Originally written for Two Blind Minds.
I rarely have to study. It’s not because I’m superhuman or a memorization robot. It’s because when I do put a little bit of time into studying, I do so effectively. Every minute of time I put into my studies is worth something. No, I’m not “smarter” than you. Yes, I have a social life. No, I don’t continually do practice problems. Yes, I understand. With the current midterms, I’ve been able to observe students’ study habits and analyse what it is that separates successful studying from absolutely useless waste of time studying. I now present to you the study mistakes you should stop making and the smart study choices you should start to make.
Study Mistake #1
Name: Useless Repetition
Common Indicators:
– “I read the section x times and I still don’t understand!”
– “I went to all the lectures and then re-watched them, but they don’t make sense.”
Diagnosis: You are exposing yourself to the information: that’s good! However, no matter how many times you may see the material, you will never understand. If I observe a passage in Swahili (assuming I know nothing about this language) every single day, I may eventually learn/memorize the phrase itself, including the spellings and such. Ask me what it means or use the words in a different context and I will be completely lost.
Effects: This may be a sustainable method for memorizing and regurgitating answers, but concept questions (where you apply your knowledge) will throw you for a loop.
Treatment: Summarize. Put the material, only the important stuff, into your own words. Draw diagrams, and try to explain it. Watch videos on the material, or read from different textbooks. Make sure you understand. You fully understand when you can explain it to someone else in more than one way.
Study Mistake #2
Name: Out of Practice
Common Indicators:
– “I looked at the solution the prof gave and it makes sense.”
– “Could you show me how you did that?”
Diagnosis: When you view someone else’s logical solution to a problem, it makes sense. You can follow the steps they took and you understand the answer. Have you ever actually tried the problem yourself? When you’re left alone on an exam with a strikingly similar problem and a blank sheet of paper, chances are you won’t be able to complete the problem because you’ve never actually done it.
Effects: You may have a false sense of security in understanding the material, but you will struggle to work through a process without having done it yourself.
Treatment: Unfortunately, this treatment requires work. Luckily it’s pretty simple: do the practice problems! Start off by looking at a model, then solving a similar problem using the model. You’re exam-ready when you can complete problems alone without looking at anyone else’s solution. Bonus: the more you practice, the faster you’ll get. Time is priceless in exams.
Study Mistake #3
Name: All Nighter
Common Indicators:
– “I’ll be up until 4am studying for my exam tomorrow.”
– “I don’t have time to sleep, I need to cram!”
Diagnosis: You haven’t studied enough. You need to get that material in. No time for sleep! However, when you go to write the exam in the morning, you won’t remember. Or, you’ll sleep through your exam. No amount of coffee or energy drinks will give your brain the sleep it needs to really remember the information.
Effects: Sure, you looked at all the material, but your brain doesn’t work that way. Rest is when those memories really get solidified. Your brainpower will be focused on telling you to “go to bed!” in the middle of your exam room.
Treatment: Yes, you can study the night before. However, to maximize learning, study the material just before bed, then sleep for at least 6 hours. You’ll wake up and might actually remember something! Plus, you won’t be falling asleep over your scantron sheet.
Study Mistake #4
Name: Multitasking
Common Indicators:
– “OMG studyin for my midtermmm” (on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and everywhere else on the internet)
– “Want to come over and study with me?”
Diagnosis: You can chew gum and walk at the same time. You can post on 3 different social media sites simultaneously. Maybe you can even put your pants on two legs at a time. However, as much as you think you can, you cannot multitask when studying. Music may seem like a good idea, but shamelessly belting out Titanium will not help you learn about Ti in chemistry. Neither will chatting about the boys in your chemistry class with your best friend while you’re “studying” together.
Effects: You have near zero productivity when studying. If you say you’ve studied for 3 hours, you may only have 15 minutes of effective time use (note that [effective time use] = [time “studying”] – [time looking at cat memes] – [time complaining about studying] – [time choosing music] – [everything else that you think is studying but really isn’t]).
Treatment: Turn off the computer. Turn off the phone. Turn off the music. Focus. If you’re putting in the time anyway, you should at least make it productive. Instead of spending 3 hours “kind of studying”, spend one solid hour working then take two to do things you want!
“So how am I supposed to study then?”
This is a tough question, and it depends on you. I’m here only to give the study tips that (tried and tested) work for me.
Seven Steps to Successful Studying
1. Summarize. Just like this list is a summary of study tips, summaries of course material make it easy to remember the little points and see the big picture simultaneously.
2. Visualize. Draw it. Sketch it. Write out your notes in fun colours and fonts. Especially if you’re a visual learner, how the material looks is a big deal.
3. Teach. One of the easiest ways to test if you really understand something is to try explaining it to someone else. If there’s holes in your logic that you’ve somehow rationalized in your head, they become obvious when you explain them out loud.
4. Moderation. Locking yourself in a library cubicle for 4 (or more) hours is ridiculous and unproductive. Stop studying before your focus fades and go do something else (music, food, exercise). Then come back ready to roll.
5. Timing. Are you a night owl or an early bird? Or somewhere in between? Pay attention to when you’re most focused, and capitalize on this time by studying at this time every day.
6. Location. In front of the Saturday night hockey game? Bad location. Only you know where you study best. Libraries aren’t for everyone either. Find a focus space and stick to it.
7. Inspiration. Some profs are good at engaging students, and others are not. Find ways to get yourself interested in the material. Having a tangible reason to learn and study is the best motivation.
A Final Note
This note is for the kids sweating in the library until 3am, crying in the hallway after passing in their paper, or blowing off plans with friends to cram for an exam:
Trust me, I am one of the biggest advocates of the “School and academics are a big deal” idea. However, university is full of opportunities that a lot of first years shut out because of academics. You won’t remember that time when you got an A instead of an A- on that biology midterm. You’ll remember fun with friends and how you were really involved in that club that you’re really passionate about.
Balance is everything. It takes practice, but figure out balance and life becomes a lot simpler.
Good luck on midterms.
~ STML.
Science, Tea, Music, Life. 