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Pure genius.
I write a weekly essay on topics I liked during the week. Just a short 2-pager. I didn't try to make it amazing, just collected my thoughts. This was especially helpful when a large essay was assigned because I could just take a topic I already wrote about and extend it.
I always liked starting off by doing a practice test or reworking problems before going back through all the material. You get to see what you remember from the semester so you don't have to waste as much time studying those areas. It's sometimes surprising to see how much you've actually retained. Then you can focus on the areas you didn't do so well on and not make the same mistakes you did in practicing. I would usually repeat the steps of practice tests and studying the material until I felt I was ready for the test.
I use an app called "Forest" that makes me stay off my phone, and in return I grow little trees. It sounds stupid, but you become really attached to the trees and don't want them to die by unlocking your phone.
Set a timer for 25 minutes at a time to focus on your study topic or work on a paper, then when the timer goes off, set it again for five minutes to do something fun like going for a quick jog, taking a shower, or having a dance break.
I keep two notebooks. I use one to take notes during lectures and I use the other at home to copy down the class notes in a nicer, more legible way. Makes it easier to study. Plus, the more you write something, the more you'll remember it!
I scribble down notes during a lecture, then I rewrite them at home. I read them every night after homework until exam week and it just sticks in my brain. I've done this since 5th grade and I've never had anything lower than a 4.0... Yes, it takes time, but if you want good grades then use it because it WORKS!!
Ever since I was a kid, I loved lining up all my toys and playing teacher with them. I never really stopped and find that trying to teach the material I'm learning really helps me to remember the material.
If you're trying to remember an event or some type of historical fact, rephrase the story in a less boring way. Then tell that story to your roommate, your parents, your cat, or little cousin. Essentially recreate Drunk History.
If you listen to white noise or alpha wave YouTube videos (that aid in studying), they help tune out outside noise.
—b123
I cannot emphasize studying to classical music enough! I don't know what it is, no other type of lyric-less music helps me focus, but I can always type and think as fast as the music is going. It's particularly great with songs that alternate between slower, softer parts and fast, dramatic parts. I have a playlist on Spotify that never fails me and helps me crank out brilliant essays at lightning speed.
Every time I read a chapter of my textbook or section of my notes, I let myself have a gummy bear.
I'm a theatre kid, so I would recite the key points of my study material like a dramatic soap-opera-style play. It was great entertainment for my family when I would dramatically walk down the stairs, make a dramatic expression, and say, "2ax= -b /- square root of 4ac?!"
If I have to learn the exact wording of something like "2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid" or "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another....", I just create a melody and sing the text to the melody until it becomes the worst earwig.
Speaking what you're studying is more effective than just doing it mentally.
The best thing that helped me in law school and studying for the bar is to condense the material to what is important so that it fits one page. The more you write something — especially if you write it in different formats — the more you will remember the material.
I like to handwrite "ID's" or "Identification Definitions" that are 1-2 sentences long to summarize a concept.
For simple memorization, I swear by mnemonic devices. A lot of times this just means coming up with silly acronyms, but for more complex memorization I take to the Internet to see what other people have come up with. For example, when I had to memorize Erikson's stages of psychosocial development in psych, I used this video, and I memorized the information extremely quickly.
I use a technique called a memory palace. Basically, you visualize the stuff you need to memorize on a path on a familiar space (I use my childhood home). Then, you just retrace the path if you need to remember something. I swear by this technique! I am the worst at memorizing but I learned Spanish using this. ¡Es muy efectivo, mis amigos!
For organization, I always want to keep a handwritten calendar or bullet journal, but it never lasts! Trello is by far the greatest to-do app. I like to separate my Trello boards by class, then by week, then by assignment — and each assignment card has its own list(s).
I put a table of contents at the front of all of my notebooks so when it comes time to study I know exactly where to look.
For my more dense classes I record the lectures on my phone. I then go back and re-listen to the lecture and add to the notes I already took. This allows me to concentrate more on what the teacher is saying in class rather than worrying about writing everything down.
I make study groups, and I arrange for all of us to meet before an exam. The more people you invite, the more likely it is that someone understands something that you don't.
I have ADHD so sitting down to study is a challenge for me. I get my best scores on tests when I study at 12 a.m.-2 a.m. Everyone is asleep, the house is silent, and I have NO distractions. I know I'm on a time constraint (I obviously needed to sleep) so I studied hard in order to get to bed by 2:30 AM.