How do you guys study?
I'm feeling pretty crappy right now as I just received the scores of two exams I took last week. Neither grade was what I wanted, nor expected. Since day one of this semester I've been in the library at least 5 hours a day doing schoolwork. For the homework questions I don't understand I go to the TA's or professors office hours to clarify the concepts. I've done well on the homework and received 100's on the in class quizzes, but when the exams came it's like I knew nothing. Looking back at my differential equations exam, I could've gotten a score at least 15 points higher if it wasn't for silly mistakes (not zooming in on the graph to see the intercept... stuff like that).
This leads me to believe that I am studying incorrectly and it is frustrating because I could be spending my time networking or learning more about finance than studying and getting the grades I received today. If anyone has any advice for me (Engineering student) I would greatly appreciate it.
Slow down. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
I second what was said earlier: slow it down. That should help minimize the "silly mistakes".
And honestly, 5 hours a day? You might be overdoing it. What I do is read over my notes from the previous class to see where we will be headed, and after, I look over the new notes. This helps me "connect the dots" from the two lectures. And make sure during your study time, change subjects every 1-2 hours or so. Studying one subject for too long tends to not work well for me. I study for 2 hours, 30 minute break, and repeat. Works like a charm.
Doing ^ allowed me to make the Presidents List 3 of my 4 semesters thus far, with around a ~3.9 GPA. (Not bragging, just letting you know I'm not some rando giving off the wall advice.)
Good Luck
I cram 4-5 days ahead of the exam,it gives me enough time to understand and memorize all the concepts,formulas etc The more I got to study the more days I reserve, but usually it's pretty much overkill since I also make summary of all that I have to learn.
As for unrelated school work it pretty much depends on your will to work/study,it's good to maintain a constant work pace,but I usually try to aim for a minimum of 2 hours or try to target how pages/chapters I want to cover.
Differential equations with a calculator? What is going on there?
It's a TI-84 so it doesn't really give me an advantage. Was really only necessary to solve some initial value problems and graphing bifurcations.
@CallMeMrChunk I wouldn't say I'm overdoing it since the 4 engineering classes I am taking have a big workload or the concepts are tough to grasp. Combine that with some bad professors who literally teach you nothing so you have to teach yourself out of the book. Thankfully my 5th class (gen. ed) is easy..
I was in engineering for a bit before dropping it for finance. I wouldn't think you're over doing it either tbh, eng was a bitch. In saying that I think if you do a heap of practice exams setting a strict time limit like you would have for the real exam then you'll know how to pace yourself and if you do well you'll obviously feel better when going in. Also make sure you give your head a rest, go to the pub, beach whatever does it for you
How do you study? You actually study, not sit around and eat gummy bears and like the co-eds picture from down the hall.
Take it slow, and for finance topics, focus on the forest not the trees
The best approach I've found in studying is to ask for practice problems. This tells you whether you really understand the notes and what they're teaching in class. Go over the HW's and do extra practice problems over and over again to make sure if you have it down pat. This helped me out infinitely.
Also, ask you TA or professor to post the solutions to the homeworks so you can see the process and practice it to get it right. It may sound crazy, but I think for me just hammering out practice problems and nailing the homeworks limited the number of silly mistakes I previously made on exams.
Don't worry you'll get it. Quantitative subjects can be pretty difficult if there is limited practice material to go off of so take some initiative and go through your HW/practice/textbook problems. Hope this helps.
I don't really. I'm working 30+ hours a week. About three hours before it's due, I skim the chapters, solve a couple problems and then do the homework. Have above a 3.4 so it's not too bad.
Never liked studying, I kind of just "get" it most of the time. Especially intuitive stuff.
Put in more effort. If its that easy for you, work towards a 4.0... Don't settle with that rubbish. Its more worth it to put in a little bit of effort now, relative to the large amount of effort you'll need to network and explain your 3.4
With one hand in my pants
what school
Maybe you have test anxiety? It's a real thing which my roommate has and is prescribed some sort of anti-anxiety medication to mellow him out.
Otherwise, my advice would be to slow it down and maybe try getting out more as it could help you loosen up.
Good luck!
Honestly sometimes I feel like this is the case. I try to calm down as much as possible before an exam but when I get the exam I panic. Looking back at my differential equations exam, I could've gotten a 93 had I not made stupid mistakes. There weren't any concepts I didn't understand (except one, hence a 93), I was just deducted points for not reading the question correctly and calculator mistakes. Not trying to give excuses, but it's just frustrating. Always felt like I was a bad test taker in school too for that reason, going full potato on exams.
Appreciate the other replies guys.
Sounds like it isn't really a studying or prepping type of issue but a test anxiety situation.
