, genetics, and bio and am expecting a C-, B-, and B respectively

(I know you just flinched to yourself when you read my horrible stats but I'm just being honest.)

There's been a lot of stuff that happened and affected my grades but I'm not going to mention any of those because I feel like I'm just making excuses.
-----------------------------

During the end of sophmore year I told myself -- okay 4.0 from now on + strong MCAT scores and I stand a chance at DO schools.

Well the 4.0 didn't happen this quarter, I don't know about the strong mcat scores, and am obviously thinking too far ahead about DO.

the bottom line is I can't keep telling myself "just do the best you can and things will change for the better" because they're not. I need some drastic changes RIGHT NOW -- and want to see results NEXT QUARTER.


I feel doomed and frustrated.


The thing is, it's not always about studying... although most of the time it's about understanding the material and memorizing information.

My question to those A students that are reading is .... How the heck do you make those A's happen? Because it just seems so magical to me. I mean don't give me the whole persistence, hard work, endless hours at the library... etc. I've been through it all, it's not working.

Please help.

 

[LaylaAlthani]

Haha me and my friend were wondering the same thing when we took ochem. We were like "there must be some secret to this stuff that we didnt know bc all these people cant actually literally be studying the book and understanding it."

Needless to say we just guessed our way through that class and got out with B's lol.

 

[Global Warming]

I'm not going to sit here and BS w/ you, but rather give you the cake w/o any frosting on top. Your GPA is not even close to good enough, also being a Junior, you are most likely looking at doing post-bac. Although I could be wrong, it doesn't seem to me that you are a lazy person, or dumb for that matter. So I'll make a couple suggestions..

1) Are you taking too many classes? Maybe try taking the bare minimum to be full time...shake things up. If you are taking bare minimum and still getting these grades, I'm going to just say choose a different career.

2) Do you enjoy science? Personally, I love reading my textbooks and most of the time, I do it b/c I enjoy it. To me, it's like reading novels...exciting.

You are right, you NEED TO CHANGE THIS NOW. If you're aiming for DO, they allow for grade replacements. So it would probably be a good idea to retake those classes and make sure you get A's.

 

[Global Warming]

In a completely non-offensive way: some people are just not smart enough to succeed academically. Strong study habits and persistence and endless hours can help compensate for a deficiency in other areas, but it takes a certain aptitude and inborn intelligence to really excel.

Smart like you?

 

[Isoprop]

Here's the problem I'm seeing: your attitude. "4.0 from now on" but no plan? Getting A's seem magical because you didn't thoroughly plan how to get there.

Take a day or weekend, and write down what needs to change and what you can do today to make those changes. Also, list all the resources you have and how you can use those resources. Office hours, tutoring, textbooks, etc. Rank the importance of each. Your univesrity probably has a "success center" where you can learn study strategies.

Make feasible goals for yourself. Write them down on paper. If a 4.0 seems unreasonable, take a lighter course load and aim for a 3.5. Take a break from your extracirricular activities next semester. Once you're making progress, aim a little bit higher.

Stay flexible. You're going to hear a lot of advice for what has worked for people. Use the advice that works for you, try things that you've never tried before (like highlighting if you haven't before), and trash techniques that don't work after a while.

Learn from your mistakes. Examine exactly why you're not where you want to be. Where exactly did you go wrong, and how can you prevent it from happening again. What obstacles do you forsee next semester and what can you do to overcome those obstacles?

 

[strang3Gonz0]

You have to find the right study method for yourself. Everyone learns differently. Some people learn by attending class, some people need to meet with the professor during office hours, some people just need to read the book. You need to find a study method that will work for your learning style. Endless hours of reading the textbook will do nothing for you if you don't learn by just reading. Make sure you take advantage of all your resources and keep yourself motivated to learn the material. If you don't like O.Chem, find a way to make yourself like it and want to learn it.

 

[Isoprop]

In a completely non-offensive way: some people are just not smart enough to succeed academically. Strong study habits and persistence and endless hours can help compensate for a deficiency in other areas, but it takes a certain aptitude and inborn intelligence to really excel.

I'd reverse that. Natural aptitude and intelligence can take you so far, but it takes persistence to really excel.

 

[strang3Gonz0]

I'd reverse that. Natural aptitude and intelligence can take you so far, but it takes persistence to really excel.

