Hey, i’ve been struggling a loooot with school.
Any tips for studying and the like? I feel lost and depressed
What really works for me is to set short periods of study/work - 30 min to an hour, followed by a break, then repeat - and slowly increase the number of work periods over weeks.
It helps with the pressure with deadlines because I focus only on the periods of work instead of being too worried if I get it all done and let my focused work periods to take care of the deadlines if that makes sense.
Doing it this way allowed me to progress and learn faster and get a 4.33 GPA. Also, seeing work/study as a challenge or a game instead of the “holy crap I’m never gonna get this done” allows your interest in the work to snowball into something you end up starting to enjoy doing and look forward to - providing you’re in the right field. Good luck
Make a short notes of every chapter if your study includes memorizing long texts.
Make a highlights of a text you are reading. Mark the parts you read or that are very important for certain matter.
Don’t eat a lot before studying - you’ll probably just roll over and sleep
Use fellow students to your advantage. I do not mean copying things or anything like that. But get in touch with them, and arrange to study together. You will at times help each other out with difficulties in the material, but the main thing about it is that there is a bigger incentive to actually do something when you agreed to do it together. The mere agreement makes you want to show up, and once you’re there, you would want to get something done.
For me, the biggest problem is getting started and staying busy when working on my own. I have no problem showing up at classes however. I perceive of it as something I just have to do. Now classes aren’t the whole story of course. But setting up meetings with others - could also be a meeting to talk some stuff through with a teacher, they would have to have time for this but you won’t find out if they have if you don’t ask - setting up meetings with others gets some things going for me. It is a minor investment to set up the meeting. But because you have agreed to meet, you will show up and do stuff. And you will be motivated to show up at least half-prepared.
Moreover, you may enjoy the social aspect of it, to just have someone to talk to. And what you will talk about will primarily be the stuff you will have to study. This helps both in understanding the material, and the social reward involved may further light that spark to get things going.
Condition yourself to study at a certain place. I will go to the same coffee shop, or I will only work at my desk. I cut down on tv simply because there’s no time for it (and Sherlock won’t be on until 2017). I take Facebook breaks and meal breaks. Studying in blocks of time works for me. I will be writing several papers, so I will have to start them early in the semester.
My school has lost some prestige and good teachers due to our old POS governor (the new one is better). I hope these teachers are as motivated as the Ivy League one was. I’d also prefer that they not be honors teachers either, because I like low expectations.
Remember to let the information sink in. Over-studying produces the opposite effect as you retain less. Take plenty of breaks. Reward yourself for finishing large assignments/ doing well on exams.
It may help to learn what type of learner you are- visual, auditory, tactile, reader. Then search ways that that type of learner will study best with. Like I’m a visual learner and I’m finding that taking notes in the form of mind or concept maps helps me retain info better than just writing on a page.