How do I study efficiently?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Ok, so I've honestly never had to study before coming to Berkeley (my HS was a joke, nothing like the crazy stuff I hear about CA high schools) and now, as a freshman in EECS taking 3 technicals + a 5 unit humanities class, I feel like i'm getting owned (prob 2 Bs and 2 (barely)As right now). Over the past month or so, I've realized that it's probably not because of how long I study (I basically study as much as I can before each MT), rather that I have honestly no clue how to study efficiently. My current study technique for a midterm consists of rereading the entire book and doing a few problems here or there, but that doesn't seem to be working so well right now, especially in technicals. So how do you guys study?</p>

<p>P.S. I thoroughly enjoy research and hope to go to a great grad school (Berkeley? haha), so the whole "UR IN EECS, UR FINE WITH A 2.5 TO MAKE TEH MONIEZ" doesn't really apply. Also, how much of an impact does GPA have on getting research opportunies by asking profs (not URAP or anything structured like that)?</p>

2

<p>I also came from a (mostly) joke of an OOS high school and am struggling here in terms of getting my study habits down. I’ve gone to a few GSI’s about this and they’ve given good advice; looking back it seems kind of obvious, but you HAVE to make sure to stay on track and manage your time well. </p>

<ol>
<li>Keep an agenda and write all of your due dates/assignments/midterms/quizzes on there. </li>
<li>It doesn’t work to study the night before. It has to be a step by step accumulating thing. Just study a little bit each day, maybe 30 mins or an hour, instead of hours and hours the night before.</li>
<li>It also doesn’t work to just “look” over notes and the book. For technical courses, WORK out the problems yourself. ALL of them xD And don’t look at your notes while working out the problem, do them yourself. Only then you’ll be able to really see what you can and can’t do on your own, as in a test setting. If you just “look” at the way a problem is made, you’ll probably think, “yeah this is easy, I know how to do it”…but when you actually have to do it on your own, you might be lost (because that’s what I do, lol)</li>
<li>Study groups are SOOOOOO helpful!!</li>
</ol>

<p>EDIT: No facebook xD</p>

3

<p>^^ cant stress number 3 and the EDIT enough</p>

<p>:)</p>

4

<p>I make large flashcards, one major concept/chapter per card and review them while walking to class, watching tv, etc.</p>

5

<p>You know, getting 2 B’s and 2 A’s to make above 3.5 GPA is actually better than most college students out there. It’s not about how efficiently you study, but how the non-academic stresses affect your studying time. </p>

<p>I believe the time you spend studying and looking at the notes or example problems does correspond to better grades (unless you’re too smart or too dumb). So rather than worrying about the quality of studying, I would first make sure the non-academic issues like roommate/hallmate distractions, computer distractions, laundry, and the like aren’t substituting your study time too much.</p>

6

<p>I came from a high school that’s much more academically demanding than the majority of majors at Berkeley so I can give some advice.</p>

<p>For ALL subjects:
1)When you’re taking notes, don’t just transfer stuff from the book to your notebook. After reading <em>each page</em>, close the book and try to write the most essential information down in your notes. If you feel that you’ve missed some things, go back and look for it. Trust me, when you’ve been doing this for long enough, you won’t miss very much.</p>

<p>2)Don’t ever try to cram. Every week, make sure that you’re completely on top of the material for that week.</p>

<p>3)Find yourself a stable sleep schedule. Even more important than getting enough sleep is not varying the amount of sleep you get or when you go to sleep. Sure, it feels great to stay up until 5 am partying, but make sure that that is the exception rather than the norm.</p>

<p>4)Try to keep your goals in mind before jumping into a study session. Even write down exactly how much you’re going to accomplish before you start for the day. You’ll maintain focus much more easily and most likely get more work done because you’ll mentally force yourself to finish what you set aside to finish. Otherwise, you’d feel guilty. </p>

<p>For TECHNICALS:
1)It is almost impossible to be a top student without interest, so the first thing you should is take a good look at your major and consider switching. If you’re not enjoying it, try to find some other field.</p>

<p>2)You probably know this already, but the best way to learn technical subjects is to <em>do problems</em>. Kids who breeze by without showing any sort of effort <em>most definitely</em> received a far more rigorous level of training in primary and secondary school. If you’re struggling, then sit down and do problems. If the textbook sucks, which is often the case, it’s fairly easy to find very good textbooks online.</p>

<p>3)Find the nearest Romanian exchange student and make friends with him. Chances are, he was more proficient in computer science in seventh grade than you are now. Try to grasp his thought process as he works through problems and projects. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself thinking like an autistic Romanian programmer.</p>

7

<p>I usually find a nice quiet place to study when I’m at the library. But when I am at home I have a designated space just for studying. I know a lot of people who like to study in bed, on the couch or on the dining room table. All those places are specifically for certain things like sleeping, watching tv, and eating. If I try to study in any of those places it my brain somehow lets me know by not being able to study effectively. I really learned a whole lot from this program that I downloaded. It gave me a whole system and taught me a lot about the whole psychology behind being effective with my study habits. You can learn more at this link <a href=“http://www.how-to-study-for-college.com%5B/url%5D”>www.how-to-study-for-college.com</a></p>