One thing I’d question though is the importance of going to class. I don’t know about you guys, but I believe this is seriously ineffective study time. We sign with numbers and not names on exams, so the goodwill of the teacher is not that usefull. Think about it, a class is usually 2 hours. I learn not much in most such classes. But in 2 hours, drawing mindmaps (a must-learn for effective learning), drawings that explains a function, problemsolving or discussing with groupmates, I learn and remember a lot. It’s a different story if you go to class after already knowing what the teacher will teach offcourse.
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I always found going to class very useful. Of course it depends on the class and the teacher. Many of my tests were very heavily based on what was taught in class, some of which was not discussed in the text either. I found that it wasn’t even necessary to always read in depth when I went to class and took excellent notes.
Take 10 mins before your class to read over the topics that will be covered in the lecture. This will let you get more out of the lecture and you will know what things give you the most trouble so you can focus on those things more closely.
If a class has lots of memorization(human physiology type stuff in my case) DO NOT try to do it all a few weeks before the final. Briefly read over your notes for the class that night and then re-read the notes for the entire week on the weekend. This takes very little time but makes the job of memorizing them extremely easy. Doing something often for a little amount of time is often better then doing it once for a huge period of time; It is also much easier mentally.
Don’t have an ego, if you dont understand something ask someone who knows what they are doing.(teacher, TA, whatever)
Finally, when studying listen to your body. Don’t sit down and say I will study x hours; This makes it more likely that it will become a “count of the hours passing” instead of a useful studying session. In my experience your body will tell you when you are done studying for the day. Once you can do/recall everything fairly easily and you start to become mentally bored with it call it quits. It usually means you have done your share. Forcing yourself to study once your mind is mentally done with it is just a waste of time. Hit the gym or just relax infront of the T.V. Basically when studying focus on results and not the time spent studying.
[quote]blam wrote:
2) If a class has lots of memorization(human physiology type stuff in my case) DO NOT try to do it all a few weeks before the final. Briefly read over your notes for the class that night and then re-read the notes for the entire week on the weekend. This takes very little time but makes the job of memorizing them extremely easy. Doing something often for a little amount of time is often better then doing it once for a huge period of time; It is also much easier mentally.
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Wise words! But on a side note: If I had to choose something to put off until a week or two before the exam, it would be something that require mostly memorization. Try to learn fourier transphorm in a week on the other hand, you’re logically screwed!
While going to class is important, learning when you can afford not to is just as good. There are times approaching finals when, if I had attended every class, I would not have had nearly enough study time.
I just need one more class and I’ll have my bachelor’s. My advice would be go to class and be genuinely interested in the subject matter. You never know if the scheduling of the syllabus is tentative or not. Also be participate actively, only to what you’re necesserily comfortable with.
[quote]nephorm wrote:
JohnGalt wrote:
There are times approaching finals when, if I had attended every class, I would not have had nearly enough study time.
Then you didn’t prepare well enough in advance :).[/quote]
I don’t know about that. I’m a big believer in going to class. But there were still times in the week to week and a half leading up to a final that my time was better served using the class time to study on my own rather than going to class. I graduated near a 4.0
Perhaps not, but if there was a way to have done so I cannot find it. When you have a major exam every week for 16 weeks, all in heavy courses, then finals in all of them at the same time I could find no other way than focusing on the approaching exam singularly. Unfortunately this leaves you with a ton to review before finals, and a need to skip classes that would otherwise waste your time with rehashed book info.
[quote]royalgoober wrote:
Try Spike for studying and taking tests…learning specificity or what not… I just did this yesterday for my final and I noticed I retained a lot more of what I was studying then usual and I had a significant drop in test anxiety. I’m definetly trying this for Fall.[/quote]
Hey remember this no matter what it is doing on things needs the opposite. If you study study for 15-30 mins take a 5 min break or w/e. Recovery is the key if you study constantly your are likely to forget something because of processing so fast.
Ask questions. If you don’t understand something, ask the professor. Getting him to explain something in greater detail WHILE he is lecturing on the subject is your best bet.
No question is too stupid. Thinking you can study your way to an understanding is not the answer.
This has worked incredibly well for me. Buy a decent 3-ring binder with inside pockets and a set of 5-tab dividers for each class. For each binder, set the tabs up as follows:
Syllabus
Handouts
Notes
Projects/Homework
Tests/Quizes
This works well because you have easy reference to the syllabus, so you can plan to study for tests well in advance, plus it helps to keep you on task.
Next, you can easily reference any handouts (Charts, diagrams, graphs) for info and test prep. You also have your notes in a chronological order, which facilitates studying, plus you can look over your homework to see where you made errors and where to improve. You also have your tests and quizes to review for comprehensive final exams.
Plus, since you have all of your assignments, quizzes and tests handy, you can argue grade discrepancies. You have no idea how many people just blindly accept what ever grade is handed to them.
This is a great system to use, as future classes build upon your knowledge base. You can therefore look back to remember something you forgot. This is also a good system to use, as you can help tutor other people who are struggling with the class. You can hook-up with all the hotties, since you will know what the class is about, and smother them with your vast knowledge. Trust me, this works, as I am in my last 9 hours of courses, with a 3.4 GPA. -The Starkdog
i had to revisit this important thread. once again, rule number zero is that you must GO TO CLASS! EVERY CLASS!
what the heck else are you doing that is more important than attending class during the time you had already set aside for it?
think about it in an SAT way: attending class is to educational success just as diet is to achieving your fitness goals – it is the very foundation of your education/lifestyle.
or you could just ask the regular T-Nation contributors (note: they have completed their formal education) how often they skipped class…
It’s been a year now since this post was last created.
I’m rebumping this up for others entering college to read and take a look at. It’s been rather helpful - I used some of the tips senior year in high school - I achieved near top marks in many of my classes with this.
[quote]carter12 wrote:
With the next semester quickly approaching, it’s time to get prepared.
This may seem like a simple question, but hopefully there’ll be some good ideas. For those who’ve been to college or are going now, what are some of the things that you think helped you make better grades?[/quote]
Actually going to class and studying rather than partying and cutting class made all the difference in getting better grades for me.
[quote]flabtoslab wrote:
The best tip I can think of…
Ask questions. If you don’t understand something, ask the professor. Getting him to explain something in greater detail WHILE he is lecturing on the subject is your best bet.
No question is too stupid. Thinking you can study your way to an understanding is not the answer.
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This is the best advice I have found on this thread.
Asking questions involves:
-knowing that you don’t know something (see Dan John article!)
Finding the weakness in your understanding
-Thinking about it
-Coming up with a question
-Getting an answer that, will 8/10 times, make you understand
If you don’t ask understand the question just say so and ask again. It can mean being more humble, especially if you have just breezed through high school like I did, but it is well worth it.
If you don’t ask the question, and assume that when you study just before the exam you will understand it, you have a very high chance of fudging it up.
Also I believe its worth attending lectures, even if you know you are going to sleep or you don’t know whats going on. Atleast when you come to study for the exams you will have been exposed to the material atleast once.
I can’t find them, but I remember reading two studies; one said the closer to the teacher a student sits the better his grade is, while the other said the more time spent outside the classroom with the TA or prof, the better. As a TA I found these both to be accurate.
So sit in the front of the lecture hall, and go to every office hour.