Example: Forrest Gump

 

[Global Warming]

You have to find the right study method for yourself. Everyone learns differently. Some people learn by attending class, some people need to meet with the professor during office hours, some people just need to read the book. You need to find a study method that will work for your learning style. Endless hours of reading the textbook will do nothing for you if you don't learn by just reading. Make sure you take advantage of all your resources and keep yourself motivated to learn the material. If you don't like O.Chem, find a way to make yourself like it and want to learn it.

Agreed. I spent my freshman year learning how to learn. I discovered that I really enjoy spending many hours simply reading from my text book. I rarely if ever take notes. Prior to an exam, I usually would have read all assigned chapters ten times.

Is my method the best method? No.

Does it work for me? Yes.

Find what works for you.

 

[MDAG11]

You have to find the right study method for yourself. Everyone learns differently. Some people learn by attending class, some people need to meet with the professor during office hours, some people just need to read the book. You need to find a study method that will work for your learning style. Endless hours of reading the textbook will do nothing for you if you don't learn by just reading. Make sure you take advantage of all your resources and keep yourself motivated to learn the material. If you don't like O.Chem, find a way to make yourself like it and want to learn it.

I've definitely found that I pick up material quickly when I'm discussing it with a TA or professor rather than reading it from a textbook -- don't get me wrong -- I honestly enjoy reading bio, genetics, and cell bio etc. but It just sticks better when I talk about it with someone who already knows it...
that way I can ask questions and really ask why things happen the way they do and understand the reason behind it rather than just accepting that it's just the way it is and I just need to memorize it....
Also chem is not my subject.
excuse my punctuation and grammar :]

 

[MDAG11]

I've definitely found that I pick up material quickly when I'm discussing it with a TA or professor rather than reading it from a textbook -- don't get me wrong -- I honestly enjoy reading bio, genetics, and cell bio etc. but It just sticks better when I talk about it with someone who already knows it...
that way I can ask questions and really ask why things happen the way they do and understand the reason behind it rather than just accepting that it's just the way it is and I just need to memorize it....
Also chem is not my subject.
excuse my punctuation and grammar :]

but still doing this isn't always enough -- it helps but not enough to get to the A.

 

[rockymhs]

Go to class.

Take good notes.

Look over the notes on the day they were taken.

Look over the notes again several days after.

Look over the notes the day before the test.

It's that easy.

 

[Global Warming]

I think we're talking about excelling academically, not at ping pong 🙂

Don't forget football, best friend, great son, running...

 

[Global Warming]

Go to class.

Take good notes.

Look over the notes on the day they were taken.

Look over the notes again several days after.

Look over the notes the day before the test.

It's that easy.

That does not work for me.

 

[MDAG11]

That does not work for me.

sometimes reading the textbook has nothing to do with understanding the material because the tested material comes from notes or what a professor mentioned. For me, finding a study method is difficult because the study method needed to excel differs upon class to class, subject to subject and professor to professor.

 

[rockymhs]

No it's not. Perhaps it is for you, but not for others.

Do you mind sharing your tactics?

I want to know how others achieve A's in their classes.

 

[rockymhs]

Go to class.

Take good notes.

Look over the notes on the day they were taken.

Look over the notes again several days after.

Look over the notes the day before the test.

It's that easy.

I will add one more suggestion,

Rewrite your notes when looking over your notes.

Also, try taking a step back and visualize the entire spectrum on how different aspects of the material are inter-connected to each other.

The latter method helps to identify the central underlying theme, which will make it alot easier to comprehend the material.

 

[rockymhs]

What you do sounds a lot like what I do; however, that doesn't work for a lot of people.
For example, my study partner in biology takes the same notes I do in lecture, we study them together, but she also has to go through the textbook and elaborate on all of the concepts discussed in lecture before she has a decent understanding.
Comprehension levels vary between people and so does information retention.
Edit: Yeah I scribble notes in lecture and then flesh them out in my permanent notebook.

Good point.

It did not come across my mind that some would have hard time comprehending materials.

However, I am not totally sure if such shortcoming is due to different levels of intelligence or lack of solid fundamentals.

In my opionion, having solid fundamentals helps comprehending the next-level materials much easier as I noticed that much of materials from biological siences seem to be repetitions with more details attached.

 

[Global Warming]

I'm getting tired of how you try to antagonize people. And you can give the whole "I'm gonna tell it like it is" speech a rest while you're at it.

