Hello! Do you have any tips for what to do when you've fallen behind? I have a very hard time concentrating, and not knowing what the teacher is talking about just makes it worse. I really wanna get back on track, but I have no idea where to start. Thank you!!
You and me both anon! Here’s a few tips on how to catch up (and keep ontop of class content)
Assume the following. Your class is steamrolling ahead - they’ve started topic 6 this week and you haven’t even finished your notes for topic 1. What do you do?
Start straight from topic 6. Drop the rest; start with the topic your class is currently covering. Don’t start from topic 1 and then ‘expect’ to catch up to topic 6 within the week. That way, you’ll have all your notes for topic 6 completed, and can slowly chip away at the previous topics.
If your subject is cumulative, skim over the key points of the previous topics (definitions etc) before doing this. Once you’e learnt the advanced application of the principle, it’ll be much easier to learn all the preliminary stuff (and faster too!) Its easier to fill in the blanks because you gain context.
BUT WHY?!? Basically, its the theory of diminishing returns and all that jazz. A little about a lot goes a long way; a lot about a little does not. When it comes to exam time, you’ll be able to answer a larger number of questions - statistically that holds you in better stead (the first 50% of marks for a question are the easiest to achieve) c.f. answering one question very well and bombing three.
Cover the basics! Target Spotting!
Cover the BASICS: If you can answer the core questions and issues of your course, you’ll be able to pass. Granted, getting an A lies in the nuance of application, examples etc. But you can’t get there if you don’t know how to apply the foundational principles - its like building a house on sand.
Look at your syllabus - what are the key themes or topics which you have to cover?
Look at review questions/ sheets at the end of a textbook chapter (if any). What are the key concepts, definitions and examples given?
Answer these. Then, move the fuck on. When it comes to exam revision, you can go back and fill in examples and add in all the ‘details’.
Affordable Losses (if you’re really under the time crunch)
Make sure your study correlates with your assessment outcomes.
See which areas are ‘affordable losses’. List all the issues within the chapter. Use the revision page/your course syllabus/ what points your teacher emphasised in class to identify core questions and ‘secondary aka not so important’ questions. Those core issues are the ones you should be able to easily answer. Don’t bother about the secondary ones - they’re affordable losses.
Remember, its all about prioritisation. So for example….
If its not going to be covered in your most immediate assessment - fuck it, cover the topics which are
If the area you’re struggling through only makes up 5% of the course, and some other topic is worth 15%? fuck it, move to that latter topic.
If its only a secondary example or tangential/ related issue to the core issue covered in the chapter? fuck it, I know the basics, that’ll give me 50% of the marks for that question. Fuck the rest. Move on.
If you get handouts or slides etc, flick through them before class. Note or highlight any new phrases/ concepts/ words you don’t understand on one side of your page.
That way, you’ll anticipate the areas of class you’ll need to pay specific attention to. As the teacher covers the content, you’ll be able to fill in your quick glossary
Change up your study techniques! aka Mini Revision/ Revision on Steroids
After each class, list three things key points (words) from class. That way, when you go to write your notes, you’ll have some sort of context to begin with.
When it comes to revising, don’t bother about writing it down or making it neat. Try speaking your notes aloud, reciting them to a mirror etc. Draw a mindmap. Colour code similar topics. Screw making fancy revision notes and notecards. You don’t have the time. Making it neater and copying it out doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll absorb the information faster.
Bear Grylls It. Basically, this means attempting a practice exam with what you have - no fancy notes, no fancy revision cards - just the notes you’ve got as of the current moment. After your attempt, note what questions you couldn’t answer and begin your revision from there. You learn a lot more through application than passive copy-rewrite-recite.
Lots of study tips start with “don’t leave things till the last minute”. But you know what? Shit Happens. Life Happens. We’re only human. So swear, curse, bemoan the time you’ve use procrastinating, load up on coffee, boot up your computer. Then start. In the end, being behind doesn’t mean you’ll fail. You’ll fail if you don’t try at all.
As someone who is about to embark on a tortuous revision session (read: three days, half a semester BRING IT ON, BRING ON ALL THE COFFEE), I wish you all the luck.
I’ll see you on the other side!
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