Any college students here?

glemay

Hey guys, it's been quite some time since I've posted. But I really like this thread since it affects me currently, lol.

With my experiences thus far, being in my second year of post secondary education, I could not agree more with Mike682 and what some others have said.

As stated and as I have experienced, time spent reviewing what the prof has gone over in class, as well as reading the material before class is time extremly well spent. I have got into this habit and it is really paying off I think. The information presented in the lectures makes more sense and it is easier to absorb.

And another important one, read to understand, not to memorize. This couldn't be any truer, lol.

I think that one thing that helps develop good study habits is trying to surround yourself by others who want to do well in school as well as have good study habits themselves. Another thing that always helps is having a designated area for studying or doing homework. Last, but not least, set a schedule and follow it to the best of your ability. As long as it is reasonable, when everything is said and done, you will be able to enjoy yourself more fully when it comes time to relax or party, lol.

Gerry

ajsankot

Dude just love school college is all about learing and having a good time. If you study too much you won't learn you have to seperate school from play and you have to play to accept school. So, have fun and good luck

schwarcw

Take the I-Pod buds out of your ears and get into some group study sessions to augment (not replace) your individual study. Take Shack's advice it's solid. Taking quality notes, reviewing notes, communicate about the subject material with classmates. Discuss the topic, refer to other textbooks on the same material, make appointments to see your professors. Make understanding the material an obsession. You should also learn how to take an exam. Research this subject and adopt a strategy for each exam. Take frequent breaks while studing, schedule quiet study time away from distractions. Most of all enjoy this time, it will change and you'll have to work like many of us. You'll look back at your school years and yearn for the days that you have now. I spent six years in engineering school (undergrad and grad) and while I struggled at times, it was some of the best years of my life. Good luck!!

BaggedLancer

Drink hard, drink long, party for life.



Something I forgot to do.....

shack

BaggedLancer wrote: »

Drink hard, drink long, party for life.



Something I forgot to do.....

I notice that graduating with a solid GPA in a field that pays good money isn't part of the formula.

BTW I've met a couple of guys that followed that formula...and they are some of the best waiters I know...when they show up for work.

Serendipity

Wow, I totally forgot about this thread...

Anyways, I've figured out that studying 6-7 hours a day is NOT the way to go due to the fact that the brain simply can't absorb all the material.

I learned that it's better to study in groups of 3-4 and study in "sessions," which are 2-3 hours a time. Works much better than 6-7 hours straight IMO.

Bobman was right on this one:

bobman1235 wrote: »

6-7 hours a DAY? That's insane guy. I admire the work ethic, but your brain needs time to breathe and soak in all the knowledge you're throwing at it. You're obviously a smart guy, just give yourself time to absorb the material, and give your brain some time off, you'll do fine.

BaggedLancer

shack wrote: »

I notice that graduating with a solid GPA in a field that pays good money isn't part of the formula.

BTW I've met a couple of guys that followed that formula...and they are some of the best waiters I know...when they show up for work.

I knew it was missing piece and that's why I never followed that advice despite what people told me!

I think what's even more important is that added the "in a field that pays good money" part of your equation. You could finish with a 4.0 with one of the numerous useless majors that schools have to offer and still be screwed as many people I know have done.

Serendipity

When was this about money?

I'd rather do something in life that I love instead of working a field that pays good money.

BaggedLancer

appadv wrote: »

When was this about money?

I'd rather do something in life that I love instead of working a field that pays good money.

That will change, don't worry. Enjoy school for the time being!

Serendipity

BaggedLancer wrote: »

That will change, don't worry. Enjoy school for the time being!

What do you mean?

I'm a EE major because I LIKE working with electronics, designing circuits, tinkering with stuff, etc.

I could've been a pre-med or gone to law school, but that's not what I am passionate about. Sure there are jobs that pay more money...

BaggedLancer

I guess it depends what you classify as "good" money.

Serendipity

BaggedLancer wrote: »

I guess it depends what you classify as "good" money.

