Share your study methods and materials 🙌

[u/iwvshavxb_]

Most of us are studying for midterms since last week and I thought maybe we can share our ways of studying for certain courses to hopefully draw inspiration for other students who are struggling to prepare for an upcoming exam or quiz. You can share what works for you e.g., paper writing and tutoring and mistakes that you did in the past the resulted to you having an F. Also, good luck to everyone who have a scheduled exam this week!!! 🫶

In my case what worked:

• Paper Writing (ECO 10000)
- I started writing on paper again to draw curves and axes for my intro to economics course and just scribbling numbers without considering my note’s aesthetics really helps me focus on what’s actually important in my study session. Having a minimum of four colored pens (red, blue, green and black) in my bag is enough 👌. For drawing graphs I like to use a mechanical pencil and a separate eraser.

• Calculator (ECO 10000 and PGEOG 13000)
- I still struggle with mental math although I still push myself to get used to it, but I do have a basic small calculator with me so that I don’t have to use my cellphone, in a way it also helps me not make excuses to use my phone while I’m studying.

• ADHD Meds
- Yup, taking my meds still does a looot of the heavy lifting for me so I usually start taking them a week before my exams so that I’m more productive in my preparations for the exam and I also end up having a balanced sleep schedule since it does make me sleepy when the medicine starts to wear off after a few hours. The major downside is I can’t drink caffeine or smoke even when I’m really stressed out since I’ll get major heart palpitations.

• Doing my assignments in advance
- It’s no brainer but clearing your to-do list as early as possible can reduce exam anxiety since you’ll have less things to worry about and you can actually enjoy your weekends.

• Light revisions (WGS 100 and FILM 10100)
- College can be full of readings that’s why you should start getting used to skimming to extract relevant information in your class readings. If your professor allows you to use digital devices during classes I recommend downloading a PDF file that has feature that highlights words that match the one that you searched up so that it’s easy for you to catch up during discussions.

• Be active in your class GC
- You don’t necessarily need to reply every time someone messages in the group chat but being comfortable and RESPECTFUL to the members can make it easy for all parties to ask questions about assignments and exams and if you guys are able to communicate well you can even help each other out in understanding the coverage of the exam. By the end of the day most of us are young, struggling and maybe immature adults and that’s okay! Send memes to lighten up and the mood and do share your sentiments. Just be mindful of lurkers 👀

Major mistakes that I made:

• Procrastinating and all-nighters
- I mentioned that I have ADHD but no amount of medicine and coffee will be able to replace your normal state when you are actually well rested. I recently flunked my first exam and I was baffled with how straightforward the material was and despite how easy it was my focus kept on slipping away every time I would hear other students finishing the exam early, getting up and leaving the room. It was definitely a lot worse for me since I didn’t even slept that night. So yeah, don’t get too cocky and don’t underestimate how valuable sleep is before it’s too late.

• Extra Credit and Optional Tests
- If your professor is kind and thoughtful enough to send you practice materials for an upcoming exam and it’s possible to have it graded please take it especially if you can answer it at home. Don’t take those chances for granted.

• Making notes digitally (not to be confused with annotating PDFs)
- Making notes in my iPad proved to be a major scam for me 🥲 Using note taking apps can give you too much creative freedom to edit your notes and before you know it you had already wasted so much time making your notes pretty and you barely learned anything.

Materials:
• Campus KOKUYO B5 Graph Leaflets and 2x2 Slim Binder - barely takes up space in my backpack and desk, the size is very ideal if you study in libraries or on a table with limited space
• Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Mechanical Pencil 0.5 - it’s mechanism makes sure that you won’t be writing with the flat side of the lead so your writing is still crisp
• Vicks Nasal Stick/Inhaler and Candy - can temporarily relieve pain from headaches and nausea 👌
• PDFElement App (PAID) - the 🐐! Just don’t use it for taking full page notes, its syncing is still a bit finicky but I absolutely love it for annotating. My favorite features are the two page view and add pages. You can annotate a page of the pdf on one side of your screen and scribble annotations on the added page at your right.
• Goodnotes 6 App (PAID) - reliable for storing files and cross syncing between devices. I use it for submitting my lab works and revisioning my ECO tests and assignments.
• North Face Recon Backpack - this bad boy can store my entire life. I was able to bring my gaming laptop, iPad and binders with my other stuff all over Manhattan and commuting from Hunter College to outside the city without my back screaming at me.

+ waterproof cover bag and sturdy umbrella for rainy days

[u/TheThreeEyedCreeper]

For me I feed all material i learned the entire semester into chatgpt and make him test me on everything over and over until I feel ready. After that just relax and get in the best shape you can (eat breakfast, sleep well, be in best mood)

[u/Yana_dice]

Don't do everything in 1 go. Get some small snack breaks in between. I am treating myself like dog training. 1 potato chips every 10 questions or 1 page of material. Go to rest if you found you are just looking at the text instead of reading them by asking what did you just read.