Studying

[Oliver]

Hello there,

I wonder if we could exchange some toughts about studying, since i had troubles with this for all my life.

Last year was my first year at university (computer science), and althow I understand everything and realy love the math, I just cant get myself prepared for exams. I am sure the only thing i am missing are the last few days of intense study, where i have to learn things out of my head, wich is almost inevitable at uni.

Yesterday I met a fellow INTP who is a couple of years older than me (i am 22), and he told me that INTP's get rather satisfied by knowing they 'understand' and 'can learn' a subject rather than learning it for ie an exam. This was realy the best description someone ever gave on my learning troubles. It's interesting to learn about stuff, knowing how it works, fitting everything together, but then, at the point where i have to learn/study the matter in preparation of an exam, i just lose interest, and it can't bother me anymore, at all. Most of the time the last day before the exam, I get stressed out and start to study in a very hectical way, wich is very inefficient, resulting in failure the day after, and a realy sad/'angry with myself' feeling afterwards.

At the moment i am feeling quite depressed because it just doesn't work at uni, and I am getting confused about the future, thinking it would be better skipping uni and take a job. But then again I know ánd people around me know that I am capable of doing this, as long as I get a good study method (wich I don't have, I never had to study this way in my life before). And I realy, realy want this diploma.

I wonder if anyone could give me advise on how to deal with this.

thank you !

[int]

7.5 years of college, and I never learned how to study properly until my last year.

My favorite classes were in Maymester - one class for 4 hours a day, five days a week, for three weeks. Summer school was also better - 2 hours a day for 5 weeks. That way my mind woudn't drift from topic to topic. I always ended up with good grades in these classes as well.

Someone might be able to offer some more suggestions, but remember, sometimes you just got to suck it up. Set aside a lot of time to wander aimlessly if you have to.

[Avengardh]

I cram...it's not good...I need help too...either that or I just force myself to look at a cubicle (graciously provided by the school) and just do math for hours on end...

But right now I am not taking any hard classes...so I am not doing the hw...U.U'
I find that it's easier for me to study at school though, I basically have to force myself. Someone mentioned that locking yourself in the bathroom and studying there seems to work, dunno if it's just an urban legend though.

But I would also appreciate other ideas...

[Hypnos]

I never studied until I got to graduate school. Then I got waxed by a few courses, and now studying is about stark self-evaluation and working towards the prize.

[paladinoflunaria]

I've yet to study.

Oliver wrote:

Yesterday I met a fellow INTP who is a couple of years older than me (i am 22), and he told me that INTP's get rather satisfied by knowing they 'understand' and 'can learn' a subject rather than learning it for ie an exam.

I'd have to go with what your friend said. I excel at learning, but I only get mediocre standardized test scores (Mediocre being good, but not excellent, and I haven't taken an ACT or SAT yet, so I'm not sure how I'll do.). I'd say I'm currently the most intelligent student in the High School I attend (~1300 students) by a good degree, but I'm quite sure that many mediocre minds will do better on standardized tests than I will, and I'll get ~3.7 for a GPA.

Oh well.

[Melody]

My GPA is barely above 2. I've never studied. I just hope I'm not asked my GPA in an interview, because I know it has nothing to do with my abilities. I think a good approach would be to get with a few people in the same classes and work on stuff together.

[EternalCynic]

My GPA is barely above 2. I've never studied. I just hope I'm not asked my GPA in an interview, because I know it has nothing to do with my abilities. I think a good approach would be to get with a few people in the same classes and work on stuff together.

Same here, I've never had a terribly high GPA (Hum, 2.8 ranging to 3.4ish), but that doesnt mean I'm not intelligent. Every standardized test I've ever taken, I've gotten high marks, and the lowest score I've ever gotten on tests like those, was Basic in a math, but that year I had a terrible teacher. So I'm hoping come college application time, they'll pay more attention to SAT's and ACT's, or even specific courses I've taken.

That's one of my pet peeves, when a teacher yells at you for not "using study time properly" and you get an A on the tes anyway.

