I was a freshman and faced with a daunting task... studying for my first university exam. How would I go about studying? In school, I must have studied... I say 'must have' because, though I did rather well, I honestly don't remember studying! But university is a totally different matter (for many reasons which I won't go over here). So I sat there wondering how to go about studying. Would I look at my notes? Textbook? Lectures? I ended up studying for hours - needlessly.
If you want to succeed in university, you're going to have to develop a studying strategy. Why wait till your have years of experience? The first step in developing said strategy, is to learn a few studying techniques. Here is where you'll have to experiment with while trying different combinations in various situations. These are absolutely essential tools to have your in uni-toolbox!
1) Study by writing notes
The first method I employed in studying, especially information rich general biology courses, was to write out an entirely new set of notes, complete with highlights, outlines, colored figures, nice handwriting and literately everything that was covered.
Pros: This technique gives you a second chance to assimilate what you haven't understood or learnt, and to reinforce what you have as you sit rewriting all the course material that's covered. Use this method and be confident you've truly studied everything.
Cons: It takes a huge amount of your precious time, even if you type it out. This method is extremely time consuming, something you'll learn how to manage. With time, and especially if your aim is to go to Med school, you'll find that you can't afford to take too much time to study.
2) Write cards
Buy a set of hand sized cards. One side will have a word or a concept, and on the other, a figure, detailed notes, or a definition.
Pros: This technique is incredibly useful when you need to memorize. It is also quite handy and you can use them just about anywhere. Like the first technique mentioned in this post, the writing you do helps you in the studying as well. It's also quite effective since it involves effort on your part to verbalize the information your studying when you use the cards.
Cons: For some particular topics, this method is THE method to use. However, you'll find that this technique may be ill-suited for your purposes. In addition, it may take a lot of time to write the cards (not as much as the first method).
3) Review the lecture
Take your notes, the teacher's lecture notes, power point presentations or the recorded lecture (or whatever combination you may have) and read/watch them.
Pros: It can be quite useful when you're in a rush. Learn how to skim through the material can also make it even less time consuming. It's also a good way to take in a general overview of the material and see what the important points are for the exam. This may be an excellent way to review courses in the field of humanities, too.
Cons: It's not as specific. If the material requires a lot of memorization, this technique is not likely going to be a perfect fit. A huge con is the fact that sometimes your teacher will include things that you didn't cover in class. Which brings us to the last technique.
4) Read the text book
Just open your text book and read effectively all chapters required for the exam.
Pros: Congratulations, you've figured a way to study that's makes your prof useless! (Not really... going to class really helps you, but in terms of studying for an exam, you're basically learning the stuff on your own). This an excellent technique that can be applied to many subjects/courses. In addition, if you've missed class or find your teacher hard to understand, this is the thing to do. Naturally, it can be accompanied by the first method covered in this post.
Cons: Have you ever noticed how when you read, you sometimes find that while still technically reading, you're actually day dreaming or thinking about something else... at the same time!? That's because you've come across a word or concept that you didn't understand. This technique needs you to study in a place and way where you are in prime mental condition. You need to pay attention and be extremely focused. Sometimes, it can also take a large amount of time, especially if you're not in prime cognitive condition.
5) Studying in a group
Get together with a friend or group of class mates and study using one of the above methods. Questions will come up and be answered. Review concepts together.
Pros: It's fun! Besides that, both asking and answering questions can reinforce concepts and help you master them for the exam. Make sure to complement this with some studying on your own before you meet your friends. It also builds your social skills... something that you can't take a course for!
Cons: It can be distracting and in some cases, a complete waste of time. Both you and the people you study with need to be serious about getting the job done. Sometimes you'll end up spending too much time on one topic, especially if you're friends are a bit slower.
In time, you'll understand when and how to use these techniques. But if you want to be a pro, you need to develop a studying strategy. This is just the beginning.
 |
| Do you recognize this place from your a movie or two? Courtesy of Flickr - Justin Kern |
1) Study by writing notes
The first method I employed in studying, especially information rich general biology courses, was to write out an entirely new set of notes, complete with highlights, outlines, colored figures, nice handwriting and literately everything that was covered.
Pros: This technique gives you a second chance to assimilate what you haven't understood or learnt, and to reinforce what you have as you sit rewriting all the course material that's covered. Use this method and be confident you've truly studied everything.
Cons: It takes a huge amount of your precious time, even if you type it out. This method is extremely time consuming, something you'll learn how to manage. With time, and especially if your aim is to go to Med school, you'll find that you can't afford to take too much time to study.
2) Write cards
Buy a set of hand sized cards. One side will have a word or a concept, and on the other, a figure, detailed notes, or a definition.
Pros: This technique is incredibly useful when you need to memorize. It is also quite handy and you can use them just about anywhere. Like the first technique mentioned in this post, the writing you do helps you in the studying as well. It's also quite effective since it involves effort on your part to verbalize the information your studying when you use the cards.
Cons: For some particular topics, this method is THE method to use. However, you'll find that this technique may be ill-suited for your purposes. In addition, it may take a lot of time to write the cards (not as much as the first method).
3) Review the lecture
Take your notes, the teacher's lecture notes, power point presentations or the recorded lecture (or whatever combination you may have) and read/watch them.
Pros: It can be quite useful when you're in a rush. Learn how to skim through the material can also make it even less time consuming. It's also a good way to take in a general overview of the material and see what the important points are for the exam. This may be an excellent way to review courses in the field of humanities, too.
Cons: It's not as specific. If the material requires a lot of memorization, this technique is not likely going to be a perfect fit. A huge con is the fact that sometimes your teacher will include things that you didn't cover in class. Which brings us to the last technique.
4) Read the text book
Just open your text book and read effectively all chapters required for the exam.
Pros: Congratulations, you've figured a way to study that's makes your prof useless! (Not really... going to class really helps you, but in terms of studying for an exam, you're basically learning the stuff on your own). This an excellent technique that can be applied to many subjects/courses. In addition, if you've missed class or find your teacher hard to understand, this is the thing to do. Naturally, it can be accompanied by the first method covered in this post.
Cons: Have you ever noticed how when you read, you sometimes find that while still technically reading, you're actually day dreaming or thinking about something else... at the same time!? That's because you've come across a word or concept that you didn't understand. This technique needs you to study in a place and way where you are in prime mental condition. You need to pay attention and be extremely focused. Sometimes, it can also take a large amount of time, especially if you're not in prime cognitive condition.
5) Studying in a group
Get together with a friend or group of class mates and study using one of the above methods. Questions will come up and be answered. Review concepts together.
Pros: It's fun! Besides that, both asking and answering questions can reinforce concepts and help you master them for the exam. Make sure to complement this with some studying on your own before you meet your friends. It also builds your social skills... something that you can't take a course for!
Cons: It can be distracting and in some cases, a complete waste of time. Both you and the people you study with need to be serious about getting the job done. Sometimes you'll end up spending too much time on one topic, especially if you're friends are a bit slower.
In time, you'll understand when and how to use these techniques. But if you want to be a pro, you need to develop a studying strategy. This is just the beginning.
By Marc Mikhael, Ph.D.
The Apprentice's Compass - Navigate University!
Thank you this was indeed very helpful!
ReplyDelete