Tips on studying - do you have any?

[XtreO]

Hi again Talkbass!

I'm starting to study law here in the cold north, five to five and a half years of hardships and toiling should I believe what I'm told.

I guess there are a lot of people here who've successfully completed higher education, do you have any neat advice for me and the other people here new to this university thing? The year in the army I'm afraid has addled my brain to working like neanderthal's, but I guess that'll work itself out?

[MatticusMania]

I hear studying in the closet works wonders... lots of quiet enclosed space...

[Relic]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

I hear studying in the closet works wonders... lots of quiet enclosed space...

But he's been "out of the closet" now for a while!

Seriously though, about the only thing that I can offer (because I really suck at studying and always have..) is that enough sleep works miraculous wonders sometimes.

[jmattbassplaya]

Here's a few things I've picked up over the years:

1. Unless you need it, turn off your computer, pack it up in a bag or something, and physically remove it from the room you're studying in. Apply this to your cell phone, iPad, Xbox, or anything else that can be considered a distraction.

2. Pay attention in class. I find that I can often get by without studying if I just focus hard in class. Of course, this doesn't apply to all classes or studies, but you'd be surprised how much you can retain while listening to someone else talk if you really want to. It will also make studying more fun and easy because your study time will be used for reviewing and expanding instead of learning.

3. Exercise and eat well. I'm not sure what it is, but whenever I'm of sound body I'm of sound mind as well. A little cardio each day can really boost your brain activity and make things stick better when you're studying. I'll actually do pushups every 20 minutes or so when I'm studying because it seems to increase my focus somehow. It's a lot more effective than taking energy drinks or drinking sodas. Those just seem to give me the jitters.

[bunnykeeper]

Make it a routine -- same time every evening. Avoid caffeine. I used to listen to Chopin while studying in grad school.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by bunnykeeper

Make it a routine -- same time every evening. Avoid caffeine. I used to listen to Chopin while studying in grad school.

+1

I also find that studying right after class is usually the most efficient time to do it because your brain is still in learning mode.

[Jim Nazium]

Here are some of the tips tat served me well in grad school:

1. Work on each subject a little bit each day, instead of spending a whole day on one subject, then the next day on another subject.

2. Figure out what time of day you have your best focus and energy (for some people it's early morning, for some it's evening, etc), and study your hardest subject during that time. Don't waste that time on necessary but non-brain-intensive activities like grocery shopping and laundry.

3. As jmatt said, take care of your body. Exercise, drink water, eat decent food, sleep.

4. I found that writing summaries of material as soon as I'd read it helped me to retain it, and also served as a check whether I really absorbed it or just skimmed it without paying attention. Read a chapter, write a 1-page summary. Then before the test, I would review my summary notes.

5. Study groups can be helpful, but you have to find the right people who will do their share of the work.

Good luck!

[Chebass88]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Here's a few things I've picked up over the years:
...
3. Exercise and eat well. I'm not sure what it is, but whenever I'm of sound body I'm of sound mind as well. A little cardio each day can really boost your brain activity and make things stick better when you're studying. I'll actually do pushups every 20 minutes or so when I'm studying because it seems to increase my focus somehow. It's a lot more effective than taking energy drinks or drinking sodas. Those just seem to give me the jitters.

+1 on the pushups. I do them every 15 minutes, a single set of 10. This breaks up the time into manageable chunks.

I'm sure there is a rule somewhere - the stuff you do NOT study will be on the exam. Works for me every time.

Study smart - if you know what types of problems the instructor asks - master these types of questions, or at least know how to answer them on the fly.

If your exams are open book / open notes - be familiar with where the important information is located and how to get to it quickly.

Turn off the computer. You'll get sucked into some thread in TBOT, or looking up videos on youtube. I just watched the 2010 World's Strongest Man competition instead of doing homework. Now I am on TB. Fiddleedee.

[hrodbert696]

+1 to everything Jim Nazium and JMatt said. Remember that successful studying is about long-term, not short-term, memory. Putting it off and then cramming and pulling all-nighters puts everything in your short-term memory, which will prove unreliable when you go into a test and will be completely gone two weeks later. Why waste the time and money on an education you're going to forget in two weeks?

Keep yourself healthy with food, sleep, and exercise. Don't only read your assignments, REREAD them and then take some time to write up some reflections on what you read. That will help you compose your thoughts for class discussion and you'll remember what you wrote better than what you read. Start everything early and stretch it out over a few days so that it sinks in gradually and deeper.

Also, taking "studying" in the loosest sense of "getting an education," be proactive about communicating with your professors. Go to their office hours and talk about their classes, your interests, etc. You'll find that you learn all kinds of stuff that isn't on the syllabus. If you feel lost and confused in a course, don't avoid the prof like many students do, seek them out, and say "I'm lost and confused, can you help me sort all this out?" You will usually get great help, plus when it comes to grading a prof that has seen how hard you're trying will be more inclined to be generous.