[Birdsnest]

:hello:

[Birdsnest]

:)

[flan2dave]

I think my normally high GPA is about to take a dive, I can't get myself to work on assignments and study like I used to, it seems like such a waste when I'm confident I'm capable of learning well enough on my own, with school as a resource with people who study similar subjects. It feels so silly, to take tests, to crank through homework problems. I tried to get through a list of elementary Chemistry problems today, but they're just so, so terrible and annoying. What the heck am I learning from this? Nothing, it's just practice. Why would I need to practice? This is where the P side of me wants to take over, form an understanding of how each problem is solved, thus rightly claiming they are essentially solved and solved for good using this or that method. But NO, a beefy part of our grade rests on the completion of these problems, and I haven't turned quite a few things as it stands!

You couldn't believe it, we must use our calculators for 90% of the problems to get decimal approximations. This is freaking me out!!! :rant:

[int]

Maybe talk to your teachers (although I never did...) and let them know what you're thinking? If you think you're ahead of the game (it's typical and I don't see any reason to hide or feel shy about it) let them know and see if they'll work with you.

A little selfish behavior might move things along, where they should be. :devil: :)

[int]

You couldn't believe it, we must use our calculators for 90% of the problems to get decimal approximations. This is freaking me out!!! :rant:

I don't care what "they" say. In the "real world" we use calculators and computers. They make the job easier and take less time than crunching numbers.

[indczn]

Talk to your teachers. I found that most of mine were really understanding when i spoke with them about not needing to do the homework. Hopefully you will be fortunate enough to have teachers who are reasonable. I found that most teachers were frustrating in having to make the homework count just so the students would do it and alleviating the problem of dealing with parents when students fail.

Be warned that you forfeit all bargaining power if you fail.

[crule81]

I too have terrible study habits. Normally, the more one is expected to study, the worse I do in comparison to others. Having to go through information repetitively in the studying process is what kills me. If I have to learn facts rather than concepts, I think my subconscious says: "If you didn't remember the fact when you first read or heard it, it is not important and not worth remembering."

[Odyssey]

Hm, okay. Advice on studying for mathematical or logic-oriented subjects:
(My background: a 3.94 GPA, currently senior in high school, an IB Diploma Candidate, and taking all hardest IB classes available. See blog in signature if you're interested.)

How I memorize formulas best:
1) Write them out a few times, looking at the reference, until you can write it quickly and accurately.
2) Write the formula quickly and accurately without looking at reference. (check formula)
3) Write it a few more times, quickly and accurately, and move on to the next formula.
4) Got it down? Yay! You won the game. (You lose the game, and have to start over, if you write it inaccurately or slowly after you think you know it.)

How I best memorize relationships when precise math isn't important (e.g. yes/no causal relationships, or to roughly visualize mathetical relationships w/o formulas)
1) Visualize the relationships.
2) Play around with "what if?", trying to recognize quickly how changing one variable affects the other(s), or how it affects the system.
3) Try to expand and solidify your imagery and understanding, by mentally tinkering. It's fun! Refer to your references to make sure you're not imagining something that's not there, or find and do some practice problems to check your reasoning.

A part of how I study for everything, because it seems to greatly improve the grade:
Get my hands on practice problems w/ referable answers, or definition lists, and practice practice practice.
If you're awake, and you strive to do it quickly AND accurately, it's less boring. Pushing speed can make boring things a challenge for smart folks.

Another thing... cramming can only do so much. Even though I happen to have vivid short-term memory for rote memorization, steady long-term memorization/practice is necessary for more complex memorizations (i.e. being able to actively work with systems). And, if you're going to cram, start 2-3 days before the exam... Night-befores only work for small quizzes, which I doubt they give in college.

I'd be happy to answer more questions to the best of my knowledge! (If you reply to me, Oliver, get my attention through a comment on my blog or a PM to this account; I'm too busy to check all forum parts regularly.)

