How to study?

**aspen** · 04-12-2010, 12:13 PM

I find myself in an awkward position. I'm in Second Semester Freshman Year in college, and my grades are terrible. They were always low B's in High School.

I had a math test last week which I spend about a week and a half reviewing for. I went over the concepts, and tried numerous practice problems, even annotating my work with what I was doing and why, and naturally my correct answers came as the studying went on. I spent my time in a little cubby in the basement of the library, a nice perfectly quiet place.

I got it back today and was let down big time. 30% under average(my other tests, while also rather abysmal, I've only been 10% under average.)
This isn't the first time it's happened, and it's independent of class.

I'd very much like to not flunk out of college.

So, I present the question, how do you study? Any good advice or resources you guys can suggest? My mother pointed out that I never really had to study in high school, and now college is making the deficiency very well known.

Thanks!

**Akzis** · 04-12-2010, 01:02 PM

Easiest thing for me is to make charts/outlines.

Just something like:

1. XXXXX
a. YYYYY
I. AAAAA
b. ZZZZ
I. BBBBBB
II. CCCC
C.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
2. LLLLL
a. YYYYY
I. AAAAA
b. ZZZZ
I. BBBBBB
II. CCCC
C.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Allows me to see details and parts of various projects with ease without having to refer to other sections. I often have arrows and lines all over the thing pointing to other stuff with little, illegible notes to myself all over it. It can become quite complex and disorderly. But hey, creating it is what matters.

EDIT: FFFFUU, the board doesn't account for spaces.

**Causa Mortis** · 04-12-2010, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by aspen
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I find myself in an awkward position. I'm in Second Semester Freshman Year in college, and my grades are terrible. They were always low B's in High School.

I had a math test last week which I spend about a week and a half reviewing for. I went over the concepts, and tried numerous practice problems, even annotating my work with what I was doing and why, and naturally my correct answers came as the studying went on. I spent my time in a little cubby in the basement of the library, a nice perfectly quiet place.

I got it back today and was let down big time. 30% under average(my other tests, while also rather abysmal, I've only been 10% under average.)
This isn't the first time it's happened, and it's independent of class.

I'd very much like to not flunk out of college.

So, I present the question, how do you study? Any good advice or resources you guys can suggest? My mother pointed out that I never really had to study in high school, and now college is making the deficiency very well known.

Thanks!

Don't discount the importance of physiology and mental focus. Have you ever performed extremely well on a test? If so, how were you sitting? What did you do to prepare? What was your mental attitude? What were you saying to yourself?

I've found that I struggle immensely with math if I go in with poor body language and a poor attitude and do great if I go in to a "Fuck it, lets solve some problems" attitude.

Also with math, there's no substitute for sweat. Do every problem in the book, then do them all again.

**WaeV** · 04-12-2010, 02:47 PM

I used to say that I don't study, but that's not true. I believe myself to be an auditory/dialectic learner. Those are my own terms, and I haven't really looked into the subject, but I retain information very well from simply listening to it being spoken, but especially well if I am a participant in a conversation about it or if I am teaching it orally to someone else. This is also apparent in music - I'm a terrible sight reader, but if I've heard the piece even once I can play it reasonably well. (With most songs, anyways)

If I were to take notes during classes I would actually do worse because I would be distracted from listening, and reading later wouldn't help so much, and if I have to do a reading for homework I use the program D-Speech to render text into an mp3 and listen to it on a loop while I go to sleep - it makes the reading much easier the next day.

Hope this helps in some way! Try finding out what your learning style is, I'm sure there are tests online.

**UrWrongImRit** · 04-12-2010, 03:04 PM

Well.
I start 1 month or at the least, 2 weeks before an exam/test.( this is because I don't really study along the comprehensive class schedule. and prefer to teach myself.

Firstly: I read through the entire book( or the required chapters), then go back, read again, and highlight what I found to be important and relative to the course( maybe make notes as well)
then I go back again, and do all the exercises/questions in each chapter relative to the exam.

If I can't solve a question, I put it to the side with the other ambiguous questions, and go back to them later.