Look. I'm going to give it to you blunt b/c I don't like to "slowly lick the ice cream around the edges", but this is simply my method of giving advice and helping people. The posters usually hear all the "sugar coating", from family members/friends and come on this anonymous forum to get a straight forward opinion. Why would anyone "continue circling the prey"? Why would I keep fumbling w/ my bag of chips when I could just eat it?

 

[anonymousername]

since highschool I've never been a straight A student -- or anything close to it really.

Freshman year of college: cum: 2.4
soph: cumulative up to 2.6
Junior year: current:

This quarter I'm taking ochem, genetics, and bio and am expecting a C-, B-, and B respectively

(I know you just flinched to yourself when you read my horrible stats but I'm just being honest.)

There's been a lot of stuff that happened and affected my grades but I'm not going to mention any of those because I feel like I'm just making excuses.
-----------------------------

During the end of sophmore year I told myself -- okay 4.0 from now on + strong MCAT scores and I stand a chance at DO schools.

Well the 4.0 didn't happen this quarter, I don't know about the strong mcat scores, and am obviously thinking too far ahead about DO.

the bottom line is I can't keep telling myself "just do the best you can and things will change for the better" because they're not. I need some drastic changes RIGHT NOW -- and want to see results NEXT QUARTER.


I feel doomed and frustrated.


The thing is, it's not always about studying... although most of the time it's about understanding the material and memorizing information.

My question to those A students that are reading is .... How the heck do you make those A's happen? Because it just seems so magical to me. I mean don't give me the whole persistence, hard work, endless hours at the library... etc. I've been through it all, it's not working.

Please help.

once upon a time I was like you. I had a piss poor GPA in high school and ended up going to community college because of it (in addition to my financial situation). I always said to myself "alright, I f%cked up this semester, if I get a 4.0 next semester, I'll be fine because I'll have a X.XX GPA." It never happened until I stopped looking toward my future and looked at the present.

You need to pay attention to what you can do now. Next semester will come and go like any other and if you concentrate on what needs to be done in the present, not what can be done later, you'll realize that getting straight A's is simple.

 

[Global Warming]

Where did you pick up that handy book of cliches?
If you're gonna be blunt, stop with the damn preambles about how you're gonna be blunt and get to the point.

There's no reason to continue "pondering the situation" b/c the opposition has brought the fight to our front door. Our luxury of time has expired and you must hear this now. We don't have any extra "free passes", for we have used them all. We have depleted our list of allies and we now stand alone. Will we be overtaken? When the smoke clears, will we be left standing? Look, time is limited and I must be very blunt w/ you. There is no sense in telling this in any other way than it is presented. Any other version from the absolute plain truth is not worth saying. It is extremely urgent that you listen to what I have to say now b/c I may never say this again. Listen close or you may not wake up the following morning. Okay, so here's the deal, the pizza's ready.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

Agreed. I spent my freshman year learning how to learn. I discovered that I really enjoy spending many hours simply reading from my text book. I rarely if ever take notes. Prior to an exam, I usually would have read all assigned chapters ten times.

Is my method the best method? No.

Does it work for me? Yes.

Find what works for you.

I like your style. If anything is going to make me ace a test, it's reading the chapter 10 times. But Goddamn son, where the hell do you find the time to read an assigned chapter 10 times? Also, don't you get a little bored after the third time? Assuming you don't get bored after reading it the first time.

I think I'd have to blow my brains out if I had to read my chemistry textbook even once. But biology is understandable..

 

[Global Warming]

I like your style. If anything is going to make me ace a test, it's reading the chapter 10 times. But Goddamn son, where the hell do you find the time to read an assigned chapter 10 times? Also, don't you get a little bored after the third time? Assuming you don't get bored after reading it the first time.

I think I'd have to blow my brains out if I had to read my chemistry textbook even once. But biology is understandable..

During the time of my pre-reqs, I woke up at 6am everyday, including weekends, attended Physics lecture in the morning b/c of pop quizzes...studied in library until 7-8 at night. I always had a cup of coffee in the morning and always ate a peanut butter sandwich every 1.5 hours. Everyday was pretty much the same. It's a very nice change to go from crazy, stupid, unpredictable life, to something more slow pace and boring. I enjoy sitting there and letting my mind wander in the world of science.

 

[Global Warming]

I like your style. If anything is going to make me ace a test, it's reading the chapter 10 times. But Goddamn son, where the hell do you find the time to read an assigned chapter 10 times? Also, don't you get a little bored after the third time? Assuming you don't get bored after reading it the first time.