[Ziltoid]

Everything pretty much as been said, oh and start your long term assignments as soon as you get them, seriously. And don't forget higher education is more then just classes but you've got to make it so.

[jp58]

Don't try and take notes word for word. Instead wrote down the broad sweeping themes of each lecture and actually listen to the professor. You'd be surprised how much more you can learn by NOT focusing so much on taking notes, an instead focusing on absorbing the information being presented to you.

You can always add to your notes later, but unless you've recorded the lecture, you only get one chance to hear and see it.

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by jp58

Don't try and take notes word for word. Instead wrote down the broad sweeping themes of each lecture and actually listen to the professor. You'd be surprised how much more you can learn by NOT focusing so much on taking notes, an instead focusing on absorbing the information being presented to you.

You can always add to your notes later, but unless you've recorded the lecture, you only get one chance to hear and see it.

+1.

I had this driven home to me last semester. I had given a lecture about the development of education and intellectual life in the early Middle Ages and talked briefly about the contributions of Boethius, Cassiodorus, and Isidore. As I lectured, I had marked in Roman numerals on the board which century each one belonged to:

Boethius - VI
Cassiodorus - VI
Isidore - VII

Finals came back and multiple students all mentioned the activities of Boethius VI, Cassiodorus VI, and Isidore VII. They had scrupulously written down everything I wrote on the board, but had not listened to what I was saying as I wrote.

[XtreO]

A lot of good advice here Why should I avoid caffeine? To not get ups and downs?

[Webtroll]

something that made my test score take a serious jump was to write down everything the teacher said long hand in a notebook. before tests i would read the required material and my notes. sure it sucks, but if you gotta be in the class paying attention anyways it helps keep you from lookin around wondering what the girls are wearing under their outfits and what you'd rather be doing.

[L-A]

Well, my tip about caffeine is to take one cup (or a drink of whatever you like) per day, and don't take it early in the morning. I stuck with the habit when I was a student: I drink a cup of coffee around 10, after two hours of solid work.

Also: studying is a bit like falling asleep. You start to do it, and you kind of slip into your working state. You'll get dragged out of it by distractions around you – something you'll end up loathing. Find your good work habits, and eliminate everything else when you study.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by XtreO

A lot of good advice here Why should I avoid caffeine? To not get ups and downs?

I don't know about other folks here, but my attention span drops and my ability to actually take in knowledge drops when on the coffee.

+1 to what jmatt and Jim Nazium have been saying.

Excersise and rest is important. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Pay attention in class, don't just copy down what is written on the board.

Learn to write in a short hand.

Read extra stuff around the subject.

Instead of just remembering, try to understand the subject. (have a look online for "surface learning vs deep learning")

Don't leave it all til the day before. I'm sure many of us have, but it won't give you time to check over things and it will leave you stressed!

If writing something, when you finish it, leave it for at least a day before re-reading it. You'll be amazed at the little mistakes you may have missed.

[L-A]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Instead of just remembering, try to understand the subject. (have a look online for "surface learning vs deep learning")

A thousand times this. It's the difference between retention and intelligence, really.

[jp58]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Read extra stuff around the subject.

Instead of just remembering, try to understand the subject. (have a look online for "surface learning vs deep learning")

Don't leave it all til the day before. I'm sure many of us have, but it won't give you time to check over things and it will leave you stressed!

If writing something, when you finish it, leave it for at least a day before re-reading it. You'll be amazed at the little mistakes you may have missed.

+1 to all of this. Read up on any of the stuff that interests you in a class. You'd be surprised how much better you remember stuff simply by reading up on the little bits that interest you. I read some of "The Greatest Show on Earth" during intro Bio, and all the parts about genetics and evolution made so much sense after it was broken down a different way.

[groooooove]

if you know someone with addys... just sayin'...

i've heard they work.

[flypejose]

One of my history professor back in high school once gave us a mnemotechnic tip (in the form of an acronym), to help us study better: C R A I L L E R (which in French has the consonance of an action verb)
It stands for:

C: Comprendre, that is Understanding the new material (usually done during the particular lecture or thru personal research later on)

R: Relire = Reread

A: Apprendre = memorize

I: Interroger = Ask yourself some questions (and answer them as if you were explaining the new concepts to a young child).

L: lire = Read

L: Lire = Read

E: Et =And

R: Relire = Reread

All of the above has to be done each and every day for all new material, before rereading your next day material (already CRAILLER’d few days before).
These steps work wonders but could turn you into a geek in no time!!!