What does cramming exactly mean?

[priyanka]

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Is it plain rote memorization? If so, I don't get it how so many undergrads say that they get A's in their classes by only cramming the night before the test ?

 

[Wiggy73]

Short term memory, baby. 😎

 

[DrBowtie]

Cramming is memorizing all of the material in your short term memory and forgetting the material the minute you leave the test.

 

[novawildcat]

Cramming=learning all of the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis the night before the test 😀 .

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

If so, I don't get it how so many undergrads say that they get A's in their classes by only cramming the night before the test ?

By lying about how much they study.

 

[BradenDO]

Cramming=learning all of the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis the night before the test 😀 .

You must be in my cell biology class! lol 😉

 

[veridisquo]

Is it plain rote memorization? If so, I don't get it how so many undergrads say that they get A's in their classes by only cramming the night before the test ?

In my experience it doesn't work for courses like chemistry, organic, etc. However, with most biology courses it's only a matter of memorization so what difference does it make if you memorize the steps to the initiation of protein synthesis the night before the exam or the week before? Whatever works.

 

[frany584]

in my sophomore year i was amazed at how my friend would never look at the information for gen chem, and would just do the practice problems the night before and totally ace all of the exams. i guess thats why she didnt care if she procrastinated 😛

 

[masterMood]

chemistry is a mathematical science. it requires a lot of algebraical thinking (something I love and i pick up easily), so for many kids who are good at math, i could skip the chapters, look at the key formulas and equations instead of reading entire chapters. however, since i am in my pre-med mindset, i still read the chapter just to feel safe, even though everything i've read is pretty much what i know already (no ap chem only general chem in high school).

biology, you definitely need to stay on top of things in order to do well on the tests, because sooner or later you're going to reexerperience this stuff in your upperlevel classes, med. school, and finally your career as a doctor.

Biology is so important to becoming a doctor, i don't know why anyone would neglect it. I'm a freshmen, and although it's only been 1.5 months, i make it an obligation to understand everything (working on the rememberingeverything part), so that if i hopefully become an M.D., i am fully prepared, and i can make decisions without being hesistant. Thus, in one way colleges aren't always out to get you, but also to PREPARE YOU.

If you truly believe that everything you're doing now is related to medicine, then you realize that cramming is not necessary.

Now cramming for art history, calculus, and labs is a different story 🙂 (But even then, art history, and labs can be useful in developing your personality or your laboratory techniques [might help in research?]. Calculus, not much can be done there as it's a tool for physics and other applied sciences. Nevertheless calculus can be very mechanical so for many it's like chemistry, and thus an easy A)

 

[willow18]

cramming = java + feet in cold water + bloodshot eyes + (hopefully) 99 on test

 

[Twitch]

I don't think all biology classes fall in the "cram" category.

Here is a story for ya that will drive the message home:
There were only 5 students that passed (out of 50 or so) students in my genetics class and this midterm counts for a substantial portion of the final grade. Keep in mind most of these are pre-meds. Most of the students I talked to said they had gone the "cram" route staying up till 2:00 in the morning and such.

Most of the questions were long passage based and had more to do with conceptual application than straight regurgitation of facts.

 

[MercyKillerDoc]

It is possible to cram and do well on a test without knowing what you are really doing (for some tests/classes/teachers/schools at least). I did this my first 2 years of college on many an occasion. I am now a more responsible student and actually try to deeply understand the material. This takes like 3x as much work with a great deal of diminishing returns regarding my test score. I actually know what the **** I am doing by taking this extra time though which I feel is valuable. In a pinch though I will still revert to **** hammer ultra cramming like when I have a xrapload of exams bunched together or whatever.

 

[LabMonster]

Recent studies into memory and sleep have found benefit to cramming at night. Specifically, you're better off cramming the night before than getting up early and trying to memorize. So pretty much the opposite of what Mom was always saying (well, my Mom anyway.) 😎

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Short term memory, baby. 😎

Hit me up in two years and tell me how it worked for the boards 😉
I'm afraid my current style of binge and purge learning will not be such a great method for med school. I may actually have to study in advance of a test 😱 Now that's a novel idea. 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

Biology is so important to becoming a doctor, i don't know why anyone would neglect it. I'm a freshmen, and although it's only been 1.5 months, i make it an obligation to understand everything (working on the rememberingeverything part), so that if i hopefully become an M.D., i am fully prepared, and i can make decisions without being hesistant. Thus, in one way colleges aren't always out to get you, but also to PREPARE YOU.

None of the prereqs are things you will actually need, to work as a physician -- med school will teach you whatever sciences you will need to know, and then some. Bio "prepares you" for nothing other than that section of the MCAT -- it is just a hurdle you need to get past to get into med school. Before standardized prereqs, quite a few people went into medicine without having any basic college biology, and did fine.

 

[drmota]

Is it plain rote memorization? If so, I don't get it how so many undergrads say that they get A's in their classes by only cramming the night before the test ?

cramming is what i just did for the last 4 hours. wish me luck.
-mota