Michele 1 #1 November 6, 2006 I'm in a pretty intensive class, Anatomy. I have started taping the lectures because my grade is not as strong as I'd like...it's a low, low A (right on the border). So, with the taping, I can listen to the lectures over and over, especially while driving to and from class - 90-100 minutes in the morning, and 45 minutes back (traffic...). The lectures are three hours (with questions, so actual lecture is somewhere about 2:30), so I get to listen a lot on my drive. (I'd rather sing to the radio, but whatever...). Then, the day after class, I transcribe the lectures. I can read along with the words. I decided that that might not be enough. I am now doing my errands and housework with the tapes going, in my ear, while shopping and/or cleaning. I suspect that I'll line all the lectures up and sleep with the thing in my ear come exam time...dunno how that will work, but hey, whatever it takes. I want a strong A going into the finals. I have an exam on 11/21, and 12/5, finals on 12/14 and 12/21. For me to raise my grade to a strong A, I have to get nearly 100% on both exams coming, and then again in the finals. I've got the flashcards, the tapes, the text and my notes...does anyone know of any other tricks I can use to bring up that score? I seem to be losing more points than I should on the multiple choice stuff... And just because I am curious, what do you all multi-task on? Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuickDraw 0 #2 November 6, 2006 Quotewhat do you all multi-task on? Slacking. I can put off loads of things all at the same time. -- Hope you don't die. -- I'm fucking winning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #3 November 6, 2006 Study group!! SERIOUSLY! Also, get colored pens and mark the skin. kinda like Netters but for real. Do it to yourself or friends or even enemies... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #4 November 6, 2006 One of the thing that we use is getting a scent (oil preferably) and studying to a scent, diffeent scents for different subjects. use the same scent each time you study that subject. Take the scent on a tissue/Hanky into the exams with you it's another sensory reminder, it works for me and quite a fwew others i knowYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swedishcelt 0 #5 November 6, 2006 Research to back this up??? Linky?? Fascinating. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unformed 0 #6 November 6, 2006 playing with my left and right balls at the same time. i'm also adding in watching tv too.This ad space for sale. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #7 November 6, 2006 QuoteResearch to back this up??? Linky?? Fascinating. Ever walk past a kitchen and smelled something and it took you back to an earlier time and place, and you had vivid memories ? It's about using as many of your senses as possible to reinforce a memory. I could find info on it but so could you if ya look, and i'm way more lazy than you areYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #8 November 6, 2006 KBordson: Colored pens...and a volunteer. Check. With the cat dissection, I guess I could draw the kitties...Esse would be willing to have that happen to her...Simon would bite me. As for study groups, the problem is I end up "teaching" in it. That doesn't help me refine my knowledge, although it's damned fine for reinforcing what I already know. I'll be putting together a study group again, though...hopefully, that will work better than last time. Squeak, scent - that's a fascinating idea. Not sure how I can pull it off - not allowed any objects with us at exam time. But maybe if I think about it a bit, I'll come up with a way. Thanks all. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamtx73 0 #9 November 6, 2006 Perhaps if you used a specific perfume while studying then put it on prior to taking the tests it may help.... just a thought.The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #10 November 6, 2006 QuotePerhaps if you used a specific perfume while studying then put it on prior to taking the tests it may help.... just a thought. Yup many of the girls did that, I chose, lavender oil on a tissue, no one will stop you taking in a TISSUEYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legalart 0 #11 November 6, 2006 MNEMONICs. I'll let the med students comment on this but they helped me in high-school physiology/anatomy when we were dissecting the cat. May be scoffed at today as this was umm.. a while back. Cranial Nerves = Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel A Girl's Vagina Aah Heavenly. (Olfactory, Optic, Occulomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducent, Facial, Auditory, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Accessory, Hypoglossal). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swedishcelt 0 #12 November 6, 2006 Apparently. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #13 November 6, 2006 QuoteAs for study groups, the problem is I end up "teaching" in it. That doesn't help me refine my knowledge, although it's damned fine for reinforcing what I already know My experience has been that teaching something forces you to properly understand it. However, if it's not working in the way you desire, one other approach for a study group is: each participant must teach/solve one question or topic. Others ask questions and flesh out the knowledge of the group. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #14 November 6, 2006 The idea of multi-tasking is bunk. If I have a load of laundry in the machine, supper on the stove, and am playing on the computer, I am not multi-tasking. I had to dedicate time to each task in order to get the process started. A person who has a smoothly operating company, while he is at a business lunch is not multi- tasking. Listening to someone else talk while you are eating is just everyday procedure. The statistics about cell phone usage while driving is a good example of the fallacy of multi-tasking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #15 November 6, 2006 I've heard of (but never tried) Squeak's study-tip before. Scent is the strongest sensory tied to the mind (did I say that right?), afterall. Different tricks work for different people. I'm a big fan of mnemonics, myself. I put things into rhyme or sing-song; or if it's items in a series, I'll make up a sentence with each word in the sentence starting with the first letter of one of the items in the series--in order if necessary. My notes are/were always organized in timeline fashion, too, and I found that pink highlighter was a more helpful reminder than yellow. I'd read over my notes a couple times and, by the way I organized them for myself, it was almost as if I could see them verbatim in my mind when it came test-time. Repetition is always the easiest, most natural way of learning and/or memorizing, as well. For me, though, listening to the same three-hour lecture over and over would not be as effective as just re-reading my notes a couple times. I'm quite certain I'd be concentrating on other things while listening and/or spacing out.