the struggle of not knowing how to study properly
if you’re looking for study tips, then this post might not be it. however, if you’re like me who’s looking for someone else who’s struggling with studying in the midst of all the efficient studyblr accounts... then i guess you’re in the right place lmao.
for the most part of my academic journey, i seemed like i knew how to study. during elementary, it was sort of easy to absorb information, hence i ended up at the top of the class. i struggled during high school, but i pulled through. but no one prepared me for college: the 100+ lecture slides, the thick lecture chapters, and of course, the constant struggle of not knowing how to take notes.
it was during the 2nd semester of my freshman year when i realized that taking beautiful notes does not equate to learning nor good grades. for instance, i took pharmaceutical analytical and inorganic chemistry during that semester and had the prettiest and most detailed notes. by the end of the semester, i only got a 2.75 which is like 64-68%. it was disappointing, but i also kind of knew that that was what i deserved. i had good notes, but the information did not stick to my brain anyway.
and so i learned that lesson the hard way. i tried to improve during the next semesters, and while i could say that i kinda improved (i tried tabulating info, making summary notes, teaching myself out loud, and depending on class transcript instead), i still end up falling back into the same cycle of passively taking down notes.Â
i actively tried to look for decent study and note-taking tips online, and most, if not all, recommended active recall and spaced repetition. when i heard these, they made sense to me. still, i find a hard time pulling it off, as i have difficulty with adjusting to new systems.
i’m in third year of pharmacy school already, and yet i found myself doing the same passive note taking style again, as seen in my notion notes below. i really wanna improve though. and i’m posting this not just to express my frustration, but to also tell to myself that i still have room to improve.Â
