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For students...how often do you study?

bee*

bee*

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 14, 2006
Messages
12,169
I just found out that I failed one of my exams and I had studied so hard for it. I'm in college full-time and also work about 30 hours per week and try and fit in about 2 hours study every night and at least 5 hours each weekend day. Obviously it's not enough and I'm going to have to try and fit in more. How often do you study?
 
Oh bee, I'm sorry about the exam.

I was a student until very recently. I really didn't have a set time that I had to spend studying. It depended on the subject. For some I'd spend an afternoon, for others I'd take 3 days (just studying for the exams; on top of going over the material after every class). I do worry, though, that with working full-time you might be too tired to get out of the two hours that you spend on it at night everything that somebody who's well-rested would be getting.
 
I can't imagine working 30 hours a week and still having time to study. I'm really impressed you're able to do it!

When I was in college I spent about 5-10hrs studying for each exam (usually one exam per week in the middle of the semester) and about 4hrs per day doing class work (problem sets, papers, etc). I haven't been a student for a couple years though so it's hard to remember.
 
Bee - I'm really sorry about your exam! I work 40 hours a week and I set aside two hours a night to study, even if it means staying up a bit later. I'm only taking two classes at the moment though. I take an hour per class to study, take notes, review, whatever I might need to do. After fall I hope to be in class full time, but I'm hoping to reduce work hours in relation.
 
I'm currently a medical school student which is a bit different. But somewhat similar in that during my clinical rotations, i'm basically working 40 hours a week or more, while still having to study for my big shelf exams.

Back in college though, I didn't study as much as I do now since the pace and amount of material wasn't as large.
But I think a lot of the battle isn't how long you study so much as how you study. When I went from freshman to sophmore year I had drastically changed how I studied because I had almost failed a freshman class (and DID fail many exams which was awful because I was a straight A high school kid) and realized I needed to adapt my studying.

For my classes like biology and psychology that took a lot of memorization of facts, I realized that reading the text book was very low yield. Truth is, most of the what will be tested, the professor will go over in class, and it's very unlikely they'd test something they never mention in class. So instead, I took very good notes during lecture, and then once a week I would rewrite and condense the notes I took (using the text book as reference for parts I didn't understand). And then right before an exam, I'd further condense my already condensed notes to focus and make a sparksnote type cheat sheet. I found this system worked better for me than just reading texts since I had to actively process and interact with the info in terms of deciding what to rewrite and how to organize it all. And it didn't take much time either since I did most of the work in class. Rewriting never took that long, and I often would listen to music or run the TV in the background. By my junior year, I studied maybe 3-4 hours a week outside of class. And a little more on weeks before exams. I got mostly A's.

For classes like math and physics, I just did a lot of practice problems.

Anyways, that's what worked for me. Everyone learns differently, and it depends on what you are studying for, but I do think that efficiency in studying is key to enjoying college! Best of luck!
 
Ugh :( That's the worst. I feel your pain completely!

I have a test tomorrow in Patho on 6 chapters and I have been studying for it every day for 5-8 hours each day for the last 4 days.

How are you studying for it?

Maybe flash cards would help?

Maybe you can cut down some work hours?
 
Hi there, I never expected grad school to be as challenging as it turned out to be. For me, I it helped to learn how to listen to teachers discussing the material and what areas they emphasized, as the more in depth/time they spent on an area, the more in depth/likely it would show up on exams. It continues to be difficult for me to not study everything in front of me with the same weight, but that just isn't practical.

Having fully attended to work full time while in school, I sympathize with the time commitment you are under. I also agree that maybe you'll need to rearrange the quantity for quality study. Also, if you can stay on top of the lectures to make up note cards ahead of time, is it possible to study here and there at work? (I say this not knowing what you do, so if this is completely improbable no offense intended.)

Most of my classes had two or three exams tops and counted towards 70-80% of my grade (no pressure right?) I would clear my work and social calender for the three days prior and do nothing but study for that specific exam. I would say the first day would spend a lot of time out-lining and highlighting and figuring out what material was important. The second day I tended to slack off till 2pm and than work hard and feel guilty till I buckled down, with the aim of only having to review material by the third day. That meant on day 3, nothing in my notes hadn't been seen/touched on in the previous two days.

I also used to be kinda cheap on my supplies. By the end, as I prepare for boards, I spare no expense if I think it will help me stay organized or better organize my thoughts. I should have stock in the stationary store. My theory is-it makes my life easier, studying is hard, it's cheaper to lay out $50 in the perfect supplies and pass, than it is to repeat the course.

My favorite study items are index cards that are spiral bound-I really wish I had started using them sooner, because they are easier to keep topics together and throw in a purse in case I had down time throughout the day.

AND

gel pens. I go through a ridiculous amount. But since the act of writing stuff out is helpful for me, I don't want my hand to cramp up before I'm done, which happens with ball point pens, and visually appealing notes also help me study better. So key topics are written in various colors, while main text is written in black. Any highlighting I do usually happens on day 3-in that last review session.

Also-I asked my classmates routinely "how are you focusing your topic areas for the exam?" from people who tested well. Usually they had at least two or three "there will definitely be a question on ****" and there would be!
 
Something that I didn't do in undergrad, but now everyone knows to do in law school... ask at the beginning of the semester what the exam will be like! Try going into professors early in the semester and asking them generally what things they think are most important in the course, ask if the exam will be multiple choice, short answer, essay, etc. Your professor may not be super forthcoming, but I think it helps to start getting your mind wrapped around early what your end goal is. You might even ask vaguer questions like, "What would you say your A+ students did right?"
 
Thanks so much everyone! I have the flu at the moment so sorry for posting and then running-had to sleep for a little while! I'm studying veterinary and I'm in my preclinical year and I have six exams this coming April that I am so worried about. If I don't get them I have to repeat the year :errrr: :((

Thanks Mayerling! I do find myself tired when I get back from work but I do my best to stay alert while I'm studying, thanks to coffee!

Elrohwen- Unfortunately I don't seem to be managing working/college too well at the moment. Roll on graduation day.

Thanks df. Best of luck in your course!!

Making the grade-thanks so much for all that information. As I said, I'm studying vet med, so our subjects are similar. I just don't seem to be good at cutting down notes. Our notes are all printed out for us before we go into a lecture and when I cut them down into my own notes, they still seem to be pages long. How do you cut them down into more manageable notes (or are your notes pages long too?).

Thanks AN- I'm mainly going over lecture notes in the evening. I have tried to do all different sorts of study (ie, writing out notes, just studying from lecture notes and books without writing down notes) and I do seem to study well when I'm writing them out but it just seems to take me forever and I have so many lectures that I don't have time to do it for them all. I really really don't want to repeat the year so I need to try and become more efficient quickly! Unfortunately cutting down work is not an option at the moment. My DH is not in full time employment due to the economy so we need the money. Best of luck in your exam!!! You'll do great!!

mayachel-Thanks so much! I am kind of similar in that I really seem to find it hard not to put the same weight on everything and that's why it takes me hours to do every lecture! My exams vary between being 90% of my final mark and 100% for three of them so it's definitely a lot of pressure! I did fine when I was in my first couple of years but since we entered our preclinical years I just don't seem to be doing as well. I know the material-I just don't seem to be able to show that in a written exam. I might have to go to the shop and stock up on flash cards.

suchende-thanks for that!! I have a meeting with one of them on Friday!! Will definitely be meeting up with them all to ask how I can prepare.
 
I feel your pain!

I'm currently in calc2 and java programming 2 and working 24 hours per week -- I can't imagine trying to fit another class or more hours of work into my day!

Since I just failed my calc exam last week :nono: :nono: , I have to say that my method of study (which worked for me before) is not working this quarter.

What I'm starting now:
flash cards (vocabulary & formulas)
daily problem practice
do EVERY practice problem from the book
do EVERY self-assesment section in programming


What I KNOW helps me:
Do a few problems (20 minutes or so), stand up for a couple of minutes (pour more tea, start a load of dishes, pet a cat, etc) then go back to more problems
After one hour, leave the book and do something else for 20-30 minutes (short dog walk, dinner, fun book read, shower)

I guess that really just turns out to be forcing myself to get up so that I can study better. It gives my mind a chance to clear and then I can get a fresh start and not get stuck on something. This also helps me to retain better.
Of course the problem is that it is easy to get busy and have the "couple of minutes" turn into 15-20 and the "20-30 minutes" turn into an hour or two...
 
I'm sorry to hear about your exam TooPatient! I definitely know the feeling! I really need to figure out what works for me and what doesn't as at the moment I'm switching between all different ways of studying and nothing is working.
 
TooPatient|1296500776|2838344 said:
I feel your pain!

I'm currently in calc2 and java programming 2 and working 24 hours per week -- I can't imagine trying to fit another class or more hours of work into my day!

Since I just failed my calc exam last week :nono: :nono: , I have to say that my method of study (which worked for me before) is not working this quarter.