I think I'd have to blow my brains out if I had to read my chemistry textbook even once. But biology is understandable..

Bored? This is the rest of my life we're talking about. Becoming a doctor is the only thing in this world that I want. Nothing gets me more excited. I will have the opportunity to be awesome everyday on the job, while using my brain to better the lives of sick people. All this while being paid great money..

Just going off of a tangent, on average physicians are still very near the top. YES YES YES, you may know a lawyer, or a business man, or a junky that makes 400k/yr, w/ only a bach. degree. But what are the chances of that being you? Lets play it safe, I'll choose the highest average.

 

[MDAG11]

I think the best I've done is when I've forgotten about grades altogether and just said to myself that this is my opportunity to learn the material.
and then when the test comes -- it's my opportunity to show how much I know. The thing is I get stressed really easily -- mainly because I really need to start turning my grades around... headaches, lack of motivation and interest due to pressure, etc. etc. etc. cycle of DOOM.

My usual trend is that I do horribly on the first midterm, okay on the second midterm and okay on the final.

I know I need to get over feeling stupid when asking questions during class -- I usually only feel this way if I'm not good at the subject or if there is a huge class or if the professor is not good at answering questions.

I've also had my fair share of horrible professors -- I'm not saying that that's the only reason, and I'm not blaming my inabilitiy to acheive the grades I want on my professors, but i'm just saying my chem professors have been horrible for the most part.

I LOVE LOVE bio... but chem, not so much.

I think I will do more of the reading notes everyday as previous posters had described. As you guys implied, I guess if I really get 100% of each lecture -- one day at a time, then studying for midterms and finals should not be difficult.

I definitely don't study everyday -- it's more like I let the material kind of soak in, go to office hours when necessary and study before tests.



*This is my typical quarter in college *

The quarter system kind of sucks because for the first few weeks it's really laid back, the material isn't difficult but it's all still kind of new and you just got back from break and your not really in that study mode, then suddenly you get back the first midterm and it's not your best.

then comes the second midterm -- you're more used to the question format and the lecture format and things start making sense but you're just a tad bit late.

It's time for the second midterm. The results are in --- grade = B.

now time for finals --- try to remember what you were taught during the beg. of the quarter and review material from the second midterm and material before the final. results are in.... C/B.

_____________________________________________

Argh. I agree with the poster who mentioned that I need to stick with the present. Just think about what I need to do NOW to do well NOW.
Not what I'm going to be doing later.... just take one step at a time.
_________________________________________________________


Honestly..... Honestly..... I don't think I'm not intelligent. I grasp information (that I've heard about before at least a little bit) very quickly.
I ask very good questions and my professors frequently tell me "oh good question" or "that's a great way to think about it" etc. etc.

Tests. Stress. The pressure of doing well. the fear that I won't do well. etc. etc. GETS ME EVERY TIME.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

During the time of my pre-reqs, I woke up at 6am everyday, including weekends, attended Physics lecture in the morning b/c of pop quizzes...studied in library until 7-8 at night. I always had a cup of coffee in the morning and always ate a peanut butter sandwich every 1.5 hours. Everyday was pretty much the same. It's a very nice change to go from crazy, stupid, unpredictable life, to something more slow pace and boring. I enjoy sitting there and letting my mind wander in the world of science.

.....what?
... Is this post a joke? Are you taking adderall everyday? What was your life like before that makes 12 hours of studying a pleasant experience? When do you find time to do ECs and volunteer? I'm curious what your GPA is. Also, most importantly: don't you get sick of PB&J sandwiches?

Oh, and aren't you getting fat eating those every 1.5 hours?

I have so many questions, cause uh, I admit - you're really determined and I envy/admire that, but you're probably a little neurotic too.

 

[Global Warming]

.....what?
... Is this post a joke? Are you taking adderall everyday? What was your life like before that makes 12 hours of studying a pleasant experience? When do you find time to do ECs and volunteer? I'm curious what your GPA is. Also, most importantly: don't you get sick of PB&J sandwiches?

Oh, and aren't you getting fat eating those every 1.5 hours?

I have so many questions, cause uh, I admit - you're really determined and I envy/admire that, but you're probably a little neurotic too.

HS = zero motivation

College = catch up

My GPA is above 3.8.