If I still have problems that remain unsolved, I bring them to class the next day and ask the professor about them, and he helps me.

I go through the entire book again, just the highlighted bits, and look at my solved problems

Finally, 1 hour before the exam, I skim over everything so that the words pop up in my head and I register what I have learned: They will be fresh in my mind.

seems long, but it works 100%. seriously.

I'm AWFUL at mathematics, in high school, I barely passed my math classes.

But with a structured system. I've never score below 95% on any final exams since( that I have acutally taken the time to study for)

IF you take notes in class, and study along side of what your learning( by that, I mean review each chapter and the questions before they're done in class), you will have no problem
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If you're willing to put the effort in studying with a system, you will do greatly
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I hope that helps!

**aspen** · 04-12-2010, 03:14 PM

Thanks all thusfar!

I met with one of my more-successful friends(actually, all of them are more academically successful than myself) and I got a few words of wisdom there too(I'll post them when I dig out my notebook.)

I'm planning to become a math major, so the math test especially is quite degrading for me.
I'll see how it goes and I'll report back on it. Thanks all a bunch.

Also, it was mentioned about a learning style test? Are there any decent ones? I'd be interested to see a more quantitative view of how my mind acquires information.

**Nelwyn** · 04-12-2010, 03:52 PM

	Originally Posted by aspen To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	My mother pointed out that I never really had to study in high school, and now college is making the deficiency very well known.Thanks!

From my experience this might be indeed one of the reasons for your problems. But knowing this obviously doesn't solve anything
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.

First, analyze the problems in more detail
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. You seem to believe that you've been prepared. What was the problem then?
- not enough time?
- you 'solved' all the problems, but got the wrong answers? If so, was it because you started out wrong or you made mistakes on the way?

You should do that for every class. Knowing which kind of mistakes you make helps a lot doing something about them. Especially if your study-ability was never really challenged before, it might be the case that you always take a wrong approach to the subject.

**gestalt** · 04-12-2010, 05:00 PM

1) Remove distractions.
-If you must use audio, use white noise.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
(Try brown, oscillating)
2) Good nutrition and sleep, physical activity if you can in early afternoon or morning.
-Eat food that will keep you full. Don't go big on carbs/breads that cause sugar spikes.
-If you cannot get 8 hours of sleep, take 6 and nap for 1-2 in the afternoon.
-Don't eat/smoke after 8PM, unless snacking.
-Snacks like cucumbers and carrots are good.
3) Schedule studying if you can for times when your body is at peak levels diurnally. For example, I always schedule meetings at 10AM and 2PM because that is when I am at peak. (I Used to be a night-owl and I've worked long-term third-shift too, but 10/2 is best for me right now. Find what's good for you.)
4) Motivation but don't guilt-trip. Be responsible and get excited about settling into math-mode, on a regular schedule. Your mind is a laser, tracing the path of logic. Implacable, unstoppable.
5) White boards and markers are fun.

Those are my tips, hope something might work for you!

**aspen** · 04-12-2010, 07:03 PM

I'm not 100% sure of what happened at least on my latest exams... I'm getting some tutors in order and I'll sort through some of the problems through with them.

I'll give brown noise a shot.

I just started eating better, so we'll see how it goes for me. Hopefully, well.

**Zodd** · 04-12-2010, 07:36 PM

Maybe these we'll help you:

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Also inflicting pain or a shock or something after a studysession will help you to remember better according to this documentary I saw on national geographic or discovery channel. I tried it by having a cold shower after learning a guitarpiece, but made me sick for 2 weeks, lol.

Drugs?

**Synamon** · 04-12-2010, 08:19 PM

	Originally Posted by aspen To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I'm not 100% sure of what happened at least on my latest exams... I'm getting some tutors in order and I'll sort through some of the problems through with them.

A tutor is a good idea. You could look into forming a study group, learning how they study and approach the material can help.

**aspen** · 04-13-2010, 08:38 AM

I've been working on trying to form a study group with a few people that were also in my math class last semester, unfortunately that hasn't worked out.