Might sound silly to you, but before I go into an exam - I make sure to get there 20 minutes early or so to get everything out that I need. Then for a few minutes I mentally review basic key points (overarching topics, something that I keep forgetting, etc.). After that, for ten minutes I just tune everyone out and make sure to drink some water (I find being hydrated keeps my head from wandering and losing track of my thought process). Lastly, I just keep telling myself I'm going to straight fuck that test up.
Even when I don't know a question, I tell myself that I'm going to fuck that test up. I enjoy the confidence boost, it pumps me up and gets me excited about answering the questions / doing well.
Another tip for you might be that when you freeze up, just stop. Literally stop everything. Put your test down, put your pencil down. Look at the ceiling or the professor or a wall or anything that isn't a test and breathe. Take some deep breaths. Remind yourself that you know it all, and when you're ready to pick that test up just crush it.
Half the battle is mental. The other half is knowing the shit.
Very interesting topic. Kinda in the same situation.
Learning this as well but it's been pretty helpful to me.
//www.youtube.com/embed/FrNqSLPaZLc
Scott is the best. Check out some of his posts on the MIT Challenge/learning difficult STEM material in a short amount of time:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/mit-challenge/
i go to MIT/Caltech, and what I usually do before exams is solving previous years' exams (usually 3 years worth, both fall and spring semesters, thus totaling 6 exams), each about three times. Doing so really prepares me for any curve balls
I did this in college. It doesn't really prepare you for curve balls. It prepares you for the type of questions the professors ask on exams.
delete
When I was studying engineering, I was immature and studied hardly. I graduated somewhere in Europe with very average grades, but was able to break into a bulge bracket by doing an MFin at a target school.
So what I am trying to say is that there is always a way around if you screw up, and especially in Europe.
Study Habits (Originally Posted: 02/26/2011)
I know most of the the members of WSO have near to or 4.0 gpa's with many extra curriculars and hard majors to match, so I figured this would be the place to look for study strategies. As I begin to enter my hardest courses in the next few semesters while doing internships and having multiple leadership positions, I am wondering if anyone on here could share the strategies they used to study for hard courses while being extremely busy in college (besides using adderall). I am willing to do whatever is maintain straight A's so any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Study for classes is overrated. Unless you are going into academia.
Since your user name is "FutureAnalyst", you probably should use your time more wisely. Relationship / Networking trump all.
When your coming from a non target, a strong GPA is very important. I know that networking is important but I was NOT asking for tips on how to spend my time but rather methods of studying that could save me time in order to allow more time for networking, extra curriculars, internships, etc.
Make sure you choose the easiest classes and teachers possible.
In the beginning of the semester, read through the syllabus and figure out how the course is graded. What points are easy, what points are time consuming? Is attendance graded and is it worth going to class?
After the first assignment or test, analyze where the questions came from and how you can best study for the test. If all the questions came from quantitative textbook problems, don't waste your time doing anything else.
Try and only spend time on work that will be directly graded. Tons of teachers assign reading that is supplemental, but really doesn't matter for the grade.
If class is useless and not worth much for attendance points (and assuming you have the discipline), skip class and use the time for focused study.
Be as efficient as possible with your time. If you go to class, take notes and actually learn. If you have time between classes, get small assignments done and stuff.
If you are spending time studying / learning, don't do it half-assed. Turn off music/cell phone/internet and make the most of the time.
sadly most of this is true.
Everyone has a different study method that works for them. For classes with computational tests, I try to do as much studying as possible leading up to the final office hours before an exam. That way, I can go and ask all my questions and find the easiest way to do the problems right before the exam. Cramming can work, but it is best for classes that just require memorizing facts, not classes where you have to work problems.
You already have a 4.0, why don't you transfer to a target?
Because you do need an almost perfect GPA when coming from a non-target school, I don't even care to learn anything from my classes anymore. Now, all it has come down to is what General Education requirements the class covers and how easy the professor is on grading.
If they are not STEM classes, all you have to do is show up to class regularly, do the readings and problem sets, and you will be assured an A.
If they ARE STEM classes, the key thing is to figure out where you are on the curve 4 weeks in because it is most likely you will not shift off that position by the time finals come around.
sadly the only study habit i have is not studying...
You are a tool.
Get a gf, it provides time. However that will probably make your life less interesting. I am currently having the opposite view, where I like my topics a lot and have chosen though courses that destroyed my average. Dont do that.
How does/did everyone study for finals? (Originally Posted: 05/02/2008)
I have 6 of them, starting tuesday and am so ADD. ( yes i am on adderall), but i am struggling.
Thanks,
wanna know how Asian always get straight A in math? practice, practice and practice. I skipped like half calculus lectures (not an advice tho) but still got A by spend 1-2 days doing 500+ exercise questions before exam. I usually just skimmed over book (know where to find what) and started learning real sh*t when doing exercises.
