Studying the core text for a health economics masters

So I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do a masters in health economics, even though the promise of funding and a guaranteed job afterwards makes it an opportunity I would be stupid to ignore.

I simply don’t know if my health would allow it.

However as I said, it is and opportunity that I think I should aim for, and as such I intend to prepare by reading the core text for the course.

I aim to read five pages a day. I will almost certainly have to re-read the book several times.

There are roughly 400 pages in the book, twelve chapters, so I am also aiming to read a chapter a month.

I am on page ten. Having read five pages today and five a couple of days ago. There are fifteen pages in the first chapter, so I can definitely read and study it, taking relevant notes, several times over the coming month.

I might not do it every day, I’m going to see how far I can get. My priority is my sanity.

I’m going to journal here my progress.

So far, the key terms that I have noted are cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis. I might write some of my notes here on the subject as well as simply journaling my progress.

Thank you.

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Memorizing new stuff is good for the brain. Understanding new concepts and causal links between them is also desirable if you want your brain to thrive. Even if you fail an exam, the training you did will show benefits.

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So I read the last five pages of chapter one of my health economics core text today. I am having serious doubts I will be able to do a masters anytime soon, but I should be able to get a good handle on the core text within a year. It is still something I want to aim at.

Having finished chapter one, I’m going to read it again. Besides giving an overview of the entire book at the end, chapter one briefly introduces the concepts of cost-analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis and cost-benefit analysis. I need to read the chapter several times to commit a basic understanding of these four forms of analysis to heart.

Thank you.

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Hi @anon21849028, it’s a piece of sacred architecture, I chose it because I like the link between mathematics and art that it seems to embody, but I’m not wedded to any one religious dogma, so often think of changing it.

I read the first five pages of chapter one again. Took some notes on the first section. I’m going to spend a month on each chapter, and complete and hopefully master the book within a year.

Reading five pages a day is barely anything, together with a little t’ai ji I have a routine that keeps me grounded without stressing me out by lots of work.

To be honest, even sticking to these two things, barely half an hour’s worth of concentration, has been difficult for me.

The most I’ve ever managed for a daily routine is about an hour a day of study, and then only managed to keep it up for about two weeks max.

So sticking to these two little things is a challenge and also something that I should be able to do within my limits.

I will be super pleased if I can keep it up for a year, especially if I remain relatively sane all that time, which would be a record.

Thank you.

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So I haven’t been able to do any of my routine for the past week owing to sleep disturbances, but today I managed to read another five pages of the core text for health economics.

There are fifteen pages in the first chapter, and I’m giving myself a month to master it, a week of which has passed already.

I need to take notes and read the fifteen pages several times. If I do it every day I can read the chapter seven or eight times in the remaining time left before the end of the month.

Thank you.

So I finished the first chapter (fifteen pages) for a second time. I really need to take notes when I start reading it again tomorrow. I still haven’t mastered the material. I need to be able to talk about it fluently and recall all the basic definitions and arguments. I have 23 days left of the month, so this is eminently doable. Thank you.

So I read the first five pages of the first chapter for a third time today and took some notes. It is amazing how much more you glean from rereading complex material.

Good luck. However if you put the effort into it that you say you will luck will have less to do with whether you succeed or not. However I must say that in my case I could put the same efforts into some subjects and fail, and much less effort into others and succeed. If you find you can’t remember anything you read half-way through your prep time try something else. It is smart to watch out for your mental health too. When I went back to school I took the right subject but didn’t keep mentally healthy.

Thanks @Blizzard, I read another five pages of the core text today and took some notes, I haven’t been reading every day, but am reading regularly enough for me to see progress. Thank you.

Just read the last five pages of my text book for a third time. Not really making my target of reading it ten times in the month, it being the 22nd, but everything is progress. Thank you.

So I just read the first five pages of the first chapter of my text book for a fourth time and took some more notes. I can still make it to five times through the first chapter by the end of the month, half my target. Need to get back to doing t’ai ji every day as well. Thank you.

So I read the next five pages of the first chapter of my text book for a fourth time. That’s two days running. Hopefully I will be able to read the first chapter five times in this month. Thank you.

After a day of mild relapsing, I managed to read the last five pages of the first chapter of my health economics text for a fourth time. I should easily be able to read it five times over in total by the end of the month. Thank you.

Feeling better today, no real psychotic symptoms. I read the first five pages of the first chapter for the fifth time by twelve o-clock which is good. Ideally, I’d like to get this done every day before noon. Thank you.

So I read the next five pages of the first chapter for a fifth time just now and took some notes. I will finish the chapter tomorrow after which there will be two days left, not enough time to read the chapter for a sixth time completely. I might read it a sixth time though, taking up the first day of the new month, before moving on to chapter two. If I can keep this up for a year, I’m sure I’ll master the text. Thank you.

So I read the last five pages of the first chapter for a fifth time today. I have another book called “Health Economics Made Easy” which is a very short introductory text of 100 pages. I want to read a chapter a week on Saturdays from now on, on top of the five pages a day of the core text that I am reading. I will start doing this from tomorrow. Thank you.

So I read the first five pages of my core text again for a sixth time. I also read the first chapter of “Health Economics Made Easy”. Both of these things I did by 10:10am, which is excellent. Thank you.

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So I started the second chapter today, reading the first five pages. It seems pretty straight forward and hasn’t said much that wasn’t in the first chapter, just expanding a little. I should be able to read the second chapter seven times this month, it being twenty pages long. Thank you.

So I missed four days of study, but today I read the next five pages of chapter two of my textbook. I should still be able to read it six times over. Thank you.