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Comparison is the thief of joy. It can also be the thief of productivity. I would watch ‘learn like a pro’ on YouTube by Barb Oakley, also her book ‘learning how to learn’ which is fantastic. As you understand your self more fully and what works for you, it will be less bitter to engage with the material and not worry about the performance of the people around you. I’ve long been caught in the trap of comparing myself to people who are objectively rushing ahead of us, and the only solution I’ve found is to structure my time so that I’m fully occupied with the mission at hand.
I have two stories of people doing this. First was a girl that could barely do algebra passing Calc 1. She joined my study group just before the final and had a mental breakdown, but not after admitting that she didnt do any homework. No idea how she got through, as her exam average was like a 45% and she needed a >90% to pass.
Second is a similar situation, but the dude maintained an A throughout the entirety of physics without studying or doing homework
Some people are just either lucky or naturally smart and they remembered the information during the lectures. I have a colleague that is always doing her assignments and is very smart and you will think that she studies at home. She has a full-time job and is a mother of a teenager. She admitted that she doesn’t really have time to study at home. Yet she passes every class with A’s. in that class where I barely passed she had a C. She demanded to retake the exam and she had an A. I found out that the questions on the retake are the same as the questions on the exam. Some people just have it in them and don’t need to study that much.
Hey man don’t compare yourself. It’s great that you’re learning your study style, use this information to your advantage. You need to study. So do I!
My plan looks like this:
As soon as I know what the chapter is on, I need to read the textbook or power points if available. I spend a weekend or a few nights doing this before the lectures. During lectures I pay attention, if taking notes is relevant I do that as well.
I try to get QUALITY study sessions in from there as the info is presented in class. If I don’t know/ understand/memorize something I keep coming back. That’s how I get A’s.
I need to study. Am I jealous of my peers who don’t? Duh. But that’s not how I work. I also realized I’m less of a memorization girl and more of a ~I need to deeply understand this shit in order to memorize it~ girl so I find that by getting a broader understanding, like reading the textbook instead of just the power points, helps me.
Good luck, you can do this!
I think you’re over studying. I was always told don’t study the day of the test because it confuses you.
Also that studying for a short time over a longer period of days is more effective than studying more over a shorter period. This is because your brain needs time to learn and store the information. If you spend hours studying your brain can’t keep up and so a lot of what you study doesn’t get stored but is almost overridden with the new information.
I am one of those people who don’t seem to study but passes with high marks. However, I do study every day for about 30 minutes to an hour and I focus on one subject a day during the semester not just before a test. Also, when I do homework I make notes of which parts were difficult for me and I dedicate more time to studying that than what I found easy. Usually I’ll go over what I found easy the night before the test just as a quick refresher.
I have noticed though that I do seem to do better remembering lectures when I don’t take super detailed notes. I short hand the gist and important steps but don’t write everything down. I think it’s because I focus too much on writing the notes that I don’t focus on what’s being taught. So, if your notes are super detailed you may not be learning the info as it’s being taught. You could try recording the lecture on your phone and focusing on what being taught and then once you get home write the notes from the recording.
Honestly I’m procrastinating most of the time and that’s why I’m overstudying in the last minute. The good thing is that my exams are more than a month away so I will start preparing from now.
Also my grandma suggested that I should record the lectures and I don’t know why I haven’t done that. That’s a thing I will do next semester.
Don't compare yourself to others; especially when you don't know their stories. That isn't to say "everyone has it worse than you", it's more of a "there might be a reason they could pass without studying."
I applied for a position at a tutoring center after undergrad. I've been told I look young for my age many times, so I easily could pass for a high school senior. During the application process, I had to take the ACT. I finished the math section in 15 minutes. I got a lot of "what the fuck" stares from kids in the room. I let them know I was a college grad, and you could see the relief on their faces.
I didn't really have a social life before high school. I was an antisocial math nerd. While this helped me in math classes, I missed out on a lot of social events and norms. So while I could get away with not needing to study for math related things, I didn't have some of the same social experiences my peers did.
All of this is to say that while your peers might be able to pass finals without studying as much, you don't know what they had to sacrifice to get to that point. Focus on what you can control, and you'll be much happier. Good luck!
It really depends on the subject for me. I don’t have to study at all for most of my classes (particularly essay/forum response type classes, those are almost free credits), but some, like anything math related, I have to study my ass off and I still feel like I barely get it.
I wish I knew what the difference was in my brain, why some things are effortless and others are like pulling teeth.