**Silence** · 04-14-2010, 07:40 AM

Hi Aspen-

I feel your pain. I always approached mathematics as my own personal bugaboo, and that proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Once I discovered that I could not apply one learning method to every subject (and I took a few tests to help clarify how I learned), it became easier.

I discovered, for instance, that I had an aspect of tactile learning that I had neglected. During math studies, I found I did better during lectures if I held a smooth stone. For some reason, holding and rubbing that rock while the instuctor discussed math concepts helped me to retain those ideas.

Getting a tutor is an excellent idea. Can you also set aside some extra time with your math instructor? That was something I also had to do; I could parrot the material back to him, but I was having trouble applying the procedures to unfamiliar-looking problems. It took me a little while to develop a pattern that I could understand and apply, but it was worth it.

Take heart and don't get discouraged. This is one of those surprising little challenges that will prove to be only a glitch in the road.

04-12-2010, 12:13 PM	#1
aspen Member [02%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 114	I find myself in an awkward position. I'm in Second Semester Freshman Year in college, and my grades are terrible. They were always low B's in High School. I had a math test last week which I spend about a week and a half reviewing for. I went over the concepts, and tried numerous practice problems, even annotating my work with what I was doing and why, and naturally my correct answers came as the studying went on. I spent my time in a little cubby in the basement of the library, a nice perfectly quiet place. I got it back today and was let down big time. 30% under average(my other tests, while also rather abysmal, I've only been 10% under average.) This isn't the first time it's happened, and it's independent of class. I'd very much like to not flunk out of college. So, I present the question, how do you study? Any good advice or resources you guys can suggest? My mother pointed out that I never really had to study in high school, and now college is making the deficiency very well known. Thanks!
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04-12-2010, 01:02 PM	#2
Akzis Member [36%] MBTI: INTP Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,450	Easiest thing for me is to make charts/outlines. Just something like: 1. XXXXX a. YYYYY I. AAAAA b. ZZZZ I. BBBBBB II. CCCC C. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 2. LLLLL a. YYYYY I. AAAAA b. ZZZZ I. BBBBBB II. CCCC C. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Allows me to see details and parts of various projects with ease without having to refer to other sections. I often have arrows and lines all over the thing pointing to other stuff with little, illegible notes to myself all over it. It can become quite complex and disorderly. But hey, creating it is what matters. EDIT: FFFFUU, the board doesn't account for spaces.
Akzis is offline post a comment

04-12-2010, 02:47 PM	#4
WaeV Member [25%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,019	I used to say that I don't study, but that's not true. I believe myself to be an auditory/dialectic learner. Those are my own terms, and I haven't really looked into the subject, but I retain information very well from simply listening to it being spoken, but especially well if I am a participant in a conversation about it or if I am teaching it orally to someone else. This is also apparent in music - I'm a terrible sight reader, but if I've heard the piece even once I can play it reasonably well. (With most songs, anyways) If I were to take notes during classes I would actually do worse because I would be distracted from listening, and reading later wouldn't help so much, and if I have to do a reading for homework I use the program D-Speech to render text into an mp3 and listen to it on a loop while I go to sleep - it makes the reading much easier the next day. Hope this helps in some way! Try finding out what your learning style is, I'm sure there are tests online.
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04-12-2010, 03:04 PM	#5
UrWrongImRit Member [05%] MBTI: xNTJ Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 201	Well. I start 1 month or at the least, 2 weeks before an exam/test.( this is because I don't really study along the comprehensive class schedule. and prefer to teach myself. Firstly: I read through the entire book( or the required chapters), then go back, read again, and highlight what I found to be important and relative to the course( maybe make notes as well) then I go back again, and do all the exercises/questions in each chapter relative to the exam. If I can't solve a question, I put it to the side with the other ambiguous questions, and go back to them later. If I still have problems that remain unsolved, I bring them to class the next day and ask the professor about them, and he helps me. I go through the entire book again, just the highlighted bits, and look at my solved problems Finally, 1 hour before the exam, I skim over everything so that the words pop up in my head and I register what I have learned: They will be fresh in my mind. seems long, but it works 100%. seriously. I'm AWFUL at mathematics, in high school, I barely passed my math classes. But with a structured system. I've never score below 95% on any final exams since( that I have acutally taken the time to study for) IF you take notes in class, and study along side of what your learning( by that, I mean review each chapter and the questions before they're done in class), you will have no problem To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. If you're willing to put the effort in studying with a system, you will do greatly To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. I hope that helps!
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04-12-2010, 03:14 PM	#6
aspen Member [02%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 114	Thanks all thusfar! I met with one of my more-successful friends(actually, all of them are more academically successful than myself) and I got a few words of wisdom there too(I'll post them when I dig out my notebook.) I'm planning to become a math major, so the math test especially is quite degrading for me. I'll see how it goes and I'll report back on it. Thanks all a bunch. Also, it was mentioned about a learning style test? Are there any decent ones? I'd be interested to see a more quantitative view of how my mind acquires information.
aspen is offline post a comment

