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| “As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself.” ― Leonardo da Vinci |
Preparing for end of clerkship and essentially my final M.B.B.S. examinations has revealed that the way I studied for the first three years of medical school is not sufficient. Did you read the quote captioning the photo? da Vinci my man, you're speaking to my soul there.
Before sitting down to embark on studying for a major examination that covers numerous disciplines or specialties, the best thing you can do is to learn to study smarter and not particularly harder.
Today's post will highlight a few things I've learnt from several YouTubers who are medical students, law students and even juniors and seniors in high school who introduced me to a whole new meaning of effective studying. During my research for this topic and self-experimentation, I've found a few adoptable tips to share with you.
1. Don't Worry About Whether or Not You're Smart Enough
According to Douglas Barton in his TedTalk entitled "What Top Students Do Differently", his research showed that students when asked whether or not their academic performance was influenced by their IQ, the majority believed that it had some influence and worried that based on their IQ, they weren't particularly smart enough and because of this didn't expect good grades.
Mr. Barton went on to mention that contrary to popular belief, one's IQ is not predictive of academic performance. As top students know this, rather than spending time worrying about whether or not they are smart enough, they are instead incorporating the practice of past papers and practice examinations in their study schedules which has shown increases in academic performance amongst students.
Seems easy enough right? Well it is once you have the self-motivation, discipline and resilience. During my undergraduate studies as a Biology major, practice examinations were an obvious "MUST DO" simply because it was the easiest way to gauge my understanding and made it easy to figure out my current strengths and weaknesses and made asking questions based on this easier. I'll be honest, as the delivery of medical information during medical school differs from those Biology days, it has been a bit difficult to incorporate this throughout the term as opposed to leaving it to weeks before the exam.
In order to stick with your studies and debunking the myth that you're not smart enough because of a number, you must first believe that you have what it takes to commit to the task at hand and to bend but not break when you experience failure or lack of motivation.
2. Just Aiming to Work Hard
If only what we aimed for was so easy to achieve. Merely "aiming to work hard" at the start of the semester or academic year is NOT sufficient for academic success or change in performance.
As the year began, you may have resolved to "work harder" and now that we're 13, going on 14 days into the year, you're not sure where you're aiming now because it seems unattainable. Well that's because you have to go beyond aiming to work hard and improve your inadequate study skills.
insanity
ɪnˈsanəti/
noun
the state of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results
In order to see improvement, you have to learn to work hard doing the right thing! The top students across 4 continents when surveyed showed that rather than simply reviewing or rewriting notes and memorising lectures, they did several practice examinations and reviewed the explanations of their answers because they realised that examinations aren't testing just what they knew or were taught, but how they use what they were taught.
Have you been sticking to the same study routine from high school and wondering why you're not receiving the grade you like after putting in so much time and effort studying? Take a step back and look at how you're studying. Is it smart or simply hard?
3. Create a Schedule
Planners and all things stationary related is one of my "happy things" but I'll be honest when it comes to a study schedule that I can stick to on my own, I just haven't mastered it.
Mr. Barton's study also showed that top students approach construction of their study schedule differently from most students. Rather than first filling their timetable with restricted study days and times, they commit designated days and times to the things they enjoy FIRST! Once the schedule was filled with their non-study activities then they realistically filled in their schedule with their areas to study.
What he found was by doing this, they ensured that after each study session they were doing something everyday or every other day that they enjoyed which translated to optimum balance of their time and energy and lead to overall happiness with their day and week and their study session.
Go figure. I knew I wasn't being realistic with my study schedule when looking back in my planner at all the empty checkboxes; this then led to guilt and of course some depression followed.
I tried this theory out this week which actually helped make the recent gloomy weather a little better because not only was I happier, I stuck to the majority of what needed to be done.
4. Study in Groups
As a medical student, it is important to learn to study and work in groups. With the change in demands from year to year, there is strength in numbers and studying amongst your peers helps with clarification of theories or principles you do not grasp and it helps build your team-work skills.
Now the way to study in groups is to ensure your sessions are dedicated to studying. It helps to create a schedule and to hold each other accountable during the session. Before each session prepare for what will be discussed or reviewed. Remember your time is precious and each second is worth gold so don't waste it on idle chit-chat.
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