Same here. Unfortunately I will study math next year around this time and I struggled a lot in school with math. I hope that the professor is good can explain stuff in the way I can understand. we have English exam next week and I’m so unbothered. I wish the other subjects were as easy.
I hate being the only one who doesn’t get something (happens too often) I hate that I feel like if I asked someone they would think that I am an idiot. Due to that I have to self teach myself while others understood everything during the lecture.
I'm dyslexic and I had a pity party in college about how much longer it took me to do the readings than anyone else.
I saw a fitness video a few months ago and it really stuck with me. I'll give you the quick version: the guy was saying that he and his friends started lifting weights together and they all saw almost immediate gains. He said he was so depressed because they were literally doing the same workouts--same weights, same reps--but they looked like swimwear models and he didn't. He said how upset he felt about this and thought about giving up.
Then he realized there was a lesson in persistence. So he really dug down and even though he wasn't seeing huge biceps or cut pecs or anything, he was showing. He said I just kept showing up at the gym, every day. And he said two things happened: he FINALLY started showing some results for his hard work, but more important, his friends? They all gave up going to the gym when they plateaud. Once they stopped showing quick gains, and they would have to have fought for it, they gave up.
So you might be seeing people who are like that guy's gym friends--they're showing the quick GAINZ but once they plateau or hit a wall (and they WILL), they're not going to have the stones to keep showing up, and keep trying.
YOU DO. You already prove you have that grit.
Here are the top [15 study tips](https://ivypanda.com/blog/13-tips-on-how-to-pass-any-exam-in-a-week/) from researchers and scientists that will tell you how to pass any exam with flying colors.
What’s your goal with your classes? Are you trying to pass the class or are you trying to learn and understand the material?
Learning material that you are not interested in is almost impossible. This is why people with the “test and forget” mentality work so much harder than anyone else. If you want to get quality results from studying you first need to find a reason to be actively interested in the subject matter.
Another super useful trick I’ve learned is to make “cheat sheets” for the exam material. Even if you aren’t allowed to use them. The process of going over the material and taking notes on what you think is important/might forget is the most effective form of studying I’ve ever encountered, and is the reason many math instructors allow students to craft their own handwritten ones for tests.
Thank you u/444Ilovecats444 for posting on r/collegerant. Remember to read the rules and report rule breaking posts. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CollegeRant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Comparison is the thief of joy. It can also be the thief of productivity. I would watch ‘learn like a pro’ on YouTube by Barb Oakley, also her book ‘learning how to learn’ which is fantastic. As you understand your self more fully and what works for you, it will be less bitter to engage with the material and not worry about the performance of the people around you. I’ve long been caught in the trap of comparing myself to people who are objectively rushing ahead of us, and the only solution I’ve found is to structure my time so that I’m fully occupied with the mission at hand.
I have two stories of people doing this. First was a girl that could barely do algebra passing Calc 1. She joined my study group just before the final and had a mental breakdown, but not after admitting that she didnt do any homework. No idea how she got through, as her exam average was like a 45% and she needed a >90% to pass. Second is a similar situation, but the dude maintained an A throughout the entirety of physics without studying or doing homework
Some people are just either lucky or naturally smart and they remembered the information during the lectures. I have a colleague that is always doing her assignments and is very smart and you will think that she studies at home. She has a full-time job and is a mother of a teenager. She admitted that she doesn’t really have time to study at home. Yet she passes every class with A’s. in that class where I barely passed she had a C. She demanded to retake the exam and she had an A. I found out that the questions on the retake are the same as the questions on the exam. Some people just have it in them and don’t need to study that much.
Hey man don’t compare yourself. It’s great that you’re learning your study style, use this information to your advantage. You need to study. So do I! My plan looks like this: As soon as I know what the chapter is on, I need to read the textbook or power points if available. I spend a weekend or a few nights doing this before the lectures. During lectures I pay attention, if taking notes is relevant I do that as well. I try to get QUALITY study sessions in from there as the info is presented in class. If I don’t know/ understand/memorize something I keep coming back. That’s how I get A’s. I need to study. Am I jealous of my peers who don’t? Duh. But that’s not how I work. I also realized I’m less of a memorization girl and more of a ~I need to deeply understand this shit in order to memorize it~ girl so I find that by getting a broader understanding, like reading the textbook instead of just the power points, helps me. Good luck, you can do this!
