[funchy]

Let me preface this by saying:
I am lazy and probably not above average intelligence. I also like to do things besides study. Downtime & social life are important. However, that being said, I've maintained a 3.95+ GPA since returning to college as an adult. I swear I must have ADD and I can be easily distracted, and I am poor so I cannot afford a tutor ... but if I can do it, so can you.

The first thing is the right mindset. I start a semester with the mindset I am not only going to pass the class but get an A. I tell myself : I will get an A and anything less isn't going to do. You can do it, too! If only one person get an A in the tough class, why can't that person be you?

I also have the outlook it's not the teacher's job to "make" me learn. It's not the school or curriculum's job to make me "know" the material. These things facilitate my learning, but it's up to *me* to learn and understand.

Studying & preparing for exam:

What I do is I learn and memorize first so I have the keywords and concepts. I take good notes in class. Then I go home and write a new set of notes from the textbook. If it's alot of material, I will recopy the notes. Sometimes the act of writing and re-writing helps me commit the words to memory. That is one task.

Then, as a separate task, I'll read carefully any applied problems, scenarios, etc in the book. I look for places that I'm unsure of, and I go re-read that concept. Then I do all the exercises at the end of the chapter. Make a note of anything you're stuck on, and try to figure it out or email or visit the professor.

I'll also start a list of words I'm having problems remembering or spelling to come back to later. Try visualization exercises to help difficult to learn things stick.

Then I go online and do exercises. Many college textbooks have online pages now. I'll also look for class notes from other colleges on the same topics, and I'll try to do their example problems. Bookmark related web pages for later review. Make and use flashcards, either paper or one of the free online applications. So even in my statistics class, I have all the Stats terms put into flashcard format. I can't risk getting a whole question wrong because I got my "N" and "n" mixed up.

This whole process might be done a little each night over the course of a week if it's a challenging chapter.

I make lists of what I need to know. For example, this week in Anatomy I had sets of words and concepts to commit to memory, so I itemized this list. I had to include: 12 organ system (+ 2 examples), 4 tissue types (+examples and function) + subtypes of each tissue type (such as 8 epithelial types + ex + fns), 20 directional terms, 3 examples of feedback in detail, label organs & their systems, and all the keywords in the first two chapters. So I took a sheet of paper and made this overview list with number of each thing. It said "Organ Systems: 1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___... Tissue types 1. ___..." and so on. Then I quizzed myself. Then I reviewed and repeated until I knew everything. Monday she gave us a nice quiz, and if I didn't score a 95-100% I'll be shocked.

Go to office hours from time to time to review questions you couldn't totally answer from homework and quizzes. (Tip: be organized and have specific questions ready for the professor) A professor loves a student who wants to learn. Many will throw you a bone, if they see you're trying hard. Some might even go so far as to give you exam questions or an extra credit option.

Go to your college's reading/writing lab, tutoring center, and any other resources they offer. Utilize as much of the free resources the school offers. One idea is to visit the library and see if they have other textbooks on that subject so you can look up the one concept for a different approach to it.

Definitely find study partners. I size up the class early on to identify the motivated students, and I ask those to study with me. Even if they don't know any more than I do, just the act of scheduling a review time gets me to focus.

Never miss class, no matter how boring the class is or how sick I feel. If they allow it, bring a recorder for the faster classes; make a second set of notes based on the audio recording, then compare with the first set to see what you might've misunderstood or missed.

Do not be afraid to look outside of your class' text for a better explanation or help. Look for free online versions of textbooks and read related passages. I also get free textbooks (PaperBack Swap: Book Club offers Free Books when you Trade, Swap or Exchange Used Books) used in other schools so I have a different explanation & set of exercises. I check Google and YouTube for animated clips or videos to explain concepts. The world is full of places you can get information.

Originally Posted by The David

By competition, I'm referring to situations where I take a core class and am expected to know how to do something before being told how to do it. I'm referring to teachers who ramble but don't give information. I'm talking about any class that gets in the way of learning the subject.

I hear your words and it feels almost like blame: it's the teacher's fault or the curriculum's fault you're not learning. Do you resent having to take requirements? Maybe I am guessing wrong, and I if I am, I apologize. But if that indeed is the case, the first thing that must change is your mindset -- you're getting in the way of your own success.

Question for you:
How many hours per week do you spend outside of the average 3 credit college class doing homework? If a big exam is on the schedule, how soon before the exam date do you begin studying for it?

Knowing what you should study: honestly I'd say study everything. Knowing too much will never hurt you. Knowledge is interconnected and cumulative, so it can come in handy later. It doesn't cost you anything to learn extra, except perhaps your time.

I'm not taking much right now. It isn't just this semester I'm concerned about, it's the fact that I've been in college for five semesters and have hardly learned anything of real value.

You have the wrong outlook. *Everything* can be of value, if you know where to apply it. Everything is everything else.

I appreciate your time but it doesn't sound like you've read my post at all.

Why do you say that? I read every word. I hear the words of someone who is content with only a C average but who plans to use incomplete knowledge to be someone else's teacher, and I think we just disagree on the merits of this plan.

You wrote in your first post:

"Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to retake some classes and see if I can get a 3.0 or close. But there is too much to learn, too little time, and too few people to learn it from. Lately I've just been here buying time and teaching myself most things."

See if you can "get a 3.0 or close"? You're selling yourself short.

Instead of taking classes twice and hoping for maybe a B the second go around, I want you to raise the bar. Take the class once and shoot for an A. If someone as airheaded as I am can get As, anyone can. (And I'm in a competitive medical track where alot is expected) Why can't you get As? What's wrong with getting As? You CAN do it.

One thing I've learned is to stack the cards in my favor. For example:

* If I know I'll go through one or two tough weed-out classes, I'll schedule only (easy) cupcake classes around it that semester. Be creative in your scheduling and options. Don't be afraid to ask if you can change the order classes normally are taken in for your major.

* If I know I don't think well at certain times of the day, I do my best not to take a hard class during that time slot. I sign up for classes the day the registration office opens, so I get pick.

* I know where I sit in the classroom makes a difference for me. Too close to the back or near a window, and my mind is off daydreaming. I get to the first day of class early and force myself to sit in the front row. For some reason I learn better if the podium area is to my left, so I always sit on the same side.


* If I know I don't do well hungry or thirsty, I make sure to find the time for a good snack before class.

* You can test out of some basic requirement classes using the CLEP test. I don't feel like taking one of the basic (boring) English classes, so for $70 I can test out of it. Not all school accept CLEP credits, but many do.

* See if the required class is taught in a different way. Some professors are unconventional in how they teach which might work better for you. Some colleges offer class+online hybrid classes. Many accredited colleges let you transfer credits back and forth, and it might be better to take the boring requirement class at your home's community college or somewhere with just smaller class sizes.


Hope my ideas were of some help to you. Best of luck!