Remove this Banner Ad

Education & Reference Studying

  • Thread starter Thread starter boydl
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

B

boydl

Rookie
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Posts
41
Reaction score
10
Location
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Chelsea, Inverness CT, Preston NE
I'm at uni and have always achieved average grades, especially for the pure theory subjects.

I devote a fair share of free time to study but have never felt that I am getting the most I can out of it.

Has anyone got any good tips or ideas to study more effectively to help achieve those elusive HD grades?
 
This may sound cynical, but you need to work out precisely how your work is going to be assessed. If you know that then you can tailor your work to suit. Having said this, getting good grades and actually learning/developing your knowledge/skills are quite separate. Often you actually learn more by not following the prescriptive nature of assessment.
 
Wahooti Fandango said:
This may sound cynical, but you need to work out precisely how your work is going to be assessed. If you know that then you can tailor your work to suit. Having said this, getting good grades and actually learning/developing your knowledge/skills are quite separate. Often you actually learn more by not following the prescriptive nature of assessment.
Click to expand...

The quote above is spot on. The thing I was always good at, was taking a high level view of my course/unit/module and picking out what was important, what was likely to be assessed and what wasn't. I still go through everything but just in varying levels of detail. Some basic tips is old exam papers, old tests, anything they go into a bit of detail with the tutes/lectures usually is a red flag for me. Thats pretty basic advice, but I can't really go into details without an example. Maybe if your course has a habit of awarding marks for regurgitating defintions, make sure you go through and know what they all mean, without reciting it word for word. Like I said, its always worked well for me because I'm good at it, but its risky if your doing it for the first time/ are bad at it.

You talk about the 'theory based units' so I assume you are doing perhaps commerce or something similar? It's what I did, and again if you can do it, I highly recommend it because I found it incredibly helpful. Whenever your working with equations/formulas, or step by step procedure of something, always figure out 2 things, how it gets you to that next step/final number, and why it gets you there, not just arriving at the final number. If you understand the background & the nitty gritty parts of the procedure/equation it can really help you if you forget the it, as you can remember how to get to the final number and may be able to figure it out yourself. It also gives you a more in depth understanding of how it works, which is perfect for any analysis type questions that follow.
 
I agree with the above two but would also like to add that study groups can be very useful in helping achieve good marks. Not just that they help you understand the work but that helping others further increases your knowledge and confidence to apply this knowledge.

if there are any topics or concepts you find yourself struggling with, don't be afraid to organize some one on one time with a tutor or lecturer
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

omit said:
if there are any topics or concepts you find yourself struggling with, don't be afraid to organize some one on one time with a tutor or lecturer
Click to expand...


That's what i do and most of them are happy to help
 
Usually, on your course information guide there will be a few dot points with things you are meant to be able to understand after finishing the course, read them!. Don't just look at past exams, they give you a good idea of whats in there but reading the course info you should not have any surprises in the exam. A few extra marks you can get are very good.

Start revising early as well, exams aren't for about 6 weeks for me, I will start doing some light revision in the next week.

Remember, before exams you should be revising, not studying.
 
In all honesty the way tertiary education, and for that matter VCE, is designed is not conducive to the development of independent thought and critical thinking. Students are conditioned to pursue good grades as opposed to develop a love for learning and exploring the world.
 
Go to the quiet study area in the library to do your work two or three times a week. You'll be amazed what happens when you're in a quiet, relaxing area with only your work in front of you.
 
If your doing economics or finance related subjects, you'll be suprised how much a good general knowledge of past economic events and also of recent events is.

It's always an advantage in a question to be able to link it to an event that happened in the past or to be able to link it to current economic situations in Europe and the US.

I've often managed to bullshit through holes in my theoretical knowledge by linking it to past and current events.

tl;dr read newspapers
 
I was reading an article in the Sunday Age about productivity and just googled for a website that blocks websites that slow productivity and found a Firefox add-on called LeechBlock.

I've added a bunch of websites I like using to procrastinate and set that they can only be accessed after 4:30 and for half an hour between 11:30 and 12:00 (coffee time).

Had to do this. Back at uni doing my masters. Mainly working from home. Just get too distracted. Back in my undergrad, when I wanted to study, I'd head to the library. But nowadays, I find it too inconvenient and a big time suck to head into the uni, especially with the Bailleiu just basically inaccessible.

Also went and bought some classical music from JB Hifi. Have found I need to listen to music that fades into the background in order to effectively work. Wordless albums, or minimal lyrical albums like Ambulance LTD, Deerhunter, Fleet Foxes and Lateralus - Tool are also good. Listening to Pachebel's Canon in D Major on repeat is also good.

