How do you study? Effective methods and suggestions!

Etak, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2019

For me, I try to make my study as interactive as possible. I take notes during lecture and always “rewrite” my notes into my notebook.

I say “rewrite” because you won’t find any long paragraphs or tons of writing that makes you want to sleep. It’s bullet points, drawings, concept maps, charts, lots of color. Once I’m done getting a lecture into my notebook, I take it to my study partner (we meet once a week for a few hours, more if there’s an exam coming up) and she bring her notes. We teach it to each other, compare notes, ask questions.

My notes are pristine and yes, it takes a lot of time BUT, organizing material I am fuzzy on into a visual teaching tool forces me to understand and remember what I’m learning about. Sharing and talking about it then takes it from something I’m familiar with to something I know.

Overall tips that help:

Study when you are alert.

Find a reliable study partner. This gives you an opportunity to discuss concepts and some accountability.

Study in different places, the library, home, Starbucks, outside. The change of scenery keeps the mood from becoming mundane. I used to just study at home and it was either distracting or putting me to sleep. Starbucks has a different energy, especially at night.

Never just sit down to read huge amounts of material or listen to 2 hours of lecture (my profs. lectures are online) No matter how smart you are, you WILL lose focus around the 20 minute mark. So for me, I break up the material into 15 minutes of reading/listening. Then draw out/concept map making my notes as clear and appealing as possible. Then return to reading listening, repeat.

Always review what you’ve gone over. Preferably that same day. If you studied in the morning, review your notes in the evening. Review them again the next day before you tackle new information. Repeat.

Never wait to start a new unit. If you’re like me, you get about 4-5 weeks to learn 8-10 chapters for an exam. Putting off mastery of the first couple of chapters “because you have time” is a recipe for disaster.

Youtube. Maybe your teacher is confusing or dry or your learning style doesn’t match their teaching style. There is somebody out there who has probably already made and posted a video in a way you’ll appreciate. Personally, I love Armandoh.org for physiology. His drawing the material is exactly my style. (No, I can’t draw that well, but I can dream!) I loved Tyler DeWitt for chemistry.

Good Luck!

iCantDraw · Apr 28, 2019

I'm assuming you know how to study already, but want to keep that information in your head.

I would suggest some tools like SketchyNursing, they illustrate the things that we learn into a story and relate the topics to everyday things like food or even a roller coaster.

I def was able to retain a lot more information that way.

There's a lot of great visual tools, and YT videos out there that have helped me to retain the information.

I guess if you can create a story with what you have learned, you will remember it much easier. There's a reason why we can remember plots that are 2-3 hours long from films or even remember a 500 page book without fail. Our mind is meant to remember stories.

Nsr451 · Apr 28, 2019

3 things that have helped me tremendouslyyyy, the Anki app, drawing spider diagrams when it comes to concepts (closed book of course) and writing out questions for myself. I researched study methods and anything that helps your brain actively recall information will help you remember material by strengthening the connections in your brain! It works for me