What I'm starting now:
flash cards (vocabulary & formulas)
daily problem practice
do EVERY practice problem from the book
do EVERY self-assesment section in programming


What I KNOW helps me:
Do a few problems (20 minutes or so), stand up for a couple of minutes (pour more tea, start a load of dishes, pet a cat, etc) then go back to more problems
After one hour, leave the book and do something else for 20-30 minutes (short dog walk, dinner, fun book read, shower)

I guess that really just turns out to be forcing myself to get up so that I can study better. It gives my mind a chance to clear and then I can get a fresh start and not get stuck on something. This also helps me to retain better.
Of course the problem is that it is easy to get busy and have the "couple of minutes" turn into 15-20 and the "20-30 minutes" turn into an hour or two...
Click to expand...

After doing 6 calc classes and loads of calc in for my process and reactor design courses, I found that there actually aren't that many different types of problems in each math course. If you know the basics (ie solving different types of differential equations by a few different methods, using transforms), then you can look at the problem and classify its type. Each type has very specific steps that need to be followed. I did practice problems to recognize the types of questions and get a handle on what was involved with each. The curve balls were usually requiring partial fraction expansion or using trig identities or something like that, so that's where a general knowledge of math comes in.

I started math doing horribly and nearly failing my first year. After I started breaking down problems in to types, I realized that each course really only focused on a handfull of different types of questions. In the test I'd identify the type and the steps to solve it, then do it. I'd inevitably get lost in the addition and subtraction, but I did ok because the prof could see that I recognized what was going on with the problem.

This is what worked best for me with something math based.

Something requiring memorization was harder and I used the condensed lecture notes method described by another poster. The key is doing something with the content that requires you to think about it. I can read something 20 times without being able to repeat it afterwards. Repetition doesn't do it for me. I have to work with information somehow in order to remember it later on.
 
Hi Bee,

Actually, I don't pay attention to the printed notes either, I also treat those as a textbook for reference use.

Basically I just write notes based on what the professor is saying. He can only teach so many points in a given lecture, and so the details that he talks about are the ones I remember as those will 99% be the details tested. Every professor puts extra stuff in the printed notes, but if it's important (i.e. worth testing in his opinion) then you will hear the words come out of his mouth unless he's a horrid and mean professor.

So when I'm in class, I take notes on 1)Things he writes on the board 2)Concepts he bothers to explain in length 3)Buzz words that have specific associations.

Doing it that way, I usually wrote 2 pages, double sided of notes per class in my notebook (lectures were about an hour long). And so it was much easier to condense my own notes from lecture than to try to condense the printed notes that were often filled with too much detail. I also save time and space by not writing full sentences and hand writing all my notes so that I can use short hand that makes sense to me (a lot of math symbols basically, lol)


Hope that helps :)
 
Hi, bee*!

I have some good study tips:

- One of the best ways to determine your gaps in understanding of a subject is to do the following:
Study the material using whatever methods you've found most useful.
Then, take a break of at least 20 minutes.
Then, write down everything you can recall about the subject. Do this without notes or any reference of any time. (This helps you determine what you *don't* yet know, and it also helps you better absorb the information you do know.)
Then, go back through the material and identify gaps in your understanding, and then focus on mastering those gaps.

If you're having a hard time getting through a lot of text and think you could benefit from some reading tips, let me know.
 
Also-have you ever seen this? http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/ I would have bought one of these in a heart beat at the start of my schooling had I known about them.
 
2 hrs/day during the week does not sound nearly enough for veterinary, to me. My sister (pharmacy school) probably is more in the range of 4 hrs/day, 6 hrs on crunch days? She works, as well.
 
I'm sorry one of your classes didn't go well. I understand what that's like -- it's such a downer. But I like your attitude to go for better grades and to sort out how to improve next time around!

One thing I always do when grades don't turn out as planned is meet with the professor. The two questions I like to ask are: how can I improve the way in which I write my exams (ours are usually essay, so this wouldn't apply for MC); what strategies can I use to improve my approach; and what does an A exam look like.

As for studying, I don't know anything about vet school, so it may be a whole different story, but for law school, I spend about 4 hours preparing before a two-hour class. That means reading the assigned reading (usually 40-50 pages) and typing up notes on the material. I print that out and take handwritten notes on the print-outs in class. Then after class, I'll go over my notes. Toward the end of the semester I make giant pared-down outlines of the material to study from, as well as giant posters of each set/topic of concepts that I tape onto the walls and use to study. Placing them around the house helps me remember which concepts/cases fit together by remembering which wall it was located on.

Since law school is one exam per class as the only assessment, it's really important to study hard and know your stuff. Thus, I'd say for each class I spend a total of about 5 hours preparing/studying, and then for each exam, I probably spend about 10 days total over the course of the semester outlining, studying, doing practice exams, etc.


Good luck crushing it next semester!!!
 
