<p>I'm curious how people will react to the following questions. How far in advance do you study? Where do you study? library, dorm room, coffee shop? how long do you study for? and are you happy with your current method? i;m super interested to see all the answers. everyone has their own method imo but feel free to argue differently.</p>
<p>Midterms I study about 2 or 3 days before, finals about a week. In both cases studying is about all I do until the exam, and it takes place in my room or a quiet study lounge, assuming it's close to a caffeine source of some sort. Assuming I stay caught up on reading and going to lectures it works pretty well. I also have music and a movie going if possible to minimize distractions. Sounds like it adds distraction, but for me it's just enough going on that it keeps me from being distracted by other things, and eventually I can drift into a nice study trance where I'm actually productive.</p>
<p>I tend to glance over my book on the way to the test.</p>
<p>I have to be alone to study. "Group study sessions" usually turn into gabfests for me. It doesn't matter where I am. I can go to the library to study, but I have to be in a secluded corner and can't be near anyone I know. The only exception to this is like, working on science labs so I can be near someone who might be able to help me. But if it's just regular studying for a test, I need to be alone to concentrate. As for how far in advance, it kind of depends on the class. If it's an easier class, the day before is fine. If it's a hard class or I have more than one test on the same day, at least 3 days, usually 4 or 5.
Personal anecdote that I recommend you do NOT do:
Last year, I had 3 midterms on one day (Tuesday) and another the day before, and I started studying on the Wednesday before. I ended up getting one of the Tuesday ones changed to Friday because I was already sick and it got worse because of all the stress of the studying, but I still had to take 3 within 2 days and it was rough. Start studying further ahead of time if you have more than one on the same day!!! Also, don't do the cramfest the night before, because it sucks. I've done it before and it's rarely effective and you're even more tired during the test the next day than if you got a good night's sleep of at least 7 hours.</p>
<p>@ collegehopeful21</p>
<p>I used to study always alone unless it was a group project presentation (in this situation, you won't to be with your group) or math/science exam (sometimes it helps to work on problem sets in a group, especially if one member is smarter). You can study anywhere as long as there is peace and quiet and no distractions (library, your dorm room, lounges are best). TAKE GOOD NOTES in lectures. If you are enrolled in a lot of reading-intensive courses, break the assignments into sections you can manage to do per day. It is easier to read a 25-page journal article where you've had time to synthesize and take notes in the margins in two days than rush in one day. Give yourself plenty of time (days) to write a paper in sections too.</p>
<p>I read over and summarize/organize my notes for the week every week. Then before a midterm, I'll guesstimate how much time it would take for me to go over them before the exam. Usually 1-2 days for midterms, up to a week for finals. It depends on how well I already know the material though. Before exams I always look over all practice problems and pick out the ones I have trouble imagining myself doing or the ones that gave me trouble before.</p>
<p>I usually study either in a busy building on campus or in my room at home. Hilight a lot of stuff and always keep coffee handy. I always go over the material vaguely and then go over it again paying more attention to specifics, then again and again until I have everything down to the most specific degree. How long I study in advance depends on the course. Usually cram the day before, though.</p>
<p>I read a little, then repeat it in my head. Read some more then start repeating it back to myself from the beginning of the reading. </p>
<p>If its math or science problems I'll just do practice ones.</p>
<p>Where I study depends on the test. If I'm reading, I generally need quiet. If my dorm was quiet I would read there, if not I went to the study room in the dorm.</p>
<p>If it was a big test, or one I needed a good grade on, I went to the library.</p>
<p>day before</p>
<p>Night before every time, for as long as it takes.</p>
<p>Haha these are definitely some interesting responses!! yah i totally have to agree about group studying..it never works for me cuz all u do is just talk. but i think for math it can make sense if you focus right and you're with the right people. i myself am a coffee shop person..not necessarily starbucks though thats a bit too mainstream for me. more local = better for me. </p>
<p>so im an incoming freshmen and i was just curious about how people took notes in college. like was it different than high school? do you read your text ahead of time? cuz i know college is essentially all reading and jazz. any advice would be greatly appreciated :D</p>
<p>For GE classes, probably the night or day before. For major classes, 2-3days or even a whole week depending on the course. I usually study in the library or my room. No I'm not happy with my current method.</p>
<p>I like to study alone, in my room.</p>
<p>I try to study beforehand for a few days or even a week. But probably 90% of the time, it ends up just being a cram session right before the test.</p>
<p>for real tests:
lock myself in my room, take a 20mg adderall, clean everything to a weird ocd perfection, then study taking 30mg xr's every five hours for ~24 hours. smoke myself to sleep, wake up 6 hours before the test, take another 30mg xr, study, then head to take the test and chew up another 20mg before the test. if it's something i know i'll need to study more for, just start a in advance and study for longer than the first 24 hours.</p>
<p>not healthy, but it works for me. :)</p>
<p>collegehopeful,
yeah, it is assumed that you have read before class. if it's a big lecture where the teacher's not going to call on you to check and see if you've read, you can get away with not doing it, but I don't recommend that unless you've got aloooot of other crap to get done too. Don't let it become a habit to slack off the reading because sometimes the stuff in the reading won't be covered in class but you are expected to know it anyway.
As for notes, my professors do powerpoints most often (esp. in big lectures) so I usually just copy whatever's on that and then if the teacher writes something on the board like an example, or if they say something about the topic that sounds important but isn't on the screen.</p>
<p>It depends on the class really...</p>
<p>For math classes: I do long problem sets 3x a week, and then one problem from each part 2 days before the test to make sure that I remember how to do each kind. Sleep well the night before :-).</p>
<p>For science classes: I review my notes once a week, summarizing them and memorizing whatever's necessary. Then 3 days before the test I go through all my notes and study.</p>
<p>For english/history classes: I read the books quickly as soon as they're assigned, and take great notes in class on the discussion. I review those notes for 2 hours the night before a test.</p>
<p>For foreign language classes: I have to keep up with the work every single day. It's not something that I can cram, in fact I don't usually even study for the test specifically if I've been keeping up in class.</p>
<p>I love to study in the library, sitting with my best friend, but not really talking. I like those little cubby-holes in college libraries because they make it really easy for me to focus. </p>
<p>Don't abuse Adderall. If you can't handle college drug-free, what makes you think you can handle life?</p>
<p>Oh, and I love my current method of studying!</p>