~Odyssey

[Google Monster]

First you must become obsessed with the subject and have alot of interest. I can't seem to trick myself into liking a subject that doesn't interest me. But when someone cares to explain I'll listen if my mind doesn't wonder off.

ok ok, I suck at studying. But I bet I could if I wanted to.

[Claverhouse]

You couldn't believe it, we must use our calculators for 90% of the problems to get decimal approximations. This is freaking me out!!! :rant:

I don't care what "they" say. In the "real world" we use calculators and computers. They make the job easier and take less time than crunching numbers.


The point being that calculators are not accurate in calculating fractions. Other than that they're great, since I think numbers dull.
:zzz: :zzz:


Claverhouse :ph34r:

[Seraph]

I never study either, for anything. I think it's a matter of intellectual pride for us; we think we're too smart to have to study. And that's actually true for the most part...I've found I've aced tests without studying whereas my fellow students studied and got much lower scores.

But, unfortunately, school is tailored for the ESXJ. That's why teachers ask you to do pointless things, like take notes during lectures (I can remember it just fine, thank you) and make outlines for writing assignments.

[file cabinet]

studying is fucking boring. I have a 2.59 GPA for college-- 4 semesters of lameness.
I've noticed that I do extremely poor on multiple choice tests.. I used to take multiple choice tests and think, "wow, I am going to get an A!" but then I would get the test back and it would be a C or a D .. after numerous times of this happening, I began to suspect the reason why. In a multiple choice test you have to pick an answer and believe that it was right so when I took a multiple choice test I would-- in my mind-- choose the "right" answer and thus the reason I believed I would do well on them.

seraph...
I don't think I'm too smart to study, because if I was so 'smart' I would already know the material. if the material I was taught wasn't so boring then maybe it would be different.
in high school I noticed it was less relevant to study.
in college if you don't study you're fucked.

[NGene]

in high school I noticed it was less relevant to study.
in college if you don't study you're fucked.
After one mediocre and another fucked up year in college, I can confirm that.

In HS, I used to skip half the lessons, didn't buy the required books, didn't do my homework, and I graduated as the best student of my school. And it wasn't a normal school - I was in a programme where you'd graduate from both vocational school (chemistry lab technician in my case) and traditional high school at the same time. Here in Finland you'd usually take either one, not both, at least not simultaneously. People kept telling me how hard it would be, how much work it would need, how much I'd have to study just to graduate in time... Well, yeah, that's how much I worked. ;P

I even got in to the university without any efforts. Usually if someone applies to a university, they have to take an exam. I did so well in HS that I didn't have to take any exams, I just walked in, while some people work their asses off. If I would've been required to take the biochemistry exam, I would've never got in.

Then... it all changed, mainly because I didn't change my (nonexistent) study habits. That resulted in one mediocre and one fucked up year.

My main problem is, in addition to low self-discipline, the fact that after a while, I tend to lose my interest. I love starting things. I was really interested in biochemistry during the first year, but after I'd learned the principles, I lost my interest. The next year, the same happened with the Computer Science classes I took. I seem to like things as long as they are hobbies, as long as I can learn about them just for the sake of learning, and as long as the classes are pretty introductory. But when I'm forced to memorize facts and perform in an exam and read certain textbook chapters in certain order, I lose my interest, and my passion changes into tedious, boring work.

This year I took quite a few physics and math classes. Right now I'm passionate about them, but I'm just wondering how long my interest will keep up.

Ah, which leads to my next problem: I'm way too interested in way too many different subjects.

[Arioch]

studying is fucking boring. I have a 2.59 GPA for college-- 4 semesters of lameness.
I've noticed that I do extremely poor on multiple choice tests.. I used to take multiple choice tests and think, "wow, I am going to get an A!" but then I would get the test back and it would be a C or a D .. after numerous times of this happening, I began to suspect the reason why. In a multiple choice test you have to pick an answer and believe that it was right so when I took a multiple choice test I would-- in my mind-- choose the "right" answer and thus the reason I believed I would do well on them.

seraph...
I don't think I'm too smart to study, because if I was so 'smart' I would already know the material. if the material I was taught wasn't so boring then maybe it would be different.
in high school I noticed it was less relevant to study.
in college if you don't study you're fucked.

Multiple choice tests are easier when you judge the princibles behind them.

1 The teacher often gives some hints in the questions (don't know how prominant this is)

2 Never give the right answer. Give their right answer. In fact thats for all tests. Give their answer instead of yours. I went from a F to a B+ when I did a redo of a exam because of that

[Claverhouse]

Never give the right answer. Give their right answer. In fact thats for all tests. Give their answer instead of yours. I went from a F to a B+ when I did a redo of a exam because of that


:D :D :D

True, how true. Nonetheless, impossible in certain cases when you just have to rub their noses in the alternate reality of one's own truth. Damn the torpedoes.



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[Seraph]

Multiple choice tests are easier when you judge the princibles behind them.

1 The teacher often gives some hints in the questions (don't know how prominant this is)

2 Never give the right answer. Give their right answer. In fact thats for all tests. Give their answer instead of yours. I went from a F to a B+ when I did a redo of a exam because of that

That second tip is dead-on. Multiple choice tests follow an unwritten code that you just have to figure out throughout your schooling. I've aced tests after ignoring the material and not studying just because I've mastered the multiple choice code. It goes a little deeper than this, but here are a few rules:

1. If "all of the above" is an option, it's usually the answer. This doesn't necessarily apply to "none of the above," since it's often thrown in because the test maker was too lazy to think up another viable option.

2. If there's a corrected typo, it's usually the answer.

3. "Take the test with the test"...Sometimes other questions have the answer to a previous one.

4. Your first guess is usually the right one. When in doubt, don't change your answer...You'll kick yourself a lot harder if you change your original answer and get it wrong.

5. Most often the longest answer is the right one. People don't spend much time typing out wrong answers. Answers that are shaky grammatically tend to be wrong also.

Can't think of anymore right now...

[int]

RE: multiple choice

I'd often wirte my reasoning next to my choice - it helped a few times.

Bring scratch paper so you can write your essay. That is, if you hate multiple choice but love essays, like I do.

[jimkopelli]

Distractors suck. These are the ones tah tlook like they could be right, but aren't. Some proffessors get really evil and give you three distractors and the one right one... grr...

[int]

I always hated answers like "Well, B is correct, but C is more correct, so C is the right answer."

:rant:

[Laeskis]

I no longer feel bad about being terrible in school. I've been in and out for 8 years now (5 out altogether) My gpa is a 2.02.
I built my own server rack in my bedroom (welding and all), and routinely design, test and run network systems in my spare time. (25 computers with one sun machine - various mix os win(x) to solaris and linux)
Yet because of my miserable study/lecture/exam habits I am unnacceptable to the college of business to get a degree in Information Systems.
It seems that with mindsets like we possess, we are doomed.
Either we continue in mediocrity, or by some rare insight discover something of substance.
At any rate, the general population of INTP types do not achieve/progress like other people academically. It really is all or nothing. It's a shame...even if we are intelligent and evolved we still come across as irresponsible students on our transcripts. From all the thought I've given the situation, I've yet to discover a viable method to counterract the various problems. It always boils down to wether or not the material creates an interest, and if it does create an interest, how to constrain the interest to the subject material at hand.

[int]

My transcript is a running joke for me, my wife, and some of my friends.

[Laeskis]

I just hope I can get a job when I'm done and pay off the $40k I'm gonna be out in loans.

[int]

I felt so bad about getting kicked out of university for the second time that I shot out of bed one day at 5 a.m. (with no sleep) and wrote a 5 page essay on the spot. I drove it to the admissions office, then into the particular school I was once a part of, and insisted it got into someone's hands. The next day, I was scheduled for an interview and somehow pulled the right answers out of my ass to get back in.

