Study Tips

Handwritten Class Notes

• Research shows again and again how important handwriting is to learning and memorization. Typing allows us to be passive and we are not properly engaging with the material. Therefore, to initially prime your brain with the information to learn, you should consider handwriting your notes. 

Common Issues

• Copying what is on the slides word for word

• Slow handwriting

• Not knowing what to write! 

Solutions

• If you find yourself only copying what is on the slides word for word when you are taking notes, I would suggest working on listening to the words your professor says instead of reading the slides. This allows you to notice what the professor finds important, be more intentional with your notes, and helps you soak in the instruction. This is especially important if your professor posts their slides, as you can go back to those at any time. You CANNOT get back what the professor says! 

• If you have slow handwriting and just cannot keep up, there are two methods that may work for you. 1. Adopt a word shortening system. For example, shortening filler words to one or two letters, ie. "with" to "w/" or "and" to +. Also, do not worry about spelling errors, as you can typically figure out what you were trying to say. 2. Type your notes, but focus mostly on what the professor says. After class, rewrite your notes into a notebook  (Or do this right before an exam! It will be fresh in your mind). Make sure to not just copy word for word so you are actively thinking about the material. 

• Write what the professor says! If there are 5 things on a slide, and the professor only talks through 2 of them, write down only the two! (Unless of course, you do not have access to the slides following class, in that case, write short notes on the material not mentioned). 

Insight: Try and find a notebook and pen that feel good to write with. I noticed that I really did not like the super bright white paper to write on, and I am a stickler for a speicifc type of pen! Once I figured this out, I was able to write better notes and I actually enjoyed it! 

Quizlet/Physical Flashcards

• This method is used by lots of people! However, I find that a lot of people do not properly utilize these resources. 

1. Make sure that you generate your own flashcards. Of course, if you are running short on time, feel free to find ones already made, but if you have the time available, make your own. It is a great way to review the material before actually utilizing the flashcards. Sometimes, I do this to introduce myself to the material again before an exam. (Active learning!) 

2. DO NOT just use for definitions! While it is a fantastic resource for just definitions, make sure that you are also including more complex questions. This forces you to think about what questions may be asked on an exam and prepare yourself for critical thinking rather than just definition memorization. For example, you can ask for conditions: "What would need to happen for ____ to occur?" "Why does __ occur when ___ happens?" "If you had X, Y, and X, what would happen? What if you only had X and Y?" I find these questions are especially helpful in biochemistry! 

Whiteboards

• Whiteboards are an excellant tool for visualing information in its entirety and connecting points across various subunits. 

1. Write things out in a way that makes logical sense to you. If you are unsure of where to start, I would suggest following along with your notebook, and colorcoding differnet sections if you can. The bigger the whiteboard, in my opinion, the better. Once you are finished or as you are going through, you may see different sections of material that coinside, such as a similar enzyme or concept that can be applied to both. Draw an arrow etc, to visualize this! Also, I find that I benefit well from taking pictures of this and using it as a reference later. 

2. If you have the time, it may be beneficial to do this as a first step and generate your flashcards from what you have written on the whiteboard. 

Here are some examples of some of the notes I have taken, and how I set them up: 

Seek out the Answer on Your Own, First

• I am in no way trying to dissuade you from utilizing office hours, because they are super effective and a great way to interact with professors, etc. However, I would like to caution you against going to office hours/TA hours for questions you have not tried hard to find the answer to already on your own. 

Hear me out... we have access to class power points, potentially recordings, the vast space of youtube, google, etc to find out answers on our own. It is an important skill, and one that I think aids greatly in learning. Being confused, not understanding a topic, and potentially realizing you were understanding something wrong is part of the process. Not only does it strengthen your knowledge and reinforce the concept, it also provides you with valubale skills. For example, learning what questions to google, modifying these questions to find the answer you are looking for, and trying to reason out an answer from your predetermined knowledge. Even just searching in your own notes! 

If you cannot find the answer here, or you need a different explination, then go to office hours. Or, if you want to bring this question and what you deduced the answer was to check, that is great as well! 

Become the Teacher

• I cannot tell you how many times throughout my four years that I have made my poor boyfriend (he works in metal manufacturing, so this is not really in his area of expertise) listen to my lectures on biochem, genetics, etc! It is especially helpful to share with someone who does not understand the topic, so you have to truly understand it to be able to explain it. Bonus points if you talk to someone who asks a lot of questions! 

  • • • This also enhances your presenting skills and critical thinking! 

• Sometimes, when I do not have an audience, I will still pretend to teach it to an "empty room". Talking out loud is another way to reinforce concepts regardless, so it is beneficial no matter who/what you are talking to. 

"If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself" -Einstein 

If you are struggling at where to start, I suggest pulling up the slides and teaching straight from those. Often, they lack content beyond figures/simple definitions, so it forces you to explain these and think about more than just "the facts". 

Considering ChatGPT?

In my opinion, ChatGPT can be a fantastic resource when used productively. However, it can also be very misleading and provide inaccurate information. Here is how I use ChatGPT to study effectively. 

Dos: 

1. The best  way I believe ChatGPT can be used is to generate study questions. AI is fantastic at recognizing patterns and utilizing information you plug in to generate what you want. I would suggest creating a digital study guide with your notes and asking the AI to go off of this information alone to generate study questions. If you are in preliminary stages of studying, this may be enough to just generate simple questions that you can practice from. 

2. As you gain confidence, I would suggest uploading some sample questions that your professor has asked you (if you have them available) and have it generate questions similar. This was a game changer  for me. I had endless questions to practice the professors exam style on! An added bonus is the AI may pick up on common "traps" your professor may use to trick you on an exam. 

3. Use it to categorize your study material. Upload your notes and feel free to ask for any tables or diagrams you need! For example, you may ask it to make a list of regulatory molecules and what they regulate to see it laid out. Additionally, it can connect concepts from previous sections to help you orient yourself. This is especially great if you struggle to make these connections on your own. 

Don'ts: 

1. Blindly trust it to answer questions for you. AI is often wrong and may give you false information that can hurt your exam grade. Go off of your notes to answer questions, and if you cannot find the answer, peruse google, ask a peer, or consult your professor! 

2. Don't use it to provide you with answers to multiple choice. While it may be right a decent amount of the time, it also makes a lot of errors. I urge you to utilize google and look over the slides to try and answer them. If you are really stuck, I would email a TA or go to office hours to make sure you are getting the correct answer. 

Overall, make sure you continue thinking for yourself. Remember, if you don't use it, you lose it! Build your skills and challenge your brain!