When I become aware of the music and start listening, I know its time to take a break. Think its a good system.

White noise is also good. Was listening to the sound of a waterfall on Youtube. I also like to go to food courts or cafes to study. As long as the sound is constant. Love the sound of the coffee machine in the background while I study.

If you can, another good one, is to get somewhere where other people are working. I find it harder to procrastinate when others arent. In undergrad, we'd organise a bunch of people, book out a private study room in the library and smash out 3-4 hard hours of study.
 
Wahooti Fandango said:
In all honesty the way tertiary education, and for that matter VCE, is designed is not conducive to the development of independent thought and critical thinking. Students are conditioned to pursue good grades as opposed to develop a love for learning and exploring the world.
Click to expand...

love it :thumbsu:
 
THRILLHO said:
Also went and bought some classical music from JB Hifi. Have found I need to listen to music that fades into the background in order to effectively work. Wordless albums, or minimal lyrical albums like Ambulance LTD, Deerhunter, Fleet Foxes and Lateralus - Tool are also good. Listening to Pachebel's Canon in D Major on repeat is also good.
Click to expand...

A State of Trance is also extremely good for this.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

THRILLHO said:
I was reading an article in the Sunday Age about productivity and just googled for a website that blocks websites that slow productivity and found a Firefox add-on called LeechBlock.

I've added a bunch of websites I like using to procrastinate and set that they can only be accessed after 4:30 and for half an hour between 11:30 and 12:00 (coffee time).

Had to do this. Back at uni doing my masters. Mainly working from home. Just get too distracted. Back in my undergrad, when I wanted to study, I'd head to the library. But nowadays, I find it too inconvenient and a big time suck to head into the uni, especially with the Bailleiu just basically inaccessible.

Also went and bought some classical music from JB Hifi. Have found I need to listen to music that fades into the background in order to effectively work. Wordless albums, or minimal lyrical albums like Ambulance LTD, Deerhunter, Fleet Foxes and Lateralus - Tool are also good. Listening to Pachebel's Canon in D Major on repeat is also good.

When I become aware of the music and start listening, I know its time to take a break. Think its a good system.

White noise is also good. Was listening to the sound of a waterfall on Youtube. I also like to go to food courts or cafes to study. As long as the sound is constant. Love the sound of the coffee machine in the background while I study.

If you can, another good one, is to get somewhere where other people are working. I find it harder to procrastinate when others arent. In undergrad, we'd organise a bunch of people, book out a private study room in the library and smash out 3-4 hard hours of study.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing. :thumbsu: Baillieu is a nightmare at the moment. Not enough room and have to enter via Giblin Library.
 
Study at the ERC library :thumbsu:
Baillieu is shit, even when it's not a massive inconvenience
 
I actually enjoy studying, because I enjoy the course I am doing. Study will never be easy if it is a chore for you.
 
Agree with the above comments.

Another tip I have is - if the exam for a subject is in the morning.... in the weeks leading up to the exam, only study for that subject in the morning.... and study in the afternoon for pm exams..

This just means that during the actual exam your mind is switched on for the subject at hand...

And be realistic about how much study you can do.... 12 hours a day is not realistic... just focus on doing really good 2-3 hour sessions.... maybe three times a day...
and give yourself nights off so you are more refreshed in the morning when it is time to study.
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

no.1 for me is some good music, time flies by.

i find i learn the most when i just write everything out by hand. of course this is the longest and most boring method, i usually only do it before exams.

also i like splitting up all the sections of the subject into small sections. gives you something to aim for and also a point where you can get to and take a break.
 
boydl said:
I'm at uni and have always achieved average grades, especially for the pure theory subjects.
Click to expand...

I find making my own set of notes as the best way to study for theory-heavy subjects.

Focus on one topic, go through the lecture notes then the textbook chapter and spend an hour handwriting notes. Then attempt a few tutorial questions.

When revising over your notes, don't just read over it. Re-write it.

After you've done all the topics, attempt past exams.
 
Wahooti Fandango said:
Yeah, ERC is good. The Old Quad Library is also very spacious and quiet.
Click to expand...



ERC can be hard to find a good spot, especially with the extra traffic.

Level 5 is pretty good still.


I actually enjoy studying, because I enjoy the course I am doing. Study will never be easy if it is a chore for you.
Click to expand...


I studied an Arts degree because I actually wanted to study subjects I was interested in. Doesnt change the fact that doing work for these subjects can be tedious and hard to concentrate on, especially when there's other stuff you'd rather be doing.

Great advice though. You usually read the periodic table for leisure?
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top Bottom