Well, I have friends from HS that are going into theatre/art/music. Is there something wrong with that, following your dreams and doing what you are passionate about?

BaggedLancer

Ugh, forget I said it. You don't get my point.

Serendipity

BaggedLancer wrote: »

Ugh, forget I said it. You don't get my point.

But I do.

bobman1235

appadv wrote: »

Bobman was right on this one:

Someone get the champagne, it finally happened!

shack

bobman1235 wrote:

Someone get the champagne, it finally happened!

He was wrong when he said you were right.

bobman1235

shack wrote: »

He was wrong when he said you were right.

I thought I was wrong once; turns out I was wrong.

shack

bobman1235 wrote:

I thought I was wrong once; turns out I was wrong.

Maybe you were actually right that you were wrong.

Gaara

Does anyone honestly study for 6 hours a day? For each test I would spend maybe 2-3 hours total of studying, like most people, and do just fine. For reference I graduated from a AACSB accredited school with a 3.6 GPA.

As for not being in it for the money, what was the point in going to college then? I always figured college was to prepare you for a career, and your career was to make you money, among other things.

Serendipity

Gaara wrote: »

Does anyone honestly study for 6 hours a day?

I don't think that's too unreasonable, for example I used to use the following schedule:

2 hours reading the textbook
2-3 hours doing homework/papers
1 hour reviewing notes before the next class

Serendipity

Oops...

I guess if you are talking about just reviewing for the exam, then yes, it would be more like 1-2 hours.

But I consider doing practice problems, reading the textbook, and looking over my notes part of studying. In fact, it seems like I learn the most from doing the homework problems.

Jstas

Dang, study? Really? Hell, I barely did homework in high school 'cause it seems like busy work. I hate busy work. When I got to college, I had to work multiple jobs just to pay for school. I had no time to do any serious homework. I got about 1-2 hours a night...well, very early morning more like it, like 1-2 AM to study. I'd crash for 4 hours and get up and do my 6 am to 2 am day all over again and catch up on weekends. I still managed to pull out a C average and every teacher I had said it wasn't that I wasn't applying myself because I clearly understood the material but if I just did homework I'd have B and A averages.

What did I learn in school? Keeping your face buried in a book is not the way to prepare for life. That is what college is for. You prepare for the life you think you want to lead. College is the time to figure out if that is what you really want to do with yourself. That process is very introspective and all the hippie types seem to get it wrong because of that. They think college is where you go to find yourself. That's not true. That is just a side effect of what you are doing.

Get your nose out of the book, man. Study for your classes. You can get a 4.0 GPA all you want but if you aren't going to grad school, it doesn't matter. Understand the material. If a company is going to yay or nay you based on your GPA, you probably don't want to work there anyway.

I've had similar experiences as shack. The high GPA'ers don't fare so well in the real world because they never learned to asses a situation and adapt. They aren't flexible. They also seem to be fairly incapable of picking up new ideas and changing with the times. Granted, not everyone is like that. There are many exceptions. However, getting to work with interns, I've found that the ones with the stellar GPAs are just cruising through here and watching. They don't seem to get much out of their internship.

The ones that do though? They are always up someone's butt asking questions, getting hands dirty and learning through doing. They stay late when someone else is because they get the idea that you earn your stripes when the chips are down. These are the same ones that loathe going to the HR feel good sessions they have for mixers and progress stuff for the interns. I love working with those interns because they talk about what is going on in an effort to apply ideas and stuff that they learned in school. Not only do they get to learn from those of us who have been in the trenches for years now but we get to learn about the new stuff that kids are rolling out of school with now.

Book smarts will get you a degree but people who have been here, in the real world, can tell the difference between book smarts and some real ability. Like jdhdiggs said, if you are memorizing and passing tests just to get a degree, you aren't getting it.