When trying to memorize, association is your best friend, not repetition! If you find that you hate the subject, use association. If you love the subject, repetition may be in order. Decide for yourself...you absolutely CAN get through this.

Example: I LOVE textiles!

Synthetic fibers=polyester, olefin, (Itchy and Scratchy Show!)
Natural fibers= wool, cotton, linen, silk, (sheeple! cotton gin/any cotton commercial--"the way you make me feel", WRINKLES/SHAR-PEIS, silk underwear, you get me.)

Word association is KEY during memorization. Same with music--you just have to FEEL IT and use certain points of a melody or harmony to remember. You can do this!!!!
 
I just asked my sis, and she says 4-5 hrs during the week, straight 12 on the weekends, but she doesn't work as much as you do. Of course, there is a large ability component. For sure, I would not be studying her material for as long as she does. :bigsmile:

Have you thought about cutting down your work hours?
 
bee*|1296478170|2838046 said:
I just found out that I failed one of my exams and I had studied so hard for it. I'm in college full-time and also work about 30 hours per week and try and fit in about 2 hours study every night and at least 5 hours each weekend day. Obviously it's not enough and I'm going to have to try and fit in more. How often do you study?
Click to expand...

Bee, after reading this thread...can you cut down your work hours to 10-15? 30 seems excessive although many can do it. Maybe just cut down the work hours, if possible, for this semester. Whatever allows you more time to study!

I worked all through college but it was maybe 20 hrs per week. My work never interfered with my studies. Or partying!

Get some rest and look into how your hours may be better spent. xoxoxoxo! ~H
 
Thanks so much for all your responses.

MTG-thanks so much for all your help. Things are done a little bit differently over here but I can definitely apply some of those things!

That's a great idea Haven. I'll try that technique with this evening's study. Reading tips would be great if you don't mind!

mayachel-I have actually recorded some lectures in the past but it took so long to go through them afterwards! For some of the lectures I might have to go and do that again!

Julie-thanks for checking with your sister-I'll definitely have to try and cut down work a bit if they'll allow me. It's just rough with DH not in work full time. 12 hours straight-how does she do it!!!

megumic- I like that idea of going over things before lectures. Think I'll start doing that today!! I'm meeting up with my lecturer on Friday so hopefully I'll get some good advice on what to do.

Thanks monarch! I'll definitely have to manage my schedule better. I like your word association idea. Normally I do the repetition thing but I might try that instead.

Thanks again everyone!!!
 
GL Bee!

If this is your first failed exam in vet school, I can empathize. First time it happened to me I was like "OH. CRAP."
But don't worry, you must be a pretty smart cookie to have gotten to vet school, so it's just a matter of fine tuning and a little adapting and I'm sure you'll find your stride in no time!
 
Thank you! I had failed one previously just before the wedding, but I just hadn't put the work in whereas this time I had put lots of work in so it's definitely an Oh Crap feeling! Thanks again for your help!
 
MakingTheGrade|1296506863|2838447 said:
Every professor puts extra stuff in the printed notes, but if it's important (i.e. worth testing in his opinion) then you will hear the words come out of his mouth unless he's a horrid and mean professor.
Click to expand...

We must be in different fields or at schools with different cultures-- typically we have a few hundred pages of reading a week and class will be professor guided but pretty free discussion of the matters. Exams frequently have explicit questions on reading material that was never discussed.
 
Just to give you an update-I passed all my exams including the one that I had to repeat so thank you all for your helpful tips!! It definitely helped the way that I studied in the past semester!!
 
Congrats. :)
 
:appl: Great news, Bee!
 
glad to see you did well on your exams!

I hear ya on the struggle though. freshman year I had to learn how to study in general. I was from a podunk town, and none of our programs were challenging enough for me to need to do anything outside of completing the busy work assignments. I had one class (patho) where it didn't seem to matter how I studied, or how long I studied, I would get an 84% on each exam... until our final which was mostly circulatory (my FAV!) in which case I got a 92. weird and frustrating. oh well i guess.

for me it usually depends on the class. when I had physics and any chemistry I felt like I was studying and solving problems all the time. when I wasn't doing that I was in office hours or study group asking questions. organic chem still turned out to be a horror for me, though physics was a bit better (both where 1st time profs too).

other classes, mostly humanities like psych, sociology, ethics, I only have to go to class and take good notes, participate in discussion, and briefly skim through notes in the days leading up to the exams. nothing major.
 
bee*|1308932319|2954057 said:
Just to give you an update-I passed all my exams including the one that I had to repeat so thank you all for your helpful tips!! It definitely helped the way that I studied in the past semester!!
Click to expand...

Congratulations!
 
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