I used to hang out w/ ppl that were gang-affiliated and we often did things that weren't exactly the "smartest thing to do". I've done my fair share of negatives towards this world and I told myself (around the time my good friend was stabbed to death and having issues w/ the police) that if I got another shot...I would do it right. I have another shot at life and I am doing it right.

I eat PB & J b/c it's cheap and easier to bring around than Ramen. I strive to stay disciplined and therefore I do not mind eating the same garbage everyday. I actually love to eat and try new foods, but to justify doing this for the past 2 years...

"taste is for the weak"

 

[Global Warming]

What's wrong with 8 pb&j sandwiches everyday?
He/she could be exaggerating for effect.

You're right. I am lying. 🙁

 

[MDAG11]

Are you for real global warming? 😛
your discipline amazes me.

 

[MDAG11]

I think the best I've done is when I've forgotten about grades altogether and just said to myself that this is my opportunity to learn the material.
and then when the test comes -- it's my opportunity to show how much I know. The thing is I get stressed really easily -- mainly because I really need to start turning my grades around... headaches, lack of motivation and interest due to pressure, etc. etc. etc. cycle of DOOM.

My usual trend is that I do horribly on the first midterm, okay on the second midterm and okay on the final.

I know I need to get over feeling stupid when asking questions during class -- I usually only feel this way if I'm not good at the subject or if there is a huge class or if the professor is not good at answering questions.

I've also had my fair share of horrible professors -- I'm not saying that that's the only reason, and I'm not blaming my inabilitiy to acheive the grades I want on my professors, but i'm just saying my chem professors have been horrible for the most part.

I LOVE LOVE bio... but chem, not so much.

I think I will do more of the reading notes everyday as previous posters had described. As you guys implied, I guess if I really get 100% of each lecture -- one day at a time, then studying for midterms and finals should not be difficult.

I definitely don't study everyday -- it's more like I let the material kind of soak in, go to office hours when necessary and study before tests.



*This is my typical quarter in college *

The quarter system kind of sucks because for the first few weeks it's really laid back, the material isn't difficult but it's all still kind of new and you just got back from break and your not really in that study mode, then suddenly you get back the first midterm and it's not your best.

then comes the second midterm -- you're more used to the question format and the lecture format and things start making sense but you're just a tad bit late.

It's time for the second midterm. The results are in --- grade = B.

now time for finals --- try to remember what you were taught during the beg. of the quarter and review material from the second midterm and material before the final. results are in.... C/B.

_____________________________________________

Argh. I agree with the poster who mentioned that I need to stick with the present. Just think about what I need to do NOW to do well NOW.
Not what I'm going to be doing later.... just take one step at a time.
_________________________________________________________


Honestly..... Honestly..... I don't think I'm not intelligent. I grasp information (that I've heard about before at least a little bit) very quickly.
I ask very good questions and my professors frequently tell me "oh good question" or "that's a great way to think about it" etc. etc.

Tests. Stress. The pressure of doing well. the fear that I won't do well. etc. etc. GETS ME EVERY TIME.

]

 

[Global Warming]

Are you for real? 😛
your discipline amazes me.

We're training to hopefully become physicians right? Discipline comes w/ the territory. Well, I truly believe that the prize is worth working hard now, while I'm young. I know more people that failed at life, then the number of curse words your mother screamed while giving birth to you. I am slowly becoming the leader of my family, while being the youngest. These things, to me, are worth working hard for.

OP, find something inside you that makes you happy, sad, pissed off, nervous, and confident all at the same time......I promise you'll find the motivation to do anything.

 

[Narmerguy]

During the time of my pre-reqs, I woke up at 6am everyday, including weekends, attended Physics lecture in the morning b/c of pop quizzes...studied in library until 7-8 at night. I always had a cup of coffee in the morning and always ate a peanut butter sandwich every 1.5 hours. Everyday was pretty much the same. It's a very nice change to go from crazy, stupid, unpredictable life, to something more slow pace and boring. I enjoy sitting there and letting my mind wander in the world of science.

Oh lord.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

HS = zero motivation

College = catch up

My GPA is above 3.8.

I used to hang out w/ ppl that were gang-affiliated and we often did things that weren't exactly the "smartest thing to do". I've done my fair share of negatives towards this world and I told myself (around the time my good friend was stabbed to death and having issues w/ the police) that if I got another shot...I would do it right. I have another shot at life and I am doing it right.

I eat PB & J b/c it's cheap and easier to bring around than Ramen. I strive to stay disciplined and therefore I do not mind eating the same garbage everyday. I actually love to eat and try new foods, but to justify doing this for the past 2 years...

