How does one study so well?

[Special K]

Originally posted by: AznSensation
First of all, I have always prayed before going to school. Listen to your teacher. Attend class everyday. When your professor is going over the material, you want to make sure you undertand AT LEAST 90% of the material he/she is talking about. So, all you gotta do is read over the notes (you should know most of the material clearly) the day before/day of the test. I don't understand how some people study 24/7.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but following the method above, I've managed to maintain 4.0 in college. I was valedictorian in high school.

Good luck.

What is your major?

Also, you're kidding yourself if you don't think there's a genetic component involved here. Some people just naturally pick certain subjects up much quicker than others.

 

[potato28]

They either have no life beyond their classes, or they have a really good photographic memory. It's the only way I passed English, I slept through most of the classes.

 

[gamepad]

Originally posted by: FleshLight
Adderrall

crushed up and snorted

 

[AznSensation]

I doubt there's any genetic component. I am the 2nd person ever in the family to attend college (after my sister). To tell you the truth, I wasn't so bright during elementary/preschool days. I couldn't even write my own name until the first grade and couldn't tie my shoe until 4th. I failed my tests miserably (like 20's and 30's).


For some odd reason, I find studying in the morning much better than staying late at night.
Most of the times, I wake up like 2-3 hours early at the day of the test and study

 

[PrinceofWands]

Intelligence (which is fundamentally genetic, though environmentally affected) is certainly useful, but it's not a necessary component of grades. There are many parts to grades: intelligence, experience/knowledge, study habits, personality/attitude, and dedication. Any one of those can get you by but if you have two or three covered then you're more likely to ace things.

My study habits are abhorrent...probably in the bottom 1%, but I get almost straight A's now from the other parts. Of course, I also completely flunked out of high school for the same reasons.

 

[her209]

OP: Is your name "Kelly Bundy"?

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: torpid
Who cares? Think of the return on investment. Those 5% work 2000% harder than I did and now probably work 2000% harder at their job too. Why set yourself up for a lifetime of 2000% work expectations?

It's all about ROI. Working 2000% harder now just means people will expect more of you in the future. You'll never be able to just have fun and enjoy life. So don't bother. Just settle for the B. You don't want the jobs that require the A anyway. They are too much work and not really that much more rewarding. Unless you are in certain fields where grades are for some reason important.

:roll:

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: AznSensation
First of all, I have always prayed before going to school. Listen to your teacher. Attend class everyday. When your professor is going over the material, you want to make sure you undertand AT LEAST 90% of the material he/she is talking about. So, all you gotta do is read over the notes (you should know most of the material clearly) the day before/day of the test. I don't understand how some people study 24/7.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but following the method above, I've managed to maintain 4.0 in college. I was valedictorian in high school.

Good luck.

What is your major?

Also, you're kidding yourself if you don't think there's a genetic component involved here. Some people just naturally pick certain subjects up much quicker than others.

I wouldn't really say it's that much genetic...
I'd say it has more to do with your family members, the quality of the school you attended(elementary, middle, and highschool), your culture and of course your determination than anything else.

 

[trOver]

Originally posted by: Lothar

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: AznSensation
First of all, I have always prayed before going to school. Listen to your teacher. Attend class everyday. When your professor is going over the material, you want to make sure you undertand AT LEAST 90% of the material he/she is talking about. So, all you gotta do is read over the notes (you should know most of the material clearly) the day before/day of the test. I don't understand how some people study 24/7.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but following the method above, I've managed to maintain 4.0 in college. I was valedictorian in high school.

Good luck.

What is your major?

Also, you're kidding yourself if you don't think there's a genetic component involved here. Some people just naturally pick certain subjects up much quicker than others.

I wouldn't really say it's that much genetic...
I'd say it has more to do with your family members, the quality of the school you attended(elementary, middle, and highschool), your culture and of course your determination than anything else.

bingo. family pressure to do well is huge i think

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: trOver

Originally posted by: Lothar

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: AznSensation
First of all, I have always prayed before going to school. Listen to your teacher. Attend class everyday. When your professor is going over the material, you want to make sure you undertand AT LEAST 90% of the material he/she is talking about. So, all you gotta do is read over the notes (you should know most of the material clearly) the day before/day of the test. I don't understand how some people study 24/7.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but following the method above, I've managed to maintain 4.0 in college. I was valedictorian in high school.

Good luck.

What is your major?

Also, you're kidding yourself if you don't think there's a genetic component involved here. Some people just naturally pick certain subjects up much quicker than others.

I wouldn't really say it's that much genetic...
I'd say it has more to do with your family members, the quality of the school you attended(elementary, middle, and highschool), your culture and of course your determination than anything else.

bingo. family pressure to do well is huge i think

I still disagree. Like I said, I knew a guy in my EE classes who would sleep through them, spent next to no time studying for the tests, and was able to complete the labs and hw in much less time than anyone else in the class. He spent the rest of his free time playing video games, and graduated with almost a 4.0. The rest of us had to work much harder.