04-12-2010, 05:00 PM	#8
gestalt Veteran Member [84%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 3,374	1) Remove distractions. -If you must use audio, use white noise. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (Try brown, oscillating) 2) Good nutrition and sleep, physical activity if you can in early afternoon or morning. -Eat food that will keep you full. Don't go big on carbs/breads that cause sugar spikes. -If you cannot get 8 hours of sleep, take 6 and nap for 1-2 in the afternoon. -Don't eat/smoke after 8PM, unless snacking. -Snacks like cucumbers and carrots are good. 3) Schedule studying if you can for times when your body is at peak levels diurnally. For example, I always schedule meetings at 10AM and 2PM because that is when I am at peak. (I Used to be a night-owl and I've worked long-term third-shift too, but 10/2 is best for me right now. Find what's good for you.) 4) Motivation but don't guilt-trip. Be responsible and get excited about settling into math-mode, on a regular schedule. Your mind is a laser, tracing the path of logic. Implacable, unstoppable. 5) White boards and markers are fun. Those are my tips, hope something might work for you! Last edited by gestalt; 04-12-2010 at 07:16 PM. Reason: 10AM, rather.
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04-12-2010, 07:03 PM	#9
aspen Member [02%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 114	I'm not 100% sure of what happened at least on my latest exams... I'm getting some tutors in order and I'll sort through some of the problems through with them. I'll give brown noise a shot. I just started eating better, so we'll see how it goes for me. Hopefully, well.
aspen is offline post a comment

04-12-2010, 07:36 PM	#10
Zodd Core Member [168%] MBTI: xxxx Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 6,749	Maybe these we'll help you: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Also inflicting pain or a shock or something after a studysession will help you to remember better according to this documentary I saw on national geographic or discovery channel. I tried it by having a cold shower after learning a guitarpiece, but made me sick for 2 weeks, lol. Drugs?
Zodd is offline post a comment

04-13-2010, 08:38 AM	#12
aspen Member [02%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 114	I've been working on trying to form a study group with a few people that were also in my math class last semester, unfortunately that hasn't worked out.
aspen is offline post a comment

04-14-2010, 07:40 AM	#13
Silence Member [35%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,404	Hi Aspen- I feel your pain. I always approached mathematics as my own personal bugaboo, and that proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once I discovered that I could not apply one learning method to every subject (and I took a few tests to help clarify how I learned), it became easier. I discovered, for instance, that I had an aspect of tactile learning that I had neglected. During math studies, I found I did better during lectures if I held a smooth stone. For some reason, holding and rubbing that rock while the instuctor discussed math concepts helped me to retain those ideas. Getting a tutor is an excellent idea. Can you also set aside some extra time with your math instructor? That was something I also had to do; I could parrot the material back to him, but I was having trouble applying the procedures to unfamiliar-looking problems. It took me a little while to develop a pattern that I could understand and apply, but it was worth it. Take heart and don't get discouraged. This is one of those surprising little challenges that will prove to be only a glitch in the road.
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