"taste is for the weak"

LOL what the christ. you strive to stay disciplined by eating Pb&j sandwiches? i hope you invest in some good multivitamins

sounds like you have a great story behind your motivation though.

..but do you have any friends? (serious question)

 

[Global Warming]

LOL what the christ. you strive to stay disciplined by eating Pb&j sandwiches? i hope you invest in some good multivitamins

sounds like you have a great story behind your motivation though.

..but do you have any friends? (serious question)

If you knew me IRL, you'd know that most people enjoy hanging out w/ me. But, in terms of real friends, I have 2. Also, I do have a GF if that's what you're asking. I don't really have a "social" life, relative to the stereotypical college party social life, anymore because I have come to value my alone time so much more. Honestly, I just enjoy thinking about all types of stuff, whether it's school, cars, food, the future, business ideas, or whatever random thing a person can think about. I don't really see the point anymore, to attend loud parties w/ drunk ppl who do stupid, immature, and regretful things. Having nice conversations about general stuff and enjoying coffee in a nice warm place, while it is freezing cold outside is my kind of fun.

Lame? Probably yes. But lame has been working for me so far.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

If you knew me IRL, you'd know that most people enjoy hanging out w/ me. But, in terms of real friends, I have 2. Also, I do have a GF if that's what you're asking. I don't really have a "social" life, relative to the stereotypical college party social life, anymore because I have come to value my alone time so much more. Honestly, I just enjoy thinking about all types of stuff, whether it's school, cars, food, the future, business ideas, or whatever random thing a person can think about. I don't really see the point anymore, to attend loud parties w/ drunk ppl who do stupid, immature, and regretful things. Having nice conversations about general stuff and enjoying coffee in a nice warm place, while it is freezing cold outside is my kind of fun.

Lame? Probably yes. But lame has been working for me so far.

That's how I am a lot of the times. But after a week of studying for midterms, with minimal social interactions, you just want to let lose and go crazy for a night.

Good for you though.

 

[Global Warming]

That's how I am a lot of the times. But after a week of studying for midterms, with minimal social interactions, you just want to let lose and go crazy for a night.

Good for you though.

After reading my posts...man I'm weird

 

[Excelsius]

The technique really depends on what you're studying. Every subject has a different technique. I disagree with those here who bring up aptitude as reasoning for poor grades. Biology is perhaps the easiest subject and the main thing that is required from you is to memorize a lot of material. I can't come up with a single concept that was abstruse and required much thought to understand. Neuroscience is somewhat different because once in a while you do come across difficult concepts (compared to biology) that you need to understand before you can build the rest of the knowledge on top of it. Ochem, you can get a B if you memorize everything. But again, there aren't many difficult concepts.

I can give you some tips that work for everyone and for any subject:

1. Read the material BEFORE lecture
2. Do all the assigned homework without using solutions manual

I think that's where the general list stops. Like some mentioned here, I have noticed that the best way to study is to have your own notes. So here is what I do:

1. Read the book and take my own notes (typed, annotated, referenced)
2. Type notes during class (only what I need)
3. Consolidate the information from the teacher into my notes, including worthy power point slides. I am often the first to find mistakes made by the teacher
4. Review my midterms. Any mistakes are corrected and consolidated into my notes with references.

That's it. For bio-like classes I never do any homework or read anything more than once. Just organize the notes like a tree with sub-categories and this helps to memorize the concepts. You can also do a search for keywords or use the notes later even after you're done with the class. Rereading any material or listening to recorded lectures is a huge waste of time. Do it once, do it right. Then use your notes to learn and refresh your memory before tests.

The above technique will often give you the top score in the class. It can also work for classes like biochem, except that biochem books usually suck and if your teacher isn't good, expect to spend extra time trying to understand concepts. If you still don't get it, look up online.

Now as far as physics and similar subjects go, this is a different animal. You might have to read the same page several times and even then be in the dark. Just read the material before the lecture and try to do a few homework problems that represent that section. Then do as many problems as possible, but make sure to check every single one for accuracy. You must know what you did wrong and why. The beauty of physics and similar subjects is once you grasp a concept, you can use it over and over again. no need to memorize hundreds of structures like in biochem.

