Learning to Study 101: Tips for College Success

[Edin_Dzeko]

I've handled bio classes with ease in the past, but I never really had to memorize hard-core. It's more about comprehension and making some sense with what I'm reading, it sticks with my head effectively. Except if it's anatomy, that stuff is a bit annoying.

I've also handled algebra, stats, pre-calc where I had to memorize and remember steps, rules for solving problems. One of you pointed out in a previous post that by doing more and more problems eventually you will naturally remember it or it will come natural to you. Conceptually that's not different than the guy who constantly repeats and repeats until it becomes natural to him. One has to memorize the rules for adding, subtracting and diving with different signs. Tell me I'm wrong here. Didn't you memorize your times tables? It was necessary. Why didn't you say to yourself I can always just calculate what 7x8 is since I know the concept of the times tables is to add 7 to itself 8x? Right now if someone asked you what 7 x 8 was and you couldn't quickly recall from memory within a span of about 30 seconds, max "You don't know your times tables!?" would be the reaction. Again, tell me I'm wrong here. With statistics, there was a formula table given but I had to memorize things like when such and such was being asked, I had to use formula so and so.

Btw, you're one of the lucky few who got a "good" teacher who didn't stress memo in Bio course. Other than that, the majority of us are trapped with "memo's". I'm a Bio major and there's one Bio teacher in this whole school who stresses more on concepts rather than memorization.

And you will find that even in conceptual questions you MUST still have something memorized in order to answer the question.

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

I guess you don't really get what he's trying to say. He's not saying "Oh, I only like people you do minimal work", he is saying that focused, smart work, triumphs over the regular sense of "hard" work.

He also emphasizes the "romantic scholar" approach, which is exactly to have an education that isn't just grades.

And I'm saying I disagree with any message or teaching, that frowns upon "hard work" and promotes, "big gains with little effort". That's a joke to me, bro. I just can't take that serious. No easy way or short cuts in life. It shouldn't be that way with learning and education either. I've read that blog and the articles and students he puts in the spotlight are student with little hours studying who get good grades.

The title is how to be an A+ student. Isn't that title alone stressing and promoting an education about grades?

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

And you are trying to overgeneralize your experience. It won't work, as the OP claimed:
which puts him in a different league.

I never wrote memorization is not necessary, but claiming - as you did - it is a basis of learning is equivalent of getting us back to 19^th century concepts.

You can't escape memorization. After understanding a concept you still have to commit it to memory don't you?. "I know how to do this, I just forgot" isn't going to do you any good. I'm not overgeneralizing my experience. Our lives revolve around memorization. What will happen if you forgot your name? phone number, your friends, where you live? memorization is key, bro. It's all around us but you just can't see it. You have your name memorized but you didn't sit there going "my name is "Y'" 50x. You were called it since you were a toddler so it's naturally stuck in your head. Someone can easily coast through our shaky education system if they have a good memory. Why do people consider it a gift when someone has a photographic memory?

Even if you still don't agree with me. At least agree with me that any "How to study" list that excludes memorization isn't complete.

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

Although in theory memorization is a 19th century thing, in practice it's still useful. In ChemE I had to memorize tons of processes, and even if I didn't understand how they worked I could still get an A if I knew exactly how ammonia or nitric acid was produced, in a course called inorganic processes I had.
Obviously that wasn't true for Calculus, but even then it helped in solving some really hard problems. I mean, it's cool to understand how derivatives and integrals work, but sometimes it's just better to memorize that the derivative of ln(x) is 1/x even if you have no idea where it came from, since many exams in engineering are not about proving things but just using them.

Exactly.

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

Presentation is different from professor to professor.

I agree with your second paragraph, unless it has assigned homework I sometimes won't use the course's textbook and will mostly study out of one's I like. For instance in complex variables I used my schaum's outline more than the assigned book and I'm doing the same for communication systems.

The point is that the way the material and methods of solving problems matter and they're not the same from book to book

Yeah I hear ya. Just find the book that works for you. If they assigned textbook for the course works, then feel free. Whatever works, you know?

 

[Borek]

At least agree with me that any "How to study" list that excludes memorization isn't complete.

You are arguing just to argue. There is a difference between putting memorization on the list and putting it on the first place of the list.

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

You are arguing just to argue. There is a difference between putting memorization on the list and putting it on the first place of the list.

If I was personally studying on my own, memorization wouldn't top the list. But now that school is in session, memo = #1

 

[mathsciguy]

I think everybody just meant to be against 'rote learning', that is, heavy dependence to memorization.

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

I think everybody just meant to be against 'rote learning', that is, heavy dependence to memorization.

Yeah. This thing has been put to bed already.

 

[nickadams]

And I'm saying I disagree with any message or teaching, that frowns upon "hard work" and promotes, "big gains with little effort". That's a joke to me, bro. I just can't take that serious. No easy way or short cuts in life. It shouldn't be that way with learning and education either. I've read that blog and the articles and students he puts in the spotlight are student with little hours studying who get good grades.

The title is how to be an A+ student. Isn't that title alone stressing and promoting an education about grades?

he's teaching you how to study more efficiently. BTW the author of that blog is a professor of computer science at georgetown and has a PhD in EE and CS from MIT so I think he knows a thing or two about hard work

 

[starkco]

he's teaching you how to study more efficiently. BTW the author of that blog is a professor of computer science at georgetown and has a PhD in EE and CS from MIT so I think he knows a thing or two about hard work

Is there any place to download that book ? I can't find it !

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

he's teaching you how to study more efficiently. BTW the author of that blog is a professor of computer science at georgetown and has a PhD in EE and CS from MIT so I think he knows a thing or two about hard work

The article isn't about him. And the students he put into the spotlight aren't him. Hard work doesn't have to be long. You can work hard in a short period of time. But this guy is looking down on working for long hours which I don't agree with. Some tasks might require hard long hours. Some students might have to study hard long hours. They are not any less than students who study for less amount of hours.

Here are some quotes for you from his "what study hacks is about:"

I think the happiest, most successful students know why they are at college, and they believe this answer. They also tend to do very little, but the small amount of things they do, they do exceptionally well. They recognize that in the end, the world rewards those who are so good they can’t be ignored. By contrast, we forget about the burnt out triple-major who joined 10 clubs to show leadership and managed to earn a 3.9 without ever once impressing a professor.

But whatever works for you, dude. I know people who take 21 credits and still find time to enjoy. He's against heavy course loads and tough schedules but whatever. When it comes to learning everyone is different. Speak to med school kids and find out what they say about undergrads who struggle to handle a semester with 2 science classes or more or 17+ credits in undergrad. Whatever works for you go for it. I was only expressing my opinion of what I thought about his message that he's promoting.

And btw, I'm not impressed by what schools he attended. You can't tell if a person works "hard" or not by the school they attended. In the same way GPA's can't be used to determine that either.

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

Is there any place to download that book ? I can't find it !

Such information can't be given to you PUBLICLY

 

[starkco]

Such information can't be given to you PUBLICLY

I guess that's why people invented PM :D

 

[Edin_Dzeko]

I guess that's why people invented PM :D

Exactly! You = very smart man/woman. Now I hope you didn't take the "signs" the wrong way and think that I could help you out. I'm the wrong one to PM