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #16 November 6, 2006 QuoteFor me, though, listening to the same three-hour lecture over and over would not be as effective as just re-reading my notes a couple times What's amazing is the amount of information he gets over in that lecture; I have always been a good note-taker; apparently, though, I've missed some of the details. I re-read my class notes while listening, and realized I'd missed quite a bit. There are diagrams to draw, so it seems I'm working on those at the expense of details. And his catch phrase for the class is "the A is in the details." Using the tape fleshes out the notes; further, by listening and typing out the lecture verbatim, it gets me to write the whole thing. Including details. Then I create flashcards for when my ear gets sore, too. So maybe I'll manage to get some of the details this time. It's not as if I'm failing. He's putting pressure on me - and I'm putting it on myself - to step it up well into the A catagory. Both of us believe I can do it, and both believe that I am not operating to capacity. It's not an easy class, I've been away from school for many, many years; and I'm relearning how to learn. Mnemonics work for me; I, too, do singsong things, and make up sentences to fit what I want to remember. An example of that is when I just couldn't retain fissure; for whatever reason, that would always fall out of my head. So I came up with "Amy Fisher is a slut who has a slit; a slit is a fissure." When that came up on the exam, my whole study group giggled...there are several phrases like that I use. The other difficulty is I am having a really hard time dissecting the cat. Just a hard, hard time. It's hard to study the inner workings of a kitty while one is sitting on your lap purring. And at first, my lab group had a cat that looked very similar to one of my herd; I couldn't deal with it. And of course, the next exam, 11/21, is on the cats and muscles. Tough, tough few weeks ahead of me. Thanks for all the tips so far, you all. Keep 'em coming. I'm trying to determine how I learn best, and employ that. I missed some points on the last exam because I didn't quite grasp what he wanted; I knew the material, but left off some details (two definitions, and two examples) which cost me some points. And that can't happen again... I appreciate all the help - some great ideas on this thread...and like I said, keep them coming! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peej 0 #17 November 6, 2006 Sorry, this isn't a serious reply but i got this in an email the other day: "If women are so good at multi-tasking, how come they can't have sex and a headache at the same time?" Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #18 November 6, 2006 QuoteAnd his catch phrase for the class is "the A is in the details." Well, there you go. For me, it just always seemed obvious what to write down and what wouldn't be on the test. Unfortunately, being that I was taking so many courses at once and all required a LOT of writing, research, etc. I had to "cut the fat" a lot. There was just no way I was going to study & remember ALL the details. But we are talking Anatomy here---Yup, seems details are quite important. Damn diagrams explaining how when you excercise, you sweat water rather than alcohol b/c the energy stored could have been alcohol had one little detail not happened in the process or something-whatever-I-can't-remember like that. I remember that much, though, b/c of course I thought, "Hey, wouldn't it have been cool if we could get a good buzz from a workout?"Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #19 November 6, 2006 Quote"Amy Fisher is a slut who has a slit; a slit is a fissure." When that came up on the exam, my whole study group giggled...there are several phrases like that I use I think we would have been excellent study-buddies. The naughty mnemonics always worked best for me, too.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #20 November 6, 2006 QuoteThe other difficulty is I am having a really hard time dissecting the cat. Just a hard, hard time. It's hard to study the inner workings of a kitty while one is sitting on your lap purring. And at first, my lab group had a cat that looked very similar to one of my herd; I couldn't deal with it. And of course, the next exam, 11/21, is on the cats and muscles. Tough, tough few weeks ahead of me Oh...my...gosh! Yes, I too dissected a cat, people. And wouldn't you know?--All of the cats were black except one...one, sweet all-white kitty cat and THAT is the one my lab partners choose. Then they named it...Snowball. I wanted to vomit. Instead, they kept cracking jokes until I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. And then I got over it.I dissected the cat in high school, though. In middle-school I had to do a frog, a starfish & a worm. Thank goodness I never had to dissect anything in college as I heard they make you do a pig & all sorts of other things.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jwynne 0 #21 November 6, 2006 I'm not sure I have any good suggestions that have not been said already. I spent many years in prevet and vet school studying. I listened to lecture tapes driving the car all the time. I found it very helpful. Sometimes I'd get to the point where I hated getting in the car and I'd give myself a break and listen to music for an hour. The menomics thing works well and it's always fun to do as a study group. When you make up ridiculous things together you they stick in your head. Part of this is, the more you study, the better you get at it, and the more you retain. Right now I don't think I could focus and study for 3 or 4 hours. Our study groups used to work at something for 8-10 hours at a strech. One other comment on the cat issue. I love animals, but I've learned to switch off the warm fuzzy connection when I'm working on something. I may need to go cry when I'm done if thing don't turn out well, but that just interferes with my ability to do the best job I can. Somehow the anylitical working part can stay focused and unemotional. I don't know if any of this helps, but good luck. Anatomy's a bitch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites