Hi! Do you have any tips for studying for a subject you absolutely despise? ((looking at you Social Science -.-)) anyway, if you would have any tips that would be a great help! Thanks <3
Hey! Omg yes, my little demon was maths + corporations law fml. I’m sure everyone has a subject they absolutely hate with a fervent passion but have to get through.
Here’s a few tips for studying a subject that you absolutely despise:
Lol, let’s be honest here. There’s going to be subjects that you love and there’s going to be subjects that you hate. You don’t have to love every subject that you study - all you have to do is pass.
So, canvass your syllabus/ course outline and see what you’re going to be examined on. Tab the relevant sections of your textbook and ignore the rest. Look at the broad areas of your course and how much weighting they’re given (e.g. the number of weeks dedicated to studying that portion, the assessment %, the type of questions in practice exams).
Often you’ll find you’ve just condensed the course to about… well ¾ of your textbook/ reading materials. And out of those chapters, its not like you need to memorise all of it - just the key concepts (see: the intro, the conclusion and probably one body paragraph outlining the key example).
All those extra readings? Fuck it. That set of extra essays or ‘areas of academic interest’? Screw that. If its not going to make up a huge portion of your examinable content, leave it to one side.
Condense the course to the bare minimum you need to study so that you can pass. Sure, it’ll be an ugly, barely scraped through pass, but hell that’s all you need.
Use that time for a subject you enjoy.
2. Leech off someone who enjoys the subject (this includes your teacher)
Sometimes, its a matter of finding what other people love about it. Finding a friend or another student who is passionate about the subject you hate, asking them what the enjoy about it or heck, just seeing their enthusiasm may help you appreciate the subject. Sure, you’re not going to love it but heck, at least you understand the appeal.
+ people who are passionate about a subject tend to love sharing their knowledge. Engage in casual conversation, ask them questions about areas you’re struggling with etc.
And they may even point to an area or a niche area of the subject that may pique your interest. This leads me to my next tip….
3. Putting it into context
Sometimes we hate a subject when we can’t put it into context - e.g. “what the fuck is the point of learning how to transform a fucking graph!”
Ask someone what they love about a subject. Maybe they know an advanced application of what you’re learning that leads to an area of interest.
Google shit. Youtube shit. Maybe you’ll find a small aspect that may help you appreciate the subject. Because the mere study of the subject doesn’t necessarily reflect its practical application. For example, I found contract law extremely boring and dry – it wasn’t until I started working in the area and realised how these contracts affected the buildings/ events/ my general day to day life that I really began to enjoy contract law.
4. Be strict with your time
When you have a subject you hate, its easy to put it off to one side. Be strict with your time. Allocate a set time period to do your required homework/ reading etc. Clear your desk of any other subject, books etc phone. Anything not related to that subject goes out the fucking door.
Start small - maybe 30 mins. After your allotted time is up - MOVE ON. The pomodoro method may help in this regard (see an intro post to the method by @etudiance .
When you start out, it may be that you spend those 30 mins staring blankly at a book. But by day 6, with routine and time, you’ll eventually start slowly chipping away at what you need to do.
As to the sequence…. I liked sticking it in between studying two subjects I enjoyed. So I could start my study session with something I liked, then do my allocated hour of doom and have something to look forward to later.
5. Find a different way to study the same shit
This depends on your study method tbh. But perhaps find a new way to study what you don’t enjoy - whether that be swapping out those flashcards for a mindmap, dictating as opposed to writing shitones of notes, youtubing videos on the concept etc.
However, this doesn’t mean procrastinating. Don’t kid yourself - spending ‘3 hours to tidy up your desk before you start work so you can be productive later’ isn’t going to achieve your goal. You’re just putting off your work. Same with re writing the heading of your notes 10 times so you can get the right colours and fonts.
Rather, space that ‘productive procrastination’ out between your study. Have a 30 min ‘preparation session’ before you study where you clean your desk, get all your supplies, draw up your headings. If you don’t finish, tough - relegate the rest of that prep in your breaks. Move on and get cracking with studying.
After you’ve finished that chapter? DO SOMETHING YOU LIKE. NON STUDY RELATED. Preferably healthy.
+ heck, sometimes the motivation that comes with nailing 3 exam questions in a row is enough to keep your confidence and momentum up.
Here’s a few more pointers from some other studyblrs!
Studying a subject you hate by @acdemic
This reply by @psychstudyblr
This blog post by How to Study Faster
If you want specific resources re: social science give me another shout and I can dig some up (wasn’t sure what level you’re studying at), or check out some studyblr community lists etc (e.g. @studyblrindex) and I’m sure there’s someone who will be happy to help out (OR SCREAM INTO THE ABYSS TOGETHER W. YOU)
gummygunk
kianamaiart