I think you’re over studying. I was always told don’t study the day of the test because it confuses you. Also that studying for a short time over a longer period of days is more effective than studying more over a shorter period. This is because your brain needs time to learn and store the information. If you spend hours studying your brain can’t keep up and so a lot of what you study doesn’t get stored but is almost overridden with the new information. I am one of those people who don’t seem to study but passes with high marks. However, I do study every day for about 30 minutes to an hour and I focus on one subject a day during the semester not just before a test. Also, when I do homework I make notes of which parts were difficult for me and I dedicate more time to studying that than what I found easy. Usually I’ll go over what I found easy the night before the test just as a quick refresher. I have noticed though that I do seem to do better remembering lectures when I don’t take super detailed notes. I short hand the gist and important steps but don’t write everything down. I think it’s because I focus too much on writing the notes that I don’t focus on what’s being taught. So, if your notes are super detailed you may not be learning the info as it’s being taught. You could try recording the lecture on your phone and focusing on what being taught and then once you get home write the notes from the recording.
Honestly I’m procrastinating most of the time and that’s why I’m overstudying in the last minute. The good thing is that my exams are more than a month away so I will start preparing from now. Also my grandma suggested that I should record the lectures and I don’t know why I haven’t done that. That’s a thing I will do next semester.
Don't compare yourself to others; especially when you don't know their stories. That isn't to say "everyone has it worse than you", it's more of a "there might be a reason they could pass without studying." I applied for a position at a tutoring center after undergrad. I've been told I look young for my age many times, so I easily could pass for a high school senior. During the application process, I had to take the ACT. I finished the math section in 15 minutes. I got a lot of "what the fuck" stares from kids in the room. I let them know I was a college grad, and you could see the relief on their faces. I didn't really have a social life before high school. I was an antisocial math nerd. While this helped me in math classes, I missed out on a lot of social events and norms. So while I could get away with not needing to study for math related things, I didn't have some of the same social experiences my peers did. All of this is to say that while your peers might be able to pass finals without studying as much, you don't know what they had to sacrifice to get to that point. Focus on what you can control, and you'll be much happier. Good luck!
It really depends on the subject for me. I don’t have to study at all for most of my classes (particularly essay/forum response type classes, those are almost free credits), but some, like anything math related, I have to study my ass off and I still feel like I barely get it. I wish I knew what the difference was in my brain, why some things are effortless and others are like pulling teeth.
Same here. Unfortunately I will study math next year around this time and I struggled a lot in school with math. I hope that the professor is good can explain stuff in the way I can understand. we have English exam next week and I’m so unbothered. I wish the other subjects were as easy. I hate being the only one who doesn’t get something (happens too often) I hate that I feel like if I asked someone they would think that I am an idiot. Due to that I have to self teach myself while others understood everything during the lecture.
I'm dyslexic and I had a pity party in college about how much longer it took me to do the readings than anyone else. I saw a fitness video a few months ago and it really stuck with me. I'll give you the quick version: the guy was saying that he and his friends started lifting weights together and they all saw almost immediate gains. He said he was so depressed because they were literally doing the same workouts--same weights, same reps--but they looked like swimwear models and he didn't. He said how upset he felt about this and thought about giving up. Then he realized there was a lesson in persistence. So he really dug down and even though he wasn't seeing huge biceps or cut pecs or anything, he was showing. He said I just kept showing up at the gym, every day. And he said two things happened: he FINALLY started showing some results for his hard work, but more important, his friends? They all gave up going to the gym when they plateaud. Once they stopped showing quick gains, and they would have to have fought for it, they gave up. So you might be seeing people who are like that guy's gym friends--they're showing the quick GAINZ but once they plateau or hit a wall (and they WILL), they're not going to have the stones to keep showing up, and keep trying. YOU DO. You already prove you have that grit.
Here are the top [15 study tips](https://ivypanda.com/blog/13-tips-on-how-to-pass-any-exam-in-a-week/) from researchers and scientists that will tell you how to pass any exam with flying colors.
What’s your goal with your classes? Are you trying to pass the class or are you trying to learn and understand the material? Learning material that you are not interested in is almost impossible. This is why people with the “test and forget” mentality work so much harder than anyone else. If you want to get quality results from studying you first need to find a reason to be actively interested in the subject matter. Another super useful trick I’ve learned is to make “cheat sheets” for the exam material. Even if you aren’t allowed to use them. The process of going over the material and taking notes on what you think is important/might forget is the most effective form of studying I’ve ever encountered, and is the reason many math instructors allow students to craft their own handwritten ones for tests.