One more thing, when memorizing molecules (biochem, ochem, etc), always look for symmetry and similarities and group the information likewise - chunking. For example, in aa's, the difference between Y and F is an OH group. Or in TCA cycle, the first half all molecules have 5 Cs, second half 4Cs. Almost all are bounded by carboxyl groups at top and bottom. All dehydrogenases (except one with FAD) involve NAD+. etc.

 

[vin5cent0]

Learn to talk to your prof's. I just got an 86% bumped up to an A because I went in and spoke to my prof for literally... 15 seconds. Maybe 10. Now I have an A to take on the transcript instead of another B.

 

[MDAG11]

Learn to talk to your prof's. I just got an 86% bumped up to an A because I went in and spoke to my prof for literally... 15 seconds. Maybe 10. Now I have an A to take on the transcript instead of another B.

wow what did you say to him/her in those 15 seconds? 😛

 

[MDAG11]

What did you tell him/her in those 15 seconds? 😛

 

[MDAG11]

Learn to talk to your prof's. I just got an 86% bumped up to an A because I went in and spoke to my prof for literally... 15 seconds. Maybe 10. Now I have an A to take on the transcript instead of another B.

What did you tell him/her in those 15 seconds? 😛

 

[MDAG11]

Learn to talk to your prof's. I just got an 86% bumped up to an A because I went in and spoke to my prof for literally... 15 seconds. Maybe 10. Now I have an A to take on the transcript instead of another B.

What did you tell him/her in those 15 seconds? 😛

 

[Excelsius]

That's just foolish.

It would be foolish perhaps in physical sciences, but in biology there isn't much to understand. It's memorization mostly. Even in physics I have seen the "dumb" student do better than many of us because he was very persistent and spent a lot of time on his homework. After that I was convinced that with hard work you can do pretty much anything. We're just talking about college here - not winning the next Nobel prize.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

It would be foolish perhaps in physical sciences, but in biology there isn't much to understand. It's memorization mostly. Even in physics I have seen the "dumb" student do better than many of us because he was very persistent and spent a lot of time on his homework. After that I was convinced that with hard work you can do pretty much anything. We're just talking about college here - not winning the next Nobel prize.

I think this is right most of the time.

There are going to be naturally exceptional students and naturally stupid students, but most people are going to be somewhere in the middle (bell curve anyone?). For most of us, how successful we are is a combination of hard work and dumb luck.

But there definitely are people out there who are less fortunate and will never get it.. But considering some self-selection bias (someone extremely slow isn't even going to try premed in the first place), I think they are few and far between..

 

[AbbeyRoad708]

The best advise I can give is: teach somebody the material. You learn a lot more when you try to teach someone material than when you routinely study it (everyone is different, but this works well for a vast majority of students). I took a Psychology course my freshman year about learning and memory, and the more cognitive connections you can force your neurons to make when studying, the better chance you'll have of remembering the material.

1) Read the material before the lecture. During the lecture, don't just take rote notes repeating what the lecturer is saying (that information is usually in your book anyways). Instead, have the material read already. I try to think about how what my professor is saying applies to the material I have read beforehand. I only take notes on key words/ideas that help jog my memory and use the lecture as a tool to help make the material more interesting and interconnected to me. Your professor also usually focuses on material that will likely be on the exam. So even if you don't write everything he says down (which, if you are thinking of the application of his lecture, you probably won't have time to anyways), at least write a keyword down about every topic he goes over. You can always go to your book later and review that topic in more detail.

2) Make the material interesting to you. The bottom line is you're not going to be motivated to study material you find boring. Try to think of weird mnemonics to help you remember things. The more crazy your mnemonic is, the better chance you will remember it. The more real world/application you can draw out of the ideas, and the more exciting you can make it in your mind, the more you will remember come test time.

3) Teach it to someone. This is the most important step. It requires a mastery of the material to effectively teach someone a concept when that person has minimal understanding of the concept. Grab your best friend/roommate and teach him the chapter. Try to use real world analogies to explain it better to him. Note your week points where you have trouble articulating the concepts to him, and ask him what was the hardest for him to understand. These are the areas you need to work on the most. You'll be surprised how many week points you expose just talking yourself through a concept to someone else, and how reaffirmed you are when you can successfully explain it to him without using your book.

4) Start reviewing weeks before you exams. Come up with a schedule of say, 2 hours a day of reading X chapter, 2 hours tomorrow reading Y chapter, etc. Make it realistic and fit into your lifestyle to allow for time to work out, eat well, do fun activities, but stick with the schedule. A lot of people start studying entirely too late for exams, and learning is optimal when spaced effectively. Cramming = mental farts during exams. You're much better off studying 3 weeks in advance for only 2 hours a day than 8+ hours a day for 4 days before the exam.