Communication has always been a fault of mine, but when I do communicate (especially if Fe and Ti are intertwined for the purpose of manipulation) I can get more than I wanted. If Info Systems is where you want to go, I highly suggest this method. Maybe take a writing class first. :)

[Laeskis]

That is an Idea. Although beauracracies are hell.
Heh, I didn't put this in my main post...but I think I'll go ahead and add it.
School is absolute hell on me. Not only does my mind rebel against everything I have to undertake to become educated, not only does my poor study habits work against me...but when I buckle down too tightly my blood glucose level tends to never run less than 250. (I'm a needlefreak diabetic)
That introduces some major difficulties into the equation.

[int]

I got caught in the red tape as well. I wanted to be an Info Systems major which is through the college of business out here. In hindsight, I'm glad I stuck with liberal arts (economics) as it fit me a little better.

That physical condition sucks, I'm sure. Would being in a different school make things better though? Would the guilt factor get you placed differently as it could be considered a disability? Does the school know?

<edit>not that I'm promoting shameless guilt to optimize your position...</edit>

[s]

Laeskis: Everything but the needle part, I can relate to completely.

Learning is far more important than test scores to me. I have been on a sabbatical for a few years and am just now returning to school. I have over 100 hours under my belt, some semesters on the Dean's list and some on the shit list. When I was 17 and in college, I tried to become more extraverted with a little help from recreational chemicals, plus most classes were boring, so I never really tried. I have crammed a few times, but mostly I just take home the book and read it, returning only for tests. I usually do fairly well on tests, however, absences were punished in some of my classes. I high school, I was a Gifted and Talented program kid who would get an A on a test and never turn in homework, because homework was "stupid." There were a few of us in the program like that... all of us highly intelligent, but apathetic slackers not especially challenged.

This time around I am changing to a Humanities Honor Program that offers the flexibility and challenge I need.

Balanced 5

[Star Cannon]

I think making notes colorful might get the point across to long term memory.
I suck at studying. Period.

[Odyssey]

Color is an excellent way to remember things. I second that.

Also, different people might have different colors they remember better. I know blue is scientifically proven to be the most memorable one on average (I wish I remembered the source!), but for me writing in green pen sticks in my memory best - it's my favorite color. I even carry a green pen in my pocket everywhere I go!

~Odyssey

[Boozer]

I am a cram monkey. I didn't start doing well in school until college when most of the classes were things I was interested in. I always did much better in classes with big projects/tests since they went well with my bursts of concentration/motivation.

[nic]

Adding on to NGene reply.It was(is) almost the same for me.I did great in school .I got out with probably the second position in India in the qualifying exam.But then I stumbled .The next 2-3 years were a waste of time .(The current year is the fourth one ;-) ).

Now I am the best student in class,understanding things faster than others(probably all others) ,but I messed in the exam I had some days back ! Partly carelessness ,partly not solving problems .

I have a solution .I dont know if it would work,but I will post here if it does.

I think the first thing to realise is that it isn't the exam which is wrong ,but my not doing well means I *do* lack something .If I really do understand the thing ,I should be able to solve correctly the problems !

So the solution is realizing that my study hasn't been as good as I had imagined it to be .True if *we* are to study well,it would mean a lot more hard work than the normal guys who peacefully study to write exams.My solution is to try for much more than *required* .Since everything does interest me but to varying degrees,I think it would be always possible to find problems in the related field which are truly fascinating.And as others would feel ,we can study everything under the sun just to solve one problem which is interesting ,and this should (by definition) include the course material .In physics I plan to derive evrything myself ,firsthand , so that even the formulae which result are *personal* .

I got good results in school because I had studied everything beforehand (Trying to solve problems of my elder sister).As soon as something became required reading ,I generally lost interest .I think I have to again apply that formula.

BTW I discovered yesterday that I am an INTP type and what a relief it has been !

[Rhu]

Pass or fail, I usually did one thing before and after taking a test: laugh about the thing. It is cathartic.