It's just like any other ability in life. Odds are that the vast majority of people would never be able to play in the NBA, NFL, etc. even if they dedicated their entire lives to practicing from childhood onward. The same goes for other things like musical ability. Some people just suck at playing a musical instrument no matter how hard they work at it.

Don't get me wrong - working hard certainly plays a factor, and I'm sure we all know people who don't work to the best of their abilities. However, I also believe that hard work will only take you to the best of your own natural limits, not necessarily to the best of anyone's.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Lothar

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: AznSensation
First of all, I have always prayed before going to school. Listen to your teacher. Attend class everyday. When your professor is going over the material, you want to make sure you undertand AT LEAST 90% of the material he/she is talking about. So, all you gotta do is read over the notes (you should know most of the material clearly) the day before/day of the test. I don't understand how some people study 24/7.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but following the method above, I've managed to maintain 4.0 in college. I was valedictorian in high school.

Good luck.

What is your major?

Also, you're kidding yourself if you don't think there's a genetic component involved here. Some people just naturally pick certain subjects up much quicker than others.

I wouldn't really say it's that much genetic...
I'd say it has more to do with your family members, the quality of the school you attended(elementary, middle, and highschool), your culture and of course your determination than anything else.

Actually all research has indicated that genetics establish intelligence within 1-2sd, with environment determining placement within that range. So genetics is pretty much foundational, though environment does have impact. MI theories are too young to have enough good research to determine inheritance of specific types of intelligence or skill sets.

 

[RKS]

I believe success in school is both nature and nurture. My dad has four brother who all live pretty close to each other. All of the brothers (including my father) had 2 children. We all went to public school and most have college degrees. Here is the break down of the children's occupations:

Doctor/GED (HS Drop-Out)
Doctor/Chem. Eng. (with MBA)
Doctor/Accountant
Social Worker/Social Worker
Attorney/Self-Employed (Custom Home Builder)

 

[evolvedbullet]

Originally posted by: RKS
I believe success in school is both nature and nurture. My dad has four brother who all live pretty close to each other. All of the brothers (including my father) had 2 children. We all went to public school and most have college degrees. Here is the break down of the children's occupations:

Doctor/GED (HS Drop-Out)
Doctor/Chem. Eng. (with MBA)
Doctor/Accountant
Social Worker/Social Worker
Attorney/Self-Employed (Custom Home Builder)

So, is it possible to obtain an incredible amount of knowledge in many ways? I suppose dedication, commitment, and practice could be one way, could another way possibly be being at peace with everything around you? I don't know; so if I relax and enjoy life, could I possibly get good grades in school (of course I would look over stuff, but not as often as a Crazed lunatic)?

 

[LongCoolMother]

its quite obviously a combination of both. an incredibly smart person can be completely stupid if they don't study, don't work hard, be lazy all day. at the same time, someone is of mediocre intelligence can become very smart by working very hard, studying a lot, etc.

i don't like it when people say stuff like "He's actually really really smart, he just doesn't try." Or when people say, "He's not that smart, he just studies hard, that's all." The bottom line is that it doesn't matter. It takes both brains and effort to achieve-- not one or the other.

 

[vshah]

Originally posted by: evolvedbullet

Originally posted by: Allen Iverson

Originally posted by: Acanthus
The way ive always done it is breaking down complicated projects and studying for large tests into parts.

Great Advice!

Originally posted by: A5

Originally posted by: davestar

for example, when I learn how to build a computer, I will forget how to be myself. I traded one thing for another you see.

that is one of the stranger things i've ever read.

Yeah...if there isn't enough room in his brain to store his personality, he's pretty dumb.

For the OP:
The "top 5%" people are just straight up smarter than you...despite what the teachers tell you, some people are just better than you at school.

Not necessarily. I'm from Australia and when I graduated, I was in the top 0.35% of my state. It's not that I'm really that smart. It's all about being aware of yourself, what you need to do to improve yourself. For example, I realised by written communication isn't that good, so I made a determined effort to improve it. However, if you keep doing things the same way, and don't seek to TANGIBLY improve yourself, you won't get better. So, top 5% aren't necessarily smarter than you, they just are more careful and focused in the way they learn. That said, some people are quite smart, mayb top 0.01%.

To the OP: It's one thing saying you're GOING to work hard, its another DOING it. My best advice is to stop thinking, sit down, read a textbook and do questions. Be a DO-ER!

This, along with some other posts, tell me about myself already. I am horrible at English so I tried to improve that, I still am to this day . And I also realized that thinking about things and not doing them happens very often. You are correct people. I am more of a thinker than a doer, but I just started this process of memorization 2 weeks ago. I also have been trying, or should I say 'experimenting, how I learn better. I practiced writing without saying or hearing it and I practiced saying it out loud but didn't write it. I put them all together; thanks to a dean listed person in UW-Madison who happens to be my step cousin. I can work hard and do it for a very long time, I can stand it I suppose. I like studying because it gets me away from this thing, this computer. It's a very distracting piece of equipment, let alone the internet!

Saying that you can't do it will make you believe it, so screw you people who think that I don't got what it takes. If I need to stay up for 72 hours to study, I'll do it but I'll need alot of soda.

The exchanging of knowing one thing for the other was an example, and no I'm not dumb *I think*. I don't know, I just slid 4 ft off my bike today on a wide U turn and now I'm all bandaged up. I feel alittle the need to relax but I know I should study, what should I be doing to keep my mind off the pain? Relax and enjoy a video game or two, or study till my I'm very into it?

is that step cousin the same girl you're in love with?

RE: studying, i find that if i don't surround myself with distractions, i study much better. some people need distractions to study. be sure to cleanly delineate your work time and your play time. don't mix them up. I always go to the library to study, on some random floor in a quiet corner. When i'm done i go and get drunk. So i'd say finding a good environment to study in can be very important.

 

[TheNewbie]

Originally posted by: jagec

Originally posted by: TheNewbie
any 'A' student achieved it via hard work,

Spoken like a true 'B' student.

I didn't have to work for my grades until, oh, junior year of college. And even so that was only in a few classes.

First of all here's a for you, for being such a smart little boy.

I personally had to work pretty hard to get A's, and most people I know who got A's had to work even harder than me. So unless you're a genius, scoring those A's would take some effort.

 

[soydios]

memorizing != learning

learning = understanding/applying concepts and reasons/logic behind them
memorizing = boring, though sometimes necessary

 

[effee]

hard work...

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother
its quite obviously a combination of both. an incredibly smart person can be completely stupid if they don't study, don't work hard, be lazy all day. at the same time, someone is of mediocre intelligence can become very smart by working very hard, studying a lot, etc.

i don't like it when people say stuff like "He's actually really really smart, he just doesn't try." Or when people say, "He's not that smart, he just studies hard, that's all." The bottom line is that it doesn't matter. It takes both brains and effort to achieve-- not one or the other.

Not exactly true. Someone with a truly exceptional general intellect (talking more than 3sd's above average) simply gathers and retains information easier, in greater quantity, and with better synthesis. I have gone thru some upper division courses without attending class and only glancing at the assigned materials and still received the top grades in the class because of information I've already randomly acquired and my ability to reason and synthesize new information quickly and accurately. Likewise some people with no prior knowledge in a subject and no particular intelligence (talking just average, not a moron) can still excel in a class by being dedicated and working hard. Two entirely different methods to achieve a grade. It's also important to know that taking classes and learning doesn't really make you much 'smarter', it just increases your knowledge. Knowledge isn't intelligence, and vice versa. Granted, for most people it's a moderate balance of various factors, but someone can make up for lack in one area by strength in another - even to extremes.

I can pretty much guarantee you I had the highest IQ in my high school, and I scored at least in the top 2 or 3 on every test they could throw at us. However, because I didn't attend class, do homework, etc I failed all but one class in my entire high school life. Therefore the phrase 'he's really really smart, he just doesn't try' can be an absolute truth, rather you like it or not. Never make the mistake of equating grades with intelligence, or knowledge, or scholastic aptitude, or anything else entirely. There are multiple explanations for everything, including grades.

 

[Tiamat]

practice practice practice, sleep, eat well, teach other fellow students the class material. You have to be naturally smart to be top 1%, for for the rest of the normal people, you just need practice, good health, and the ability to teach other people the lectures you were supposed to learn. If you can do these, you will be top 5%.

Learn the fundamentals, why something is the way it is (especially for engineering). If you can derive from fundamentals and show you have an understanding of the phenomina as a whole, you will do fine for any problems that have to do with that phenomina.

 

[pmoa]

a 12 pack of mountain and 15 minute breaks with a DS lite

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: evolvedbullet
I have been trying to study and ya know, I can't really learn enough at one time. I memorize or learn 2 to 4 words per page when it comes to my German repetition practices (a whole notebook page). When I'm done memorizing them, I test myself on the back of the paper after writing, saying it, and hearing it. I forget some of the past words in exchange for the new words I memorized (for example, when I learn how to build a computer, I will forget how to be myself. I traded one thing for another you see.) I need to learn about 6 to 8 words per page and not make many mistakes. I ask you, intelligent ladies and gentlemen, how you do it. I want to do as much as I can, whenever I can. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make enough cracks in my brain to reach that kind of learning level. Thanks.

To get to the top 5% requires more ability than many have. Getting straight A's usually is not so hard in average classes if one just spends the time required. I was happy with B/C's in most of my non-core type classes which I could care less about (like what years so and so painting was created).

In chemistry and the like I was able to get A's pretty easily as the classes were less homework and more practical use and testing. I never did well doing homework.

Of course then there are the types that spend 8+ hours per day and all weekend studying. They let the whole college/school experience pass them by.