<p>So, now you are into college. Right? And academics aren't kid's play like high school. College is a time to find our niche, as they say. So, we all madly pursue our college dream with vigor; study our ass of to make that top-notch only to realize that college isn't our thing. "Ack, I am just not cut out for this college thing." "Hell, I just can't do it no matter how hard I try." "Not again, man, the same old GPA after all that cramming and mugging up."</p>
<p>Guys, lets discuss how we can crack it up.
What study techniques work best for you?
What do you do when there's no other option left than doing an all-nighter, of course it means doing an all-nighter, but how do you do it?
Professors say that study techniques that are best synchronized with the functioning of the brain are the most effective ones. </p>
<p>Anyways, I have found SQ3R system of use to me and I am thinking of digging up more into the science of learning.</p>
<p>"reading comprehension strategy which involves surveying, asking questions to be answered by the reading, then reading, reciting the important points, and reviewing."</p>
<p>thank you google. and my 7th grade teacher for doing such a horrible job explaining the idea of sq3r that 5 years later I had to google it to remember.</p>
<p>I am a geek and so I like this thread. I have a double major in Theology and Literature, so I use a lot of outlining. I outline all of the time and it works out well come finals time. What I like to do is read whatever you are assigned to read, outline it out, then make a list of whatever the main themes are or what have you. Then I take my lecture notes with the list handy and if the prof does not cover something that was in the reading I ask a little question on the quick. This all seems like a lot of work, but I have a 3.8 gpa with scads of honor classes under my belt. </p>
<p>For math, I have no idea what you do. I am soo slow in math that I just do everything and then make up little practice exercises where I write the problem on one side of the page and then on the other side of the page I write out the problem with all the steps worked out, then I fold the paper in half and try to just work the problem without looking at the steps. I have no idea what one does in the higher maths at all. </p>
<p>I was thinking of trying it this fall, but I was wondering if anyone had experience with it. </p>
<p>SQ3R I hated. I would rather just read and write stuff out neatly than make up questions. SQ3R will not help you in your higher level classes at all except for Biology or something clinical. </p>
<p>dinnie I think your thread is cool. Learning about studying and whatnot is something that will benefit you for years to come. </p>
<p>PSA if you have an all nighter, please just drink coffee. Stay away from the super caffeinated energy drinks when doing an all nighter. Some of the energy drinks have guarana in them and that harms your fertility. And, they are bad for the heart and kidneys. A strong cup of coffee and a little soda along with some water will help you out better if you have to stay up 24/7 on something. Caffeine dehydrates you so temper you coffee or soda by sipping water throughout your long night of studying.</p>
<p>I suggest you make a test. On your first one, have a variety of question types if the teacher hasn't specified what's on the test. Once the first test is over you can mold it better.</p>
<p>Use your textbook and notes and go from there to make questions. It will take a few hours, but you can re-use the test. Take it a few times before the actual test. Also, make sure you scramble the order up a bit and also the choices of the questions (easy if you have a program called ExamView Pro) so you can take "version B" of the test.</p>
<p>Not only does it help you, but it can help your buddies as well. Give them copies of your test. You can have a pretty good study session with others if you use the practice test as the basis of it. Just make sure you cover everything.</p>
<p>ExamView Pro can also be used if you get supplemental materials that come with some texts. Weiten's Psychology book (commonly used in intro classes) has a test bank that comes on a CD-ROM along with the ExamView program. This gives you not only the program, but also questions for each chapter! You can use MacWrite, MS-Word, or whatever to make the tests too.</p>
<p>Word of warning to Mac OS X users: You need Classic OS 9 to run the program. I usually use my OS 9.1 old iBook for it. Or you could run it under Windows if you have Boot Camp.</p>
<p>SQ3R was the low point of my high school days. I absolutely, positively HATED it! I agree with the outlining suggestion mentioned above, but sometimes that can take a lot of time. I tend to write down too many unimportant details. I also think that making a vocab list can be very helpful. Flashcards work well too.</p>
<p>I generally just do the reading and take detailed notes on that explain to me the intricacies of what I've just plowed through. Generally, knowing how one concept relates to the big picture in this way really really helps.</p>
<p>Flashcards are my godsend. I use them all the time. That way, I can have a quick and easy studying resource without dragging around my books all day long.
And using those flag post-its to mark important information without writing in your book works really good too. Especially in English classes. </p>
<p>Cramming never works. I think I read somewhere though that if you ARE cramming, don't stop studying until the minute the test gets put into your hands. That'll give you a better shot at not forgetting what you just saw. But I think if you don't know it 5 minutes before the test, you're not gonna know it at all :(</p>
<p>If I have to pull an all-nighter, I do best if it's in a place with good lighting and few windows (like a classroom), and if I have other people to interact with (group work). Under those circumstances I don't get very tired at all. Under other circumstances I have a much more difficult time.</p>
<p>Although I don't recommend it, cramming can work. You just have to do it the right way. I've always found that simply re-reading a highlighted textbook and reviewing lecture notes isn't effective enough unless you have photographic memory. The reason is because it's easier to remember class material when you interact with it more (re-writing and memorizing concepts instead of just highlighting and reading them). Here's a method of studying that has worked for quite a while for me. </p>
<p>Simply take notes on the main concepts/key terms from assigned reading and any other lecture notes your professor gives you. With regard to lecture notes, this means going over class lecture notes again and rewriting them so that you pick out the more important concepts/terms and organizing them so that they make more sense to you. The notes don't need to summarize key terms or anything. They can simply be word for word what you read in the textbook. The point is to simply write it out so that you can review it later on. Make sure you've compiled this set of notes two nights or even the night before an exam and memorize them the night before an exam. Of course, it's critical to understand what you're memorizing as opposed to just rote memorization. The most work-intensive part of this method is writing up the notes because you have to make sure they cover pretty much anything that could possibly come up on the exam. The drawback is that it obviously takes a pretty long time to write up the notes, but you can theoretically wait until a couple of days before an exam to write them up. Once the notes are written, you just have to memorize them and you'll pretty much be set for the exam. By memorizing them the night before an exam and getting a decent amount of sleep, you ensure that they'll be somewhat fresh in your mind. And if it turns out that you have to pull an all-nighter because you had to write and memorize the notes all in one night, then at least resting your mind/meditating for half an hour to an hour usually helps a lot. </p>
<p>The reason this method works most of the time is because most professors, unless they're pretty sadistic, will test you only on material that was in your reading or class lectures. So if you have this material pretty much in your head before an exam, the exam shouldn't be too hard. And for a piece of advice on math, do A LOT of practice problems. Even redo problems that you've solved before. A major aspect of solving math problems is pattern recognition, so the more problems you're familiar with, the more likely you'll be able to recognize a similar problem when taking a math test.</p>
<p>Alot of places like lilbraries or student unions have past exams. Past exams provide a great example of what will be on a upcoming test. Past exams also provide the framework for the study that will be required.</p>
<p>Although many people suggeest writing this out from the text book word for word, its not the best method. It is best to write things out in your own words, just be careful not to change the meaning of the text. </p>
<p>Also its best to start studying from day one of the course. Many people leave major studying until a week or two before the test. But if you start studying from the first day then you will simply review. Also doing alot of work will take the stress factor away. You will also have the chance to ask a prof. or T.A. about areas that you have problems with.</p>
<p>I plan on writing notes on paper in class and then combing them with my texts notes on computer. OF course in my own words.</p>