I learned... some time way back there, a few important things (looking back on what I've written, I have to say that the last bits read like 'Confessions of a Professional Student Who Only Came Out of His Shell In Class.'):

1. Grades are subjective. Sure, they attempt to approach objectivity, but no test, be it T/F, multiple choice, short answer, or essay is going to be 100% objective. The subjectivity is usually a matter of the professor's preference and emphasis. Knowing this, you should determine that out of class study isn't the most important thing in getting good grades, especially taking into consideration the function of the Ne--Attendance is... I wish I had learned that earlier.

2. Essays are great. This is mostly because you only need to be armed with two things--the ability to convey thoughts in writing and the ability to analyze the basic concepts. Details in essays are for show... In fact, if you have a professor who made the concious decision to give essay tests, you don't need to study details at all. Fix on the conceptual flow.

3. As was said above, there is a sort of code in multiple choice tests. The code will vary from professor to professor, though--But look for cues. Read over the answers with your professor's voice in mind. If it sounds like something they'd say with their 'positive example' voice, pick it. You don't even need to think about it, that's the right answer.

4. I don't really know why this was so important to me, but my undefeated record of making every professor I ever had chuckle, even if in spite of him/herself was paramount. I guess the meaningful part for me was the exchange and challenge in making them laugh. I guess it was a method by which we got to know something about eachother. I got to know something about how they thought, how they treated the absurd (typically embracing or despising it--in a math/computer science environment it was the negation of the subject of study). And they got an insight on how I thought, how words and concepts tumble out of me, which allowed me both to write jokes on tests and to be understood when I was writing towards making a point more obliquely. They also tended to remember who I was. I stopped in a hall one day to butt in on a conversation between a student I knew and one of my professors, the latter of which laughed and said to me, "You know, whenever your name comes up in conversation, it tends to draw a... strong emotional response."

5. To emphasize the above: have fun in class. If there's no fun to be had, engage your professor in making fun. They aren't bad people. Use your creativity. Attempt to divert the professor onto a tangential subject every now and then.

[Leftfield]

The process of studying isn't all that difficult: do what interests you, if you really like the material you should get an A-B, if you are iffy in the class, aim no less than a C or don't take the class at all!

I never understood why people complain about studying so much if they were the one's that picked the classes/major themselves, if your schedule is set, it was your choice to choose that path originally.

A BBA is pretty wide open and it covers all aspects of business and a nice mix of electives too... I've managed a 3.7 getting A's in classes I liked and B's in classes I didn't care for as much, but still liked in a small way. I aim for high grades because of grad school, when I will actually utilize my brain...

If you can't find (or apply) your niche then you know where you will stand down the line.

To me there comes a point in college when you turn from reactive studying to proactive studying, when the passion or calling kicks in...

[MaroonBells]

At the moment i am feeling quite depressed because it just doesn't work at uni, and I am getting confused about the future, thinking it would be better skipping uni and take a job. But then again I know ánd people around me know that I am capable of doing this, as long as I get a good study method (wich I don't have, I never had to study this way in my life before). And I realy, realy want this diploma.

I wonder if anyone could give me advise on how to deal with this.

thank you !

don't quit. lock yourself in front of your desk and study. if you drop out, you'll never pick it up again and we have to hear you struggle with that for eternity.

learn backward: find out what they want you to know, look it up, write it down, memorize it, take your exam and forget about it again.

i've worked like that through my high school, bsc and msc years and didn't loose any time studying more stuff than was needed, and i had plenty of time to learn about/ read all the stuff i was really interested in

it will get you the diploma that will provide you the options down the line - dropping out will limit your options and no intp can deal with that

[Elizabeth B]

I didn’t have to study in high school.

In college, once I figured out how to study and how to pick classes I could do well in, my GPA kept going up every semester.

Now, I went to the Air Force Academy, which is a little different than a normal school. I usually took 6 – 7 classes, the least I ever was able to take was my second semester senior year, I “only” had to take 5. However, the general principles should apply to a normal school (they worked with my masters degree in IE at New Mexico State University.)

First, picking classes: this is key. Make sure as many classes as possible are ones you can do well in. Classes with essay exams are better than classes with multiple choice exams. Also, you may do better with certain instructors, I was never able to pick instructors, only classes.