I usually spend a large chunk of time studying for each one at a time. Usually in the order of importance and when the final is. Just find a nice quiet place and settle in for a few hours at a time.
Study? just be a gangster and go in without studying
6 finals?
God help you.
I remember when I had 4 my sophomore year, and I wanted to curl up into a ball and die
For me, it's so I can keep up this image people around me decide to propriate that I'm smart. And so I can make people feel stupid later.
But really, it does help to think about why you're doing it in the first place. For instance, "so my parents will keep paying for my beer" is an OK reason, but something cheesy and lame like "I want to graduate with honors" helps alot. Realize your nerdiness, and embrace it.
Way too late now but for future reference, if your courses involve a lot of memorization (or if you just cant seem to remember that one nagging concept), make use of an space repetition system (a fancy flashcard program) to help you retain info. Computers are far smarter than you in deciding when you should review things. They're great for learning languages too.
I recommend Anki - it's open source.
Ever considered cheating??
Just kidding. I find learning the concpets so that I can build on them is very useful and it doesn't take a lot of memorization. Many times, building on simple this is just common sense. With that said, I took a lot of math heavy courses and could play with the formulas until they looked right. If you are a some arts major, your SOL.
I feel like a bastard because my final schedule was so easy this semester. I exempted my finance final, wrote a paper for an environmental ethics class, only had to make a 78 on accounting to get an A (it was also graded 100 out of 130) and I just took a communications test that was pretty much worthless.
Yeah, my school is ridiculously easy.
Although last year at this time I had 5 finals within 40 hrs. Skipped one, almost overslept another which was at 6:30 PM. I was going to bed at 3 am and waking up at 5 am, that sucked.
Skipped a final, thats badass! What did you get in that class?
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
B... it was stats, but he just avg previous tests and let us take that as the grade on our final. The only reason to go was to get an A, and I wasn't prepped for in anyway and I like sleeping. Sounds a lot less badass when I put it in those terms I guess.
I usually slack through the semester, and just go crazy for 2 days before a final. Usually works for me...
ppl who learn everything 2 days before rarely understand what they have learned and almost never do better than those who do.
ehh sort of....i dont understand most of it but i do just as well as the top people in my classes
hit it hard the night before ... i cant work unless theres pressure so i pull all nighters ... if you have two finals in two days take a short nap after the first final and then sleep 1 to 2 hrs instead of making it a full all nighter ... 3 in 2 or 3 days may gold help you
i am so screwed for finals this year it's not even funny. i'm literally worried about failing a course. stopping times passage times doob interest rate futures brownian motion drift i should kill myself... 72 hours until d-day and i don't have a clue what's going on.
on a positive note my other finals are going well, just that one course...
I would rather bust my ass during the semester then have to worry about finals.
I have one Saturday and I still don't know what the chapter topics are.
:)
A little extra effort during the semester is worth it if it means going into finals needing 70's or 80's to get A's.
lol....once you get the job.....the work ethic goes to shit.
all this talk about people busting their asses off and just needing 70 or 80s on the final to get an A. wtf?
I don't know what type of schools you guys go to but here every final is worth at least 40-50% of the grade if not more
My finals are usually 35% of my grade. I had three finals this year. Two of them I needed a 77-80 to get an A, and the other one (managerial accounting) I think I effed up and might end up making a B.
Are u guys all from ivy league universities?... Sounds like a breeze.
I hav to bust my ass every semester for a 88-95.
Its so hard finding motivation to study after you got the job, and its you senior year. All I want to do is kick back and relax, but I've got to study for friggin astronomy...
Yeah, how could you guys get a "C" on a final and still get an "A", my school getting a "C" on the final means "C" in the class.
the same for when you have a SA, once you've got a few offers in hand, motivation goes to shit
For me, finals are generally worth about 35% of the final grade. If you go into a final with a strong A and/or have been well above the mean on most assignments/mid-terms then you're usually alright doing mediocre on finals to still pull the A/A- off.
Posts like this are the reason why people make fun of this website.
This can require a tough balance of not wasting time socializing but studying with classmates (who are doing well in the class) can show you how the successful students are studying. If you can't form an effective study group, hiring a tutor who's in the class with you but is crushing it can be helpful too.
How do you study / read a textbook? (Originally Posted: 01/15/2014)
Monkeys,
Just curious on how you guys read / make notes when going through assigned chapters in textbooks? Does your method differ depending on the course (corporate finance vs Urban Planning)? Just trying to optimize my ability to retain information while I read/study.
What I tend to do is skim the chapter, reread while making digital notes (definitions, lists, equations, etc), and then finally trying to match those notes to publisher's powerpoint slides and lecture notes.