5) Come up with your own study questions when going over the material, and answer them. When reading the chapter the first time, read for content. When reviewing later, ask yourself: "Would this make a good question for the exam?" Make a note of it, and you can design a tentative study guide for yourself. This works especially well after the first test, where you can get a bit of a feel over how deep the instructor delves into the material, and what kind of questions he asks. Don't only use the book's practice tests. Write your own questions. Answer them. It helps, trust me.

6) Have confidence in yourself. Seriously, if you do steps 1-5, there is no reason to doubt yourself. You know the material. Don't be nervous, just relax and demonstrate what you know. Have confidence in your answers. You'll do fine.

If you do all these things, you will see significant improvement in your test scores regardless of your natural test-taking ability. These require elaborative information processing vs. superficial processing (where you just read over the material) and causes you to have a depth of understanding of the material. It's not a perfect system, and it requires more time than most people are used to putting into preparation, but if you're truly serious about the Health Professions, do everything you can right now to put yourself in the best possible position for the future. Whatever that means to you.

 

[jvesco22]

OP you sound just like the fat people who say "How do you guys lose weight, and don't give me that good diet, cardio, lift weights, etc... I've tried it all and it doesn't work..."

Get over yourself and stop being so damn lazy.

Either that or you just don't have the mental capacity to be a good student. It reminds me of the kids in track back in my highschool day. They trained so hard and practiced all day, yet the best they could place was 4th or 5th.

Some people just don't have what it takes...

 

[Quester]

Well, I guess I was sorta like OP in my freshmen except I was really lazy and didn't give crap about marks (wth?) But this year I realized that I'm actually gonna be in deep **** if I don't change my habits, study methods, etc. So far, without having written my finals yet, I went from C's (last year) to A's this term in all my science courses. For sure I don't study crazy, don't review everyday, but highlighters and pencil have been my best friends 😍 First, I just scribble with my pencil as I read my lectures notes, like write down key concepts beside the slides since I'm too lazy to re-write everything. Then I highlight things as I go through the lectures again to see what's really important. Finally, I try to make connections with all those key terms and ideas, and try to explain those concepts to myself without looking at the notes. If I still don't understand it, then I check out the textbook because once again, I have such poor time management skill that I can't even read the whole textbook by the classes are over. I guess you just have to figure out what works for you...

 

[rockymhs]

OP you sound just like the fat people who say "How do you guys lose weight, and don't give me that good diet, cardio, lift weights, etc... I've tried it all and it doesn't work..."

Get over yourself and stop being so damn lazy.

Either that or you just don't have the mental capacity to be a good student. It reminds me of the kids in track back in my highschool day. They trained so hard and practiced all day, yet the best they could place was 4th or 5th.

Some people just don't have what it takes...

Either way, OP just got owned...

 

[MDAG11]

Sorry guys... I'm just trying to really analyze what's going wrong because I feel like after finals are over or after the end of the quarter is over....

and it's time for the begininnig of a new quarter, my mood, mindset completely changes.... and I have to get the ball rolling all over again...

and I find myself in the same position I was at the end of every previous quarter that I've gone through.

 

[Usernamed]

To Global Warming and Sheldon Cooper - please take your argument somewhere else. Start a new thread or grow a pair and PM each other, but it's annoying browsing through your posts to get to the next. One or two funny stabs, okay, but a string of lame accusations and rebuttals is tiresome. And since you're probably going to carry on anyway (and probably slander me as well), at least include something worthwhile in your post relating to the OP's question.

To the OP - I agree with what's been said previously about finding the best way you learn, but I'd add that there are probably several you find useful and that some are better than others for certain subjects, e.g. chemistry is about working problems, biology requires more memorization, etc. Just be aware that there probably isn't a one-size fits all solution for your dilemma.

And, for what it's worth, I fundamentally disagree with the idea that you lack the innate or inborn ability to succeed or excel in undergraduate science courses. And if you're starting all that nonsense about thinking you don't have any business even applying to medical school because obviously you don't have what it takes, it's my opinion that whether or not you can succeed is medical school is up to the admissions committee, not you. It's like giving reasons to a hot chick why she shouldn't go out with you; let her figure that out for herself.