Other than that, you have to figure out what you’re good at and interested in. My husband and I are both INTPs, and some subjects we’re both good at, but others were different. For instance, all programming comes easily to him but not to me. I did poorly in my Pascal class, but did great in the Fortran portion—for some reason it made sense to me in a way that Pascal did not. (Interestingly, he didn’t like Fortran. Also, the only other programming that I can do is databases, and he hates them.) I’m very good at foreign languages, but my husband is not. So, I ended up taking several different foreign language courses as electives—I found that the first year part of mastering a new language was most interesting, also there were more freshmen in the first year courses, so you had the advantage of knowing how to study more than them (and, at the Academy, freshmen were also sleep deprived, so this strategy may not be as big of a benefit at a regular school.)

Macro level studying: As I said, I had to take a lot of classes. In the first couple weeks, I would figure out how much studying I’d have to do in each class to make a certain grade. I would then set my goals accordingly. For example, I decide to aim for a B in organic chemistry because it would take hours of studying to get an A, but a B with just a little studying. Now, with the time I would have spent getting an A in Organic Chem, I can get an A in 2 other classes that come fairly easily to me. I would periodically reassess this process as actual grades came in so I could target my efforts where they would pay off in the best studying/grades ratio.

Micro level studying: Yes, you have to take notes. Underline things that the instructor seems to get excited about or seems to convey are important (I could always tell.) Now, I would wait until the night before to study for tests in classes I disliked and 2-3 nights before for classes I liked. If I started any earlier than this, it had no extra benefit. (This was a KEY finding for me. I had been wasting lots of time studying too early, the little facts just went in one ear and out the other. I could only keep them in the brain for a short time. The big picture, of course, was always there.) I would read through the notes several times, then distill them to a few pages of what I needed to work on/memorize. If it was a string of words, I like to make up words/phrases to help me memorize them. (like Kings Play Chess On Fine Grained Sand). You can make words with some things you have to memorize if they’re not in a set order. My friends loved the words/phrases I came up with, it helped them, too. Finally, I would get the info down to 1 page (sometimes 2 for a class like Poly Sci or history) of things to memorize. I would then study it a little the night before, then stare at it for maybe 30 minutes in the morning. I would also stare at it just before the test. I could remember it in my short term memory for a few minutes if I stared at it like this. Once the test started, I would immediately jot down the key facts on the side of my test or a scrap paper before they ran out of my brain. Annoying people used to tell me, stop, enough already, if you don’t know it by now, you’ll never know it. Wave them off. They’re wrong.

Finally, I found that I was able to predict what would be on the test to a fair degree, based on how important the topic was and how the instructor conveyed it. Learn to watch your professors for this kind of behavior (also, as an N, you should be able to see what are the big picture type of things the professors will want you to know.) Refine this process through quizzes and tests as you go along. This also helps maximize the study/grade ratio.

As you can see, I was all about the study/grade ratio. By my senior year, I was studying less than I had been as a freshman and had almost a full GPA point higher. I enjoyed the challenge of arranging my classes and studying to get max points for min effort.

At the Academy, there were some people with another plan: "Max the min, baby." Or, 2.0 and go. (A 2.0 was required to graduate.) This was the idea that you should get the exact grade you needed to graduate, not 1 point higher, if you weren't going to get a 4.0 you might as well get the min it took to graduate.

[nic]

Hello all

Carl Wieman (Nobel Prize winner,Physics,2001 ) says in his autobiographical essay ( http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/2001/wieman-autobio.html ) -

"During high school I was a good student, but never quite at the top of the class. I mastered the material, but was usually a little too independent to do precisely what the teacher wanted, and so was never considered among the very best students. Usually the worse the teacher (at least according to me), the lower was my standing."

and
"In spite of (or because of) this unorthodox education, I ended up far more enthusiastic about physics than most of my classmates, as well as having a much better grasp of many basic concepts such as quantum mechanics. Of course I was considerably weaker in the formal solving of problems, and I still have not learned much of the standard material of the undergraduate curriculum. However, when I needed to know some material, I was completely comfortable with going out and learning it myself in a way that I discovered was not typical for my classmates."

