One of the first things I had to learn when I first started college was how to actually study. In high school, I discovered I could get B+’s and A-‘s with minimal studying the night before the exam and that was perfectly fine with me! Reading books and articles was more of a suggestion, not a necessity.
Boy was college a wake-up call!
I wish someone would have told me, “Hey Jenny, high school was a warm-up, this is the game and you need to completely revamp your approach.”
So if this is you, I got you, you will be able to jump into college prepared! As a premed student, GPA is everything, you must guard it with your life and the best way to not scramble and try to play catch-up {like I did} you have to start strong!
Study The Week Before An Exam
This is my golden rule. No matter how I feel about the class or how confident I am with the material, I start studying for an exam at least the week before {sometimes more for a more difficult class}.
Waiting until the night before to start studying is NOT an efficient way to study and it leads to pulling all-nighters which is almost equally as detrimental to your grade.
When I first begin studying for an exam, I make a flashcard set using Quizlet {Anki is also an option but I like the interactive component of Quizlet}. The “learn” feature first shows one side of the flashcard and gives 4 possibilities for the other side of the card.
Then if you get it right, the second time seeing the card you must type the answer. The ones you get wrong get cycled back in and the ones you get correct do not.
Good, old fashioned flashcards are also beneficial because actively writing down terms and definitions helps your brain remember!
Get A Good Night’s Sleep The Night Before
This is my second golden rule {my silver rule?} If your friends or classmates brag about staying up all night studying, ignore them. They are not doing it right.
In order for your brain to take what you have been studying for the past week and put it in your long-term memory, it needs rest. It is also pretty difficult to take an exam while trying to stay awake or trying to write straight while shaking from all the coffee you drank!
I always give myself a “me-night” the night before an exam; I take a nice warm shower, throw on a face mask, read a book while having a small glass of wine and get to bed before midnight.
Take Good Notes
The first step of studying is creating good study material. For my first year and a half of college, I took notes in a notebook and wrote everything the professors put on the PowerPoint presentation.
Before spring semester of sophomore year, I purchased a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to replace my plethora of colorful pens and notebooks. It was well worth the investment! Having all of my notes for all of my classes in one place is so convenient!
Check out this post for an in-depth view on how I used an iPad in college!
I first used the app Notability and have recently switched over to GoodNotes. I also modified the types of notes I took; I still copied down the professor’s PowerPoint and things they wrote for the class but I also paid attention to what the professors were saying.
It helped me actively learn and pay attention in class and also contributed to my notes. I have found that professors usually put main points on the PowerPoint but then talk out loud about real world examples.
Make A Summary Sheet
A few days before the exam, I make a summary sheet of all the most important things we have learned {for some classes, like animal physiology, basically everything is important}.
This past semester, I tried a new method for my summary sheets; I used 8-point font on GoodNotes and typed up the main points in my notes.
After typing, I used my Apple Pencil to add in handwritten details supporting the main points and then I highlighted terms in one color, equations in another, and list headings in another.
Typing/writing out the summary sheet in itself is good for studying but it also allows you to look at everything you need to know in one or two pages. If you don’t have an iPad, can also make summary sheets on your laptop or handwrite them on a piece of paper!
These 4 simple study methods can completely revamp the way you learn and {hopefully} improve your performance in your classes! If you were like me and had a rough start to college classes, it is not too late to change your study habits and get back on the right track. You got this!
If you have any awesome study tips that you have found to help, feel free to DM me on @medicineandmoscato I’d love to hear them! Don’t forget to share with your friends by clicking the share button below!