I didn't live on campus when I went to school and maybe that hurt me but I didn't have the money. So I commuted to Drexel. I'm glad I did because with the fast pace of work at Drexel and having the other jobs, once I got out in to the real world and had one job, it was a cake walk. It was EASIER than school. But I loved my time at college. Unlike high school, I met genuinely intelligent people that I could talk to on a level I never had before. I learned a great deal from college and most of what I learned I did not find in a book. College is an awesome place to be and you will get alot out off it. But most of what you get out of it is not in a book. Studying is important but there is a whole world around you that you are going to miss studying for 6-7 hours a day. That goes for anybody.

The only people I see getting benefit from study times like that are those going for medical degrees where tons of memorization is involved.

Serendipity

Jstas wrote: »

Keeping your face buried in a book is not the way to prepare for life.

That may be generally true, but I don't know a SINGLE person in my major that studies less than I do. Heck, there are TONS of bookworms that study a lot more, but I am not one of them.

If you think spending 2-3 hours doing homework is a lot, then you haven't seen some of the other guys that spend their entire day in the library. Now that's what I call insanity

Demiurge

It's too bad we let our kids' heads get crammed with the idea they're going to amount to failures if they don't get into a 4 year college and get that piece of paper that ultimately says nothing about your ability to do anything but rack up debt. God forbid they want to be auto mechanics or carpenters. :eek:

Most people in college these days don't know why they're there, only that they're supposed to be there. Used to be where kids would take some time off after high school and discover what they wanted to do with their lives rather than making that decision while they're there, paying for it.

Gaara

appadv wrote: »

Oops...

I guess if you are talking about just reviewing for the exam, then yes, it would be more like 1-2 hours.

But I consider doing practice problems, reading the textbook, and looking over my notes part of studying. In fact, it seems like I learn the most from doing the homework problems.

Yeah thats the disconnect. I would spend usually 1.5-2 hours on reading, 1-1.5 on hwork in a average day with maybe 3 hours total studying in a week. Whenever there was a big project I would leave it till the night before and blow it out.

Probably would have studied more but working full time kinda cut into that time.

etwigs34

appadv wrote: »

Maybe some of you guys are going through the same thing I am going through, but I can't explain it and it sure is bothering me.

Last semester I studied a little bit for each of my subjects, and wound up getting an A in calculus and engineering. So - I'm thinking, well, my studying has paid off since I was doing well. Decided to study more and more in the same way.

Now this is where it gets interesting. This semester I study like crazy and I'm having some difficulties understanding why I'm not "getting it" like I used to. Especially some concepts in calculus - I'm finding them very difficult. Now I haven't changed my study habits, except for studying more, yet it seems like "less is more" when it comes to studying. I'm getting B's in calculus now and that's the subject I study the most for!!

WTF?

Maybe some of you guys have gone through the same thing.

I am no longer in college anymore....just needed a break.....but i do know what u are experiencing.....When ever i studied more for a class or subject the worse i would do.....I can't blame it on one thing or another, but it is the case.....just study like before and if the less studying doesn't help.....then maybe you really don't get the material.....(don't think thats the case though!)

disneyjoe7

appadv wrote: »

Maybe some of you guys are going through the same thing I am going through, but I can't explain it and it sure is bothering me.

Last semester I studied a little bit for each of my subjects, and wound up getting an A in calculus and engineering. So - I'm thinking, well, my studying has paid off since I was doing well. Decided to study more and more in the same way.

Now this is where it gets interesting. This semester I study like crazy and I'm having some difficulties understanding why I'm not "getting it" like I used to. Especially some concepts in calculus - I'm finding them very difficult. Now I haven't changed my study habits, except for studying more, yet it seems like "less is more" when it comes to studying. I'm getting B's in calculus now and that's the subject I study the most for!!

WTF?

Maybe some of you guys have gone through the same thing.

You know at first I didn't even look here as I wasn't a College student, you know like if you had some young girls or if you where **** you shouldn't look at the TBT thread.


Ok so your post made me think about when I was a student for calculus, there was like 20 of us in this class. We would like each of us and your eyes said yes we're getting this, then the minute we look each other WTF are we talking about. I hated that class, but you made think about.


BTW in about 20 years it's funny.