Bye

[Nighthawk]

Now, I went to the Air Force Academy, which is a little different than a normal school. I usually took 6 – 7 classes, the least I ever was able to take was my second semester senior year, I “only” had to take 5.
Did you have Saturday classes too? I vividly remember those.

[red]

I hate studying for any of my school courses. They're all so boring and not challenging. Except I'm failing... .____.

[Nighthawk]

I would read through the notes several times, then distill them to a few pages of what I needed to work on/memorize. If it was a string of words, I like to make up words/phrases to help me memorize them. (like Kings Play Chess On Fine Grained Sand). You can make words with some things you have to memorize if they’re not in a set order. My friends loved the words/phrases I came up with, it helped them, too. Finally, I would get the info down to 1 page (sometimes 2 for a class like Poly Sci or history) of things to memorize. I would then study it a little the night before, then stare at it for maybe 30 minutes in the morning. I would also stare at it just before the test. I could remember it in my short term memory for a few minutes if I stared at it like this. Once the test started, I would immediately jot down the key facts on the side of my test or a scrap paper before they ran out of my brain.I used much the same system. Some sort of mnemonic to remember the first letters or words of key concepts. I'd also distill things down to a 1 or 2 page cheat sheet, which I would try to memorize. Like you, I would do this up until the time of the test itself ... then jot down what I needed immediately after the test started. Short term memory does help in that respect.

[Elizabeth B]

Did you have Saturday classes too? I vividly remember those.

Luckily, no. I'm not sure if West Point still has them or not.

However, there were a lot of Saturdays wasted with parades, inspections, and mandatory football games.

We were cranky fans. My freshman year, the football team sucked. We had a fun chant, "Up the middle, Up the middle, Up the middle, punt." Mind you, this was for our OWN team. That's what happens when you make something mandatory, sucks all the fun out of it. (Wearing blue polyester uniforms didn't help much, either.)


Like you, I would do this up until the time of the test itself ... then jot down what I needed immediately after the test started. Short term memory does help in that respect.

And, no need wasting valuable space in the brain with boring facts. There for the test, then bye bye.

I would often read my mid-terms while studying for finals with a sense of detached amazement “Hey, that’s pretty good. I used to know this?” Then, I’d lose some of my detachment as I realized that I would have to learn it all again since I obviously didn’t know any of it anymore.

[Devil'SalaD]

Hey Oliver,

Sleep.

Give it a try. I spent my first sem at uni trying to learn everything...got really stressed and marks dropped from 85 to 58 in the second sem. Then I said, "Screw it," and went to sleep.

With 10 hours of sleep, I could learn anything they threw at me.

if studying, study until you get sleepy, then sleep for as long as you need. I skipped all classes where teachers were of no use and I slept in instead.

Try it out if you can. It took me about 7-10 days of good sleep to get into super-learning mode.

Let me know how it goes.

[afton]

My main problem is, in addition to low self-discipline, the fact that after a while, I tend to lose my interest. I love starting things. I was really interested in biochemistry during the first year, but after I'd learned the principles, I lost my interest. The next year, the same happened with the Computer Science classes I took. I seem to like things as long as they are hobbies, as long as I can learn about them just for the sake of learning, and as long as the classes are pretty introductory. But when I'm forced to memorize facts and perform in an exam and read certain textbook chapters in certain order, I lose my interest, and my passion changes into tedious, boring work.


Heh! That illustrated exactly what happened with me too.
*after I'd learned the principles, I lost my interest * and
*as long as the classes are pretty introductory *

Right now I'm pretty hot with biology and want to read the
1300-pages Campbell's Biology (7th Ed.) just for the sake of fun reading.
I'm just too worried by the 100th page, I'd get bored :-(

The same thing with photography - it's my hobby and I never want
it to be a full-time job cos I know I'd be bored and burned out after one month.