I Feel Like An Idiot!

peytonsmom · Sep 22, 2008

Being a mom is not always condusive to studying! I cannot study in my house. There is always *something* that has to have mom's attention no matter how many times "go ask daddy" is repeated. Not to mention the noise and all the things that need to be done.

Find a quiet place to study. At least once a week dh ends up being on his own and instead of going home after work I head to the library to study.

Don't just read the information, make yourself some flashcards to study off.

Start studying for your tests weeks before they happen instead of the week of the test. Make sure that you truly understand the material and aren't just memorizing. That really helped me.

Try using little mnemonic words to remember things.

Don't be afraid to e-mail your professor or ask for an appointment to go over some things you don't understand.

Make a dedicated time to study every day. Where you can just say "Oh look it's XX:XX that means its my study time and everyone has to fend for themselves", and STICK TO IT!

Try breaking up the material into smaller groups too. Instead of reading a whole chapter at once, take maybe the first third of it and really study and learn it until you have it down and the move on to the next section. Having a good understanding of the first section will be the building block for the next sections.

I had been out of school for 6 years when I went back this semester and to be honest, I never really had to study in highschool so actually having to work at somethign and study was new to me and I had to learn too!

NurseBettyICU, ADN, BSN · Sep 22, 2008

I'm where you are - I'm 28, have 2 kids (9 & 2), work full time and have been going to school since 2004 trying to knock out these pre-req classes.

Peytonsmom gave some great advice and I second everything she said. You HAVE to find time where you can completly focus on school and not on the kids. Since I do work full-time, I have an entire hour lunch that I devote to studying EVERYDAY. And I've finally got its through Dh's head that Sundays are study days. He tends to the kids and I lock myself in the bedroom for a couple of hours. Then I take a break and play with the kids or fold some laundry, grab a bite to eat (for about 30-45 minutes) then head back to the bedroom. This gives me a mental break and lets things soak in, plus it gives Dh a break and the kids get to have some mommy-time.

Also I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE flashcards. They are a MUST! If your teacher gives you a review, answer those questions and re-write each one onto a flashcard. That way you can study anytime (while the kids are bathing, while your making dinner, and even if your lucky enough to have 2 minutes alone in the bathroom).

And I have found that I have to read each chapter - once all that way though before going to lecture, then a second time for it all to make sence.

Good luck!

Sand_Dollar, BSN · Sep 23, 2008

I too use flashcards, but I also spend much of my time at my computer (all my prereq classes are online). I researched some online flashcard sites and liked quizlet.com the best. I started bio this semester (actually doesn't start until next Monday), I put in all my terms from the entire book (I used the publisher site and transferred them over, but you can import lists too).

Quizlet lets you familiarize yourself with terms, then learn and then test. And you can do it over and over and over until your happy with your score. I find this site very helpful when it comes to memorization. Although you can't take the flashcards with you to the store and do them waiting in line, I find it makes up for it in other ways.

Also, you can look for cards that other people have done and just do theirs, which is a great time saver but might not match what your looking for perfectly. My next project is putting an A&P book into quizlet, I'm a keener and like to get a head start on my memorization (I don't start A&P till January)

BTW - I'm 40, haven't been in school in 20 years, and am homeschooling my 2 kids (14 & 10) at the same time

Hope the site helps! Good luck!

PS - They don't have to be terms, it can be anything with two parts (just like on a real flashcard)