If my knowledge is correct, I believe many of you in college will be heading back to school after this upcoming long weekend - (unless you're on the quarter system.) For Liliane, this would have been a time of great sadness because it means the end of break and the start of work, worrying, and weariness. (Hope you don't mind my alliteration...)
I don't mean to turn this blog into such an "agony aunt" - apparently a synonym for an advice column - but I know my sister was a big fan of the website,
quora.com, which always made me think of the name
Korra, another thing my sister introduced me to but that'll be for some other post... She would often read through the Quora questions on our Metra rides back to Naperville with her bright yellow phone - (which she adorably named
Pika-Wu.) She was always suggesting I sign up for Quora and would occasionally ask me to read one of the posts - (although I think she'd get discouraged if/when I didn't show quite enough enthusiasm/interest while reading.)
Nevertheless, below I've found some Quora posts to questions related to studying/how to study better. Hope some of it proves to be helpful and sorry if it comes off as a bit too "naggy."
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How do top students study?
If you went to or are going to a top school like MIT, Harvard, Columbia, Berkeley, Stanford, Cornell, Caltech, Princeton, Yale, Brown, what is your studying method?
Could you please give me advice on how to study the best possible way (especially for math classes)? How do you get good grades at the top universities? Please give me directions, like what you do before lecture, after, during weekends, how you study the book, how many books you read, how you take the tests, how much do you study, etc.
I did pretty well at MIT, and there's a few things that I did there that haven't been mentioned yet.
The most important thing is to keep track of how good your understanding is of the material. I saw a lot of people thought that they understood what was going on in a class, but could easily get tripped up by the basics even after the class had moved onto more advanced topics. Having a thorough understanding of the basics is particularly key, because most advanced material is really just an extension of the basics.
For most mathy, computer science topics, there's really two parts to understanding. The first is intuition, which for me always meant being able to build a mental model of whatever I was studying in my head. Usually, working out examples helps with the intuition. The second is knowing how to formally reason about the topic, which usually involves being able to work through examples step by step using logic and/or algebra, and is especially key for proofs in math and algorithms. Most good students learn the rules for formal manipulation fairly well, but without a good intuition it becomes harder to deal with more complex problems, where the correct path is not immediately clear.
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What are the best study methods?
Anything, from not having distractions to using flash cards... Real advice that you have found actually works to help in obtaining and maintaining information.
I graduated from university, first in my class, with a near perfect grade-point average. I'm not particularly smart. I know how to study, however. Here's a few things I did to propel my academic performance ahead of my peers.
1) Immersion through multiple, different sources. Don't rely solely on repeated encounters with the assigned text(s). Get a bunch of input from different sources. The basics will be redundant, helping to solidify your learning foundation, but because the delivery of info is varied, you're much more apt to remain an attentive audience.You're looking for "resonant" descriptions that leave an imprint on you, like that oh-so-special teacher you had in grade three. This is important because so many textbooks suck at delivery, but not all in the same ways. A particular (or peculiar) diagram in a book you found on your own at the library could be the answer to your dream of an intelligible exposition/illustration of Concept 'X'.
2) MInd maps. Sketch, doodle, devise insane visual or auditory or tactile correlations. A series of dry interrelated concepts could become a banana tree whose hanging fruit are yellow trucks, high heels, jewels, and oak saw horses. Absurdity makes abstractions memorable.
3) Frequent re-visits. Like with your sick friend, or mom, frequent, but brief touchdowns signal the importance you place on the nearness of your inter-relationship, in this case, with knowledge.
4) Sit in the room where you'll be examined...ahead of the scheduled exam time, with your material. Connect details of the material with the room's character, its blinds, paint chips, ceiling tiles, light switches, colour, ambience. Entering the examination room ought to be a metaphorical return to the cozy comfort of the womb. Your material, will "be" the room and it will feel "warm" because you took the time to make it so...ahead of time. You've prepared your relation within the environment for your very best performance.
5) If in university, pick courses as early as possible, and start doing light, but frequent readings on the subject every day through the summer, before fall semester starts. You might even find a favorite author! Your relaxed familiarity with the upcoming material, on day one, class one, will deliver you huge momentum to help carry you throughout the term. You're on your bike, accelerating well before the foot of that big hill you're about to ascend. Get a running start.
Suggest Edits
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How can one study most effectively?
What is a general way to study effectively and efficiently? Does the method or way differ based on the type of impending challenge, e.g. a test compared to an exam?
1) Remember to have a growth mindset (the more you study, the smarter you become), no matter what you are studying.
2) Be interested in the subject matter.
3) Start as early as possible (cramming is less fun, produces worse results and is bad for your health) .
4) Always question, whether you are being efficient enough. You get more done if you work smart and hard, rather than just hard.
5) Do the hardest stuff first.
6) Explain new concepts you don't understand via analogies (with concepts you do understand). Look up "Feynman's technique".
7) Interact (read it, discuss it, whatever else) with the material as many times as you can. Two good reasons:
a) the more you study, the more you remember.
b) if you read the material twice, you don't have to make yourself understand a lot the first time.
8) Study different subjects on the same day. If you feel like you're stuck with something, just study something else that isn't similar to what you had been studying.
9) If you feel tired, then sleep or (if you have the energy) study something else, but don't go on the internet. Do your social networking at the end of the day.
10) Build studying habits (study at the same time each day, the same place etc -- see [2])
11) If you want to retain information better (for example, before a test/exam), use the computer for studying only, don't watch TV, go on the internet etc.
12) 90 minutes of work, 15-20 minute break [2]. Although for more complex subjects, I prefer 60/10.
13) Rest, when you're not feeling efficient. A person should have at least three hobbies: one that earns them money, one that keeps them fit and one for relaxation. Our brains aren't supposed to do only one thing week after week (although maybe I am wrong, and yours is).
For resting, I suggest going somewhere new. For keeping fit, I recommend walking a few kilometers each day. You'll sleep way better than you would, if you choose to rest by going to the internet to read. Taking in new information only exhausts you (along with sitting for hours on end, these are probably the main reasons why you are being inefficient), new environments stimulate the brain (although don't ask me for research data on this).
14) Outside of studying, don't engage in activities that make you more anxious (racing games, violent TV shows, fast paced music). The more anxious, the less efficient you are. A simple way to relax is to do the 4-7-8 breathing exercise (look it up).
15) Prefer tea over coffee. Caffeine will only make you more ADD (although that isn't necessarily true for green tea).
16) Eat healthy. If you are reading on how to eat healthy, though, don't believer those top 10 lists, do the research yourself.
17) Chew your food properly.
18) Take care of your eyesight. Go to an optometrist and have them recommend you eye exercises or get computer glasses (that let your eyes rest, while you are staring at the computer screen).
19) You need days when the only thing you do is "waste" time.
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Good luck to everyone this semester! Wishing you effectiveness in your studying, passion in what you're learning and many fun memories in between.
(If ever you're in need of a person to complain to and/or have a pep talk with, please know that you're always free to contact me.)