Your thoughts and recommendations are extremely appreciated.
Thanks!
Skim the chapter once then again highlighting usually
Stryfe: Thanks for the response. So when it comes to studying for tests and midterms, I'm assuming you just reread those highlighted notes to absorb the textbook material?
I never read all of it. I'll usually rewrite all the bold terms and definitions/formulas while drinking and watching whatever games are on TV on Sunday. My friends think I'm crazy but it actually does help me remember stuff.
Make notes in a question answer format.
What are the components of WACC and how do you calculate it? - Answer
When it comes time to study, cover up the answers, then see if you can recite the correct solution. If you can move on. Remember to review.
Good luck.
Find some lazy friend and teach them. They'll ask sensible questions (if you keep smart friends) and you'll need to know the material to answer them. Plus you have favours in the bank for helping them cram.
Depending on your credit load and which classes you are taking 5 hours may not be enough. During 17-18 credit semesters I'd spend over 10 hours/day on either homework/lab assignments/studying (80 hours/week in the engineering building one semester).
Practice problems are key. You can review notes until your eyes bleed but not be able to apply concepts to exam questions. The more examples you do the more automatic it becomes. It becomes not a fear of what the questions may be but an excitement to overtake any problem thrown at you (excitement may be a strong word).
Also, finding other students in your classes to work with can make a night and day difference. Not only for the benefit of working together on problems but at a minimum having someone to ask questions of instead of spinning your wheels for hours at a time can be nice.
Otherwise, read the text book, visit the professor/TA,...schmooze?
Study for short periods of time and take 10 min breaks. During the breaks rehearse in your mind what you just read and this should help in retaining the information you just reviewed.
Superleggera - I studied engineering too so definitely know where you're coming from. Sounds like you're a freshman? In all honesty, you have a few options.
Personally, I wish I'd dropped engineering since I realized it's too competitive and that you have to really love it to tolerate tougher work, harder hours, and worse career prospects in business-focused jobs (you'll notice by junior year that everyone wants to either get a PhD or eventually switch to something more "businessy" anyways).
Other good options are to find a better study group, switch your learning style (there are tons of instructive articles / videos online for this), or learn to deal with more stress. On that last one, it may seem odd to people who studied easier degrees in school, but engineering is just a really hard major that takes a lot of effort. I went to a target school for chemical engineering (again, huge mistake) and in retrospect think there's a mentality among the professors that classes should be harder and the grades should be deflated.
A few things to consider: - Is studying really the issue? - Do you think more like an engineer, or some different major? (i.e., students in business, liberal arts, etc. all think a bit differently) - Do you like engineering and think you could be in the top-10% of engineers after you graduate? - Can you handle the stress of getting an engineering degree? - Does what you want to do post-graduation require an engineering degree? - Is it too late to switch majors?
Hope this helps.
I'm actually a sophomore right now. I kind of regret doing engineering too now, but I think it's too late to switch out since I would more than likely have to stay another year. I find engineering interesting, but it's not what I want to do and definitely do not see myself being in the top 10% of engineers. So yeah only reasons that I am sticking with engineering is because I think it's too late to switch out and also, despite all the stress it gives, an engineering degree is a solid degree and can be useful in many fields (or so I've been told).
Am I the only one who thinks 5 hours just might not be enough? That means you're probably putting in about 8 hours a day doing work school work total, assuming you have 3 hours in class.
You could try almost doubling it to 12 hours a day including time in class. That leaves you with plenty of extra time (4-6 hours) for anything else you may need to do and leaves you with plenty of sleep to boot.
ritalin
I'm the cramming type. I set out 3-6 days before tests to cram for 4-7 hours a day. If I try and study, say a month before, i will forget most of the information I learned early on. Also, making simple review of main topics to study the day of has also helped. For each full chapter I would have one sheet of paper with little notes and stuff in my own words that helped me better grasp the topics.
Also know where you'll be testing, go there, get familiar with the atmosphere and try to study in something similar. Also, chill out before. don't cram 30 min before and think it helps because it doesn't and will only get you messed up in understanding details. Have water, toss in a dip, chew gum, do whatever that you do when you study. Lastly, remember its only one test, of one college course, out of your whole college career. If you do bad, regroup, assess why u did bad, and fix it. Think big picture. GL
I don't get how it can be too late to change if your in only the third semester of school? Half the classes you have taken already are probably general education requirements that are required for all majors. If you have no interest in Engineering then you would be better off switching to a Finance or Business major. If you are behind take winterim classes or summer school.
Overall, switching majors, getting a higher GPA, and graduating better suited for your future career far outweigh having to go to school for an extra semester or even another year. Talk to an advisor ASAP. You may be surprised and find out you would be closer to graduating on time than you think.
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