What does studying actually consist of?

[WSUCougar2012]

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What exactly is studying in college, especially pre-med?

I've heard that you should always spend time out of class studying for classes, but I have no clue how to do that when there's no test or deadline coming up?

Does it involve studying your notes or doing homework?

Thanks.

 

[penguinophile]

What exactly is studying in college, especially pre-med?

I've heard that you should always spend time out of class studying for classes, but I have no clue how to do that when there's no test or deadline coming up?

Does it involve studying your notes or doing homework?

Thanks.

Finding out how you study best is going to be a big part of your first semester of college (hopefully). I never really learned how to discipline myself to study until my senior year of college, and I know that if I had focused on that earlier in school I could have done better. There are going to be classes that you can pick up really well just by doing the homework. Some of the classes will be so easy that you can just show up to lecture and learn everything you need.

However, for those truly tricky classes (orgo, physics and upper level sciences) you will probably have to get used to using flashcards, or making your own outlines based upon your reading and your class notes. If you find yourself always waiting for the last minute to study and busting all-nighters, make a schedule for yourself and stick with it. You can either list things you want to accomplish everyday, or just force yourself to read your text and class notes from 8-11 or something like that.

You will learn as you go through school that you will be constantly changing the way you study, and eventually you will learn what works best for you.

 

[bookgodess15]

One of the hardest parts of college, as I learned through my dual-enrollment program, is learning how to study. How to teach yourself. Last spring, I had a prof who passed out the textbook, and gave us notes that were merely outlines of what was in the book. He wouldn't answer questions ("You'd know the answer to that if you were studying hard enough"), and was generally lazy. Everyone gets profs like these, and this is where you learn how to read a chapter and learn the information. Whether it's by outlining the chapter, making flashcards, rereading it five times, making diagrams... You need to learn how to absorb massive amounts of information. Fast.

As penguinophile said, you can't say which method works best for you. Try them all. Some general study tips:

:: Stay organized. Keep your papers for your classes in folders, keep separate notebooks (or if you take notes on a computer, make sure that you have classes separated and organized by class and date), don't lose things...

:: Remember those planners you got in high school that you wouls always throw away? Yeah. Get one. You'll need it. Find some way to mark down what's due when and what it's going to involve, be it a dry-erase calendar, a computer program, or just a regular old planner.

:: Don't let your friends tell you how to study. Don't let anyone tell you how to study. Definitely try other people's study methods, but don't feel like just because Suzie uses Study Method X and gets an A, you will too.

:: If you're struggling, swallow your pride and get help. You're paying god-knows-how-much to go to college, so for heaven's sake, get your money's worth! Schedule an appointment with your prof, get tutoring at the library, speak with your academic advisor, talk to other people who've taken the class--don't try to be a hero. You'll get an A for effort and an F for failing.

So... There's no particular way to study. The better question for this board would be, "How do you personally study?", because it would give you ideas.

 

[Aidan]

What exactly is studying in college, especially pre-med?

I've heard that you should always spend time out of class studying for classes, but I have no clue how to do that when there's no test or deadline coming up?

Does it involve studying your notes or doing homework?

Thanks.

Hello

Of course there is no "real" way or "right" way to study, and everyone studies differently. It also depends on your courseload, what courses you're taking, how often you have tests, etc. The easiest way to study is by taking really good, categorized and legible notes during lecture. Professors will often talk faster than you can write, and you may have to do a little bit of scribbling to keep up - if your class size is small, you could possibly ask the professor to slow down or repeat what he or she just said. Also, instead of writing your notes, a laptop may be a great alternative. If you can't type fast (I'd say more than 50 WPM, which isn't very fast, but decent) I would practice. It's the easiest way to take notes. Microsoft's OneNote is a decent program.

But yeah, most of the studying we have comes from our lecture notes, and then the professor will also assign readings to do from our textbook. Once you get the lecture notes down (remember, legible, organize them, make little stars or highlights for importance, etc) it should be pretty easy to take notes from the book. Depending on how well you can remember things by just reading, you may be able to just read your text, highlight it, and retain it. For me, though, I usually write out keypoints once or maybe twice, and the physical act of writing what I'm trying to learn retains it much better.

After your first few tests you will be able to see how much you have to study to get the grades you want. You'll also be able to see how much studying the professor requires, how their tests are generally laid out, etc. Your pre-med prereq courses will be challenging, and will definitely get you into gear asap. Another good thing to do is make flashcards, buy a pack of index cards from Walmart or something (they're less than $1) and just write a term on the front, and the definition on the back. Go through all the cards by reading the term and trying to recite the definition, and then go backwards - read the definition and try to recite the term. Repetition = retention. During a psychology class we learned that reading over your lecture notes within 30 minutes after class helps consolidate it and stick it into your memory while it's still fresh in your mind - we also learned that sleeping shortly after a long period of studying consolidates what you've just learned.

All in all, don't freak out too much, and just remember you'll be able to tell how much you have to study to get your good grades. It's different for everyone.

 

[phorun]

I have a couple of tricks that I use that work well for me. My best friend, who has an IDENTICAL GPA studys entirely differently. Either way, I'll tell you my tricks. Some might be useful.

1) Use colours in diagrams. Sometimes if you can remember the diagram when you are stuck really vividly, you'll get the idea popping back into your head

2) Use "coathooks." Let me explain. I use these for things that I mix up. For example I always remember that the "port" side of a ship is the "left" because they both have four letters. Just random little triggers for my confidence.

3) Connect the big ideas. For example when learning how the digestive system works, trace the path of the food from the mouth to the toilet, remembering all the enzymes on the way, or whatever you were supposed to. That connects into the circulatory system. That connects into the lungs. That connects to muscle. etc. etc. If you can pretty much think though your entire notebook without looking then you know your stuff.

4) Teach someone/something. I often will rewrite my note as if I'm writing them for an idiot. Then I can insure that I know exactly what I'm talking about. Sometimes I'll explain stuff to my fish. The best is if you can teach a human who can ask questions. The bonus is that you can help someone else out.

Home this makes a bit of sense and helps somewhat.

 

[lemoncurry]

studying can mean as little as reading the textbook to prepare for the next lecture or to reinforce the previous lecture.

If the class is vocabulary intensive, or has a lot of terms (like an anatomy class), many people find flashcards to be helpful. Frankly, I never had the patience to make the darn things.

Some people type up outlines based on their notes and/or the book.

Some people listen to their recorded lectures again.

Some people rewrite their notes.

Some people look up web pages or other resources to help with a topic at hand.


For me personally, I usually just read the text if the class called for it (either the lecture sucked or the prof emphasized the importance of the text) and reviewed my notes/powerpoints. I'm a habitual crammer, but I get a boatload out of listening to lectures.

Whatever works for you. But typically it just means reading the text, doing homework, reviewing notes.

 

[lemoncurry]

2) Use "coathooks." Let me explain. I use these for things that I mix up. For example I always remember that the "port" side of a ship is the "left" because they both have four letters. Just random little triggers for my confidence.

I thought i was the only one who did that!