I know I'm surrounded here by academics and brilliant students. Please share your tips on how to study hard and learn anything fast.
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Posted 26 April 2010 - 01:04 PM
Posted 26 April 2010 - 02:05 PM
Posted 26 April 2010 - 02:33 PM
Edited by Forever21, 26 April 2010 - 02:35 PM.
Posted 26 April 2010 - 04:01 PM
What is GTD?
Posted 26 April 2010 - 05:02 PM
Edited by Forever21, 26 April 2010 - 05:03 PM.
Posted 03 May 2010 - 04:30 PM
Learning is based on several skills, all of which can be learned / trained. I recommend learning
Also, this blog features a myriad of tips I found rather helpful: http://calnewport.com/blog/ (though I didn't buy any of his books)
- speed reading --> Faster reading AND better understanding (I'm sure there are sources on the internet, but I learned it from books, most are okay, only stay clear of the "photoreading"-stuff by paul scheele, it's a scam)
- a note taking technique, SQ3R for example
- making use of spaced repetition (Programs like anki come in handy)
- time management. think GTD. or any system really, as long as you write down the stuff you need/intend to do and plan a bit, instead of having it all in your head all the time.
Edited by Kristjan, 03 May 2010 - 04:41 PM.
Posted 03 May 2010 - 04:33 PM
Posted 03 May 2010 - 04:44 PM
Posted 03 May 2010 - 04:57 PM
Posted 04 May 2010 - 01:12 AM
You have to really genuinely be interested in what you're studying, and if you do it requires no great effort of forcing yourself to study. You cannot force a mind to think! If you find yourself trying to do that then you're just wasting your time, and it would probably be best to invest more time in self-discovery and finding the things that truly interest you. Knowledge without passion is of little value.
Posted 04 May 2010 - 01:21 AM
GTD stands for Getting Things Done, title of a book by David Allen, where he describes a time management / productivity system that gathered quite a following.
That's kind of ironic...Thanks. I have the book but haven't read it yet.
Posted 04 May 2010 - 01:47 AM
Posted 04 May 2010 - 02:26 AM
Actually MIT students do not study that hard (I'm talking graduate students though). I spend a couple of years there and this is what I observed: Most suck in memorizing stuff but are brilliant in associating variety of concepts. They spend more time daydreaming than "studying".
Posted 04 May 2010 - 02:51 AM
Work. Work. Then work some more.
Posted 04 May 2010 - 03:49 AM
This is gold, and the same conclusion I have come to. I looked into the various study & learning techniques (albeit briefly) and seriously, that list above is easily 90+% of the equation IMO. The best study method doesn't mean squat if your sleep deprived. The best memory technique is insignificant if your diet is hopeless and your not giving your brain all the essentials to run optimally. The best nootropic is wasted if your not regularly exercising.I've read some things about study techniques and such and what I find is that most of them are really time consuming. For example let's say I need to read a chapter that would take me about 3 hours to read with good comprehension. If I were to skim the chapter beforehand, take notes from the text, make questions out of the text, then perhaps re-read the text quickly after reading, and then recite the day after, then the total time spent on the chapter would amount to a whole lot more.
What I do:
Read the material thoroughly before class.
Attend every class and pay attention.
Take notes in class, I use three seperate colours.
When I arrive home I review my notes and the powerpoint slide supplied by the teacher.
Study hard during exams.
And just spend a lot of time on studying, that is the most important factor in getting good grades
Whilst I agree on the whole, I think it is too simplistic an idea. I am in my second degree and despite being passionate about both areas, certainly much stuff I study (and have studied) bores me. I think all disciplines will have much boring/dull/tedious stuff that simply must be forcefully learned by all newcomers.You have to really genuinely be interested in what you're studying, and if you do it requires no great effort of forcing yourself to study. You cannot force a mind to think! If you find yourself trying to do that then you're just wasting your time, and it would probably be best to invest more time in self-discovery and finding the things that truly interest you. Knowledge without passion is of little value.
Posted 04 May 2010 - 05:21 AM
Edited by Solitude, 04 May 2010 - 05:24 AM.
Posted 04 May 2010 - 05:26 AM
Posted 05 May 2010 - 08:58 AM
Thanks. I have the book but haven't read it yet.
I started having interest on study skills & mind enhancement tools recently.
So far the books I've read on the related subject are the following:
Speed Reading for Professional
Find Your Focus
Next Up:
Getting Things Done
What Smart Students Know
How to Become a Straight -A Student
How to Study
Study Smarter, not Harder
How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students
Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students With Learning Disabilities And ADHD Give You The Tools
If you have other book recommendations, please post them here.
I've attended a speed-reading course before. I think it may be helpful for people studying things like history or literature or related things.
I'm studying biomedical science and I tried to apply speed reading to texts like physiology or biochemistry but that is just not at all possible.
I've read some things about study techniques and such and what I find is that most of them are really time consuming. For example let's say I need to read a chapter that would take me about 3 hours to read with good comprehension. If I were to skim the chapter beforehand, take notes from the text, make questions out of the text, then perhaps re-read the text quickly after reading, and then recite the day after, then the total time spent on the chapter would amount to a whole lot more.
What I do:
Read the material thoroughly before class.
Attend every class and pay attention.
Take notes in class, I use three seperate colours.
When I arrive home I review my notes and the powerpoint slide supplied by the teacher.
Study hard during exams.
And just spend a lot of time on studying, that is the most important factor in getting good grades
Posted 05 May 2010 - 09:04 AM
Whilst I agree on the whole, I think it is too simplistic an idea. I am in my second degree and despite being passionate about both areas, certainly much stuff I study (and have studied) bores me. I think all disciplines will have much boring/dull/tedious stuff that simply must be forcefully learned by all newcomers.You have to really genuinely be interested in what you're studying, and if you do it requires no great effort of forcing yourself to study. You cannot force a mind to think! If you find yourself trying to do that then you're just wasting your time, and it would probably be best to invest more time in self-discovery and finding the things that truly interest you. Knowledge without passion is of little value.
Posted 05 May 2010 - 03:23 PM
You have to really genuinely be interested in what you're studying, and if you do it requires no great effort of forcing yourself to study. You cannot force a mind to think! If you find yourself trying to do that then you're just wasting your time, and it would probably be best to invest more time in self-discovery and finding the things that truly interest you. Knowledge without passion is of little value.
And icantgoforthat: One thing I wish I would have realized much, much earlier in my life is that, if a subject doesn't interest you at first, you need to find out why it is interesting. For every topic there is, you'll find dozens of people who are very interested in it. Why is that? What fascinates them? Also, how does this topic relate to things that interest me? ...
It seems a bit strange at first, but it's fun, and also makes the whole learning much less painful.
Posted 05 May 2010 - 04:26 PM
GTD stands for Getting Things Done, title of a book by David Allen, where he describes a time management / productivity system that gathered quite a following.
That's kind of ironic...Thanks. I have the book but haven't read it yet.
Posted 05 May 2010 - 04:26 PM
Edited by Forever21, 05 May 2010 - 04:49 PM.
Posted 05 May 2010 - 04:43 PM
That's kind of ironic...Thanks. I have the book but haven't read it yet.
Like my anti-procrastination video I bought during the Bush administration.
Posted 05 May 2010 - 05:55 PM
Posted 10 May 2010 - 10:09 AM
That's kind of ironic...Thanks. I have the book but haven't read it yet.
Like my anti-procrastination video I bought during the Bush administration.
I find it easier to go through audiobooks than reading them now. You should try that. Sooo much easier.
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