Suggestions on Study habits

purplemania, BSN, RN · May 7, 2004

http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/selfassessment.htm

Try this website. Once you determine your learning style you can get advice on how to maximize it. I recommend taking more than one of these assessments, for comparison. My personal favorite is Felders Index of Learning Styles. He has a website too (Richard Felder).

When you get your license no one will know if you were at the top or bottom of your class. However, most nurses are a little obsessive compulsive, which is necessary for all the tiny details pertaining to our job. Learn to channel your energy. Focus on what you are doing RIGHT NOW, and leave nursing behind when you are with family and friends. You will do great!

SCmomof3, RN · May 7, 2004

www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/selfassessment.htm
Try this website. Once you determine your learning style you can get advice on how to maximize it. I recommend taking more than one of these assessments, for comparison. My personal favorite is Felders Index of Learning Styles. He has a website too (Richard Felder).
When you get your license no one will know if you were at the top or bottom of your class. However, most nurses are a little obsessive compulsive, which is necessary for all the tiny details pertaining to our job. Learn to channel your energy. Focus on what you are doing RIGHT NOW, and leave nursing behind when you are with family and friends. You will do great!

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meandragonbrett · May 7, 2004

I find that I cannot get any work done at home. No matter how hard I try, it just doesn't work. IHOP, Perkin's, Starbucks, and the library are my places to go and study. I also try not to do any school work during the day because I won't get anything done either!! Study groups are great...if they are small. I am in a study group of three people. The other two people and myself met in our first prereq class and have taken all of our prereqs together. Having a study group is great when you guys get to know each other. I would not advise more than 3-4 people in a study group because it becomes too big and nobody gets anything done! Good luck in school!!

lilbiskit78 · May 7, 2004

bbear I couldn't agree with you more on your styles of studying. LOL we must be connected at the brain....I also read, then go back & highlight, then discuss with my poor husband the patho of whatever we are studying. It is torture for him, but he knows it helps me, so he obliges. I guess everyone has their own method for studying, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But some people try to get through by memorizing; that does not do the job in nursing school. If you can understand what is happening in the body, and why it is, you can understand the treatments....time consuming, but worth it. Good luck to everyone taking finals!

Lil

Ned the Red · May 8, 2004

Something that really helps me is to work with others in the class - especially those that are strugging. I find I learn the most when I'm trying to teach it to someone else. A couple of people have mentioned that they go over the material with their family members and that's great but, if it's someone in your class they can ask questions your husband might not. So, form those study groups early on and make them work.

In one of the other threads someone mentioned that he'd set up a yahoo group for online studying. Pretty cool idea.

madamewalker · May 15, 2004

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Hi SCmomof3,

Try http://www.studygs.net/ then, under 'Preparing to Learn' go to 'Exploring Your Own Learning Style' and there are a few links there including this one:

http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html which I think is an identical assessment as what purplemania mentioned ... thanks purple!

Kyriaka · May 15, 2004

My tips:

1st and foremost. Sit in the front row! Statistically the highest grades are in the first two rows. I only know this from my father being a former advanced math professor. It has always worked for me.

At home. Turn off the tv. Turn off the radio. Sit at a bit table with a table lamp. I study one hour at a time each subject. Then I break for 30 min. Then do another hour/subject. Except for math. I study 30 min twice with a 15 min. break in between.

For science classes I read the chapter then do my own outline.

I type all my notes. I type my outline then type the class notes.

My study hour consists of:

Review of notes.

Read 6 pages.

Work on outline/notes.

Work on projects.

Cant help you with the being satisfied with a lower grade. I would have a hard time with that also.

skislalom · May 15, 2004

it depends on the subject i'm studying but you mentioned math. i had math phobia so bad and i got a's in my algebra classes. i took them as individualized study...with math labs. i'd work my problems every day at home and twice a week i'd spend 2-4 hours at the math lab-we had 2 professors, 4 aides. whenever i would get hung up, i'd just go ask the professor or aides and since it wasn't a "lecture" class - you can ask as many questions as you'd like and they will sit and work through the problems with you. i finished my first algebra class 3 weeks early and with a promise that i was registering for the next in sequence algebra class, i was able to start the next class early and finish it early as well.

most important thing...once you start taking your math classes...follow through with all of them-if you don't use it, you'll lose it and it's much easier just to keep plugging along and not try to remember what you learned last fall or 2 years ago.

as far as the other classes...i do very similar study methods. i take notes off the study guides or lecture keys....i often will have 10+ pages of notes per chapter. i read the chapters first, then i take notes, then i read the notes out loud to myself as i highlight key points. i'm taking a condensed chemistry class right now that is 3 terms of chem all in 11 weeks...it's kicking my butt but, i'm still pulling an a (by the grace of god and the professor who grades on a curve...lol) you really can't take more than a day or so off if you want to retain the stuff...keep studying, repitition works for me. i also agree with "small" study groups with both helpers (the smarter ones) and helpees (needing more help)...totally agree with explaining things to other students helps you understand concepts better too...esp the sciences.

good luck!

~t

Sheri257 · May 15, 2004

I KNOW how you feel. I used to be the same way. I would almost break into a sweat at the thought of ruining my perfect 4.0 GPA. But life goes on while you are going to school and, unless you are fortunate enough not to have any responsibilities in your life, sooner or later something will happen that will distract you from your mission. Maybe you'll be able to stay focused enough to keep the 4.0, or maybe you'll decide that there are more important things in your life than your GPA.

I certainly can relate to this. I totally obsess on grades to the point of having nightmares about anything that goes wrong, even if it doesn't affect my average that much and I'm still pulling an A (albeit a low A instead of a high A). I don't know why I do this except I always feel guilty if I'm not always getting the best possible grade. I realize that a lot of it is absurd since an A is still an A and, even, a B wouldn't be the end of the world.

I keep thinking that I might end up going to grad school, and that's why I'm always obsessing about grades. But still, I won't make that decision until I'm actually a working nurse. So all this won't matter if I don't decide to pursue grad school.

Still, even when I acknowledge these things, I can't seem to stop worrying about it. The only time I relax is when the semester is over.

:uhoh21:

SCmomof3, RN · May 15, 2004

Hi SCmomof3,
Try http://www.studygs.net/ then, under 'Preparing to Learn' go to 'Exploring Your Own Learning Style' and there are a few links there including this one:
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html which I think is an identical assessment as what purplemania mentioned ... thanks purple!

Thank you :)

jemommyRN · May 15, 2004

I have a 4.0 in my prereqs. I know that I'm going to be obsessing over A's.I want to be the valedictorian of my nursing class. (That's only because I already have a Bachelor's and I could have done alot better with my GPA). That feeling may go quickly out of the window when I start school this fall, but I am going to graduate school and I don't want my grades to be a factor.