How I Study

It's the week before Reading Week! If you're a student, you know that means EVERYTHING IS DUE. But the end is near...

Anyway, since most of my time right now is taken up by writing essays, practicing presentations and studying for midterms, I thought I'd tell you how I study and include some handy dandy study tips! If there is anything about my identity that I am completely confident about, it is that I am a good student. If I know anything, I know how to organize my schoolwork and study habits. (Now if only I could be as competent in all the other areas of my life...)

So here are ~*~*ALYSSA'S STUDY STEPS AND TIPS!*~*~

Step 1: Read the review and listen closely

Most of my professors in my four years of university have been pretty good at giving review sheets, which include the questions or topics that they want you to know for the test. Some of my professors even go over the review a bit in class, about what they are expecting for certain questions. Make sure you pay attention, and write LOTS of notes when your professor talks about what they want on the midterm! This is invaluable information and they are plopping it right in your lap!

Step 2: Create my own review using the review sheet

I write my notes by hand because part of my study process involves typing up my notes. So I'll go through my written notes, and then plug them in as answers to the review questions. That usually takes a couple hours, but it's actually really easy - it's basically just typing while listening to music, and it's a good way to begin and get everything organized. If you type your notes in class, I would suggest printing them out and then typing them in again to your review sheet. I know you could just copy and paste, but then you're not actually methodically going through the information again, which is helpful for actually retaining the information later. And if I haven't got a review sheet, then I make sure I'm focusing on main subjects and points, rather than silly small details. If in doubt about anything you're not sure you're supposed to know, ask your professor!!

Step 3: Whiteboard study!! 

I love my whiteboard with all my heart for all things organization, but especially for studying. I'll transfer my entire review sheet to my whiteboard, although a slightly condensed version of it (because I only have so much space on my whiteboard). I'll try to focus on writing out the main points and keywords that will hopefully trigger the rest of the details. I usually do this a couple days before my actual midterm, because then I can scan it again a few times as I'm getting dressed or ready for bed in the following days. Also, it's super fun putting all my notes in a whole bunch of funky colours. ;) (Also tip: if you're going to use this technique, make sure you buy low odour markers otherwise you will have a headache after one page of notes.)


Step 4: Quiz myself

The ideal is to get together with a classmate and we quiz each other, but if that's not an option I try to find a willing family member. If I can't find a willing family member, then I'll just do the cover-the-answers thing and ask myself questions. The trick is to try saying the answers out loud. Once I can explain the material to someone else (or empty space) out loud, I know I'm ready for the test!

~*~*Some more tips*~*~

Tip #1: Use a variety of methods I've heard that it's good to study with a variety of different methods, because each different method solidifies the information in your brain even more. So by the time I'm done my study process, I've written the material, typed the material, written the material (in fun coloured markers), and said the material out loud, which I think is pretty good. ;)

Tip #2: Start early Obviously this process is fairly long, and takes awhile. You can't really cram AND do a lengthy 4-step process. I usually start maybe a week ahead, or at least the weekend before my actual midterm, and I usually do one step a day so it doesn't feel like too much all at once.

So that is how I study! Now I must get back to work... happy studying!

How do you study? What are your favourite study habits and tips?

My Peronsal Guide for How to Take Notes

Last week was the first week of my second year of university. My parents and my brother and I just had a discussion a few days ago on how important note taking is and the different ins and outs. I thought I could share how I take notes if maybe you struggle with that or you are just going into university and want some tips.

 
So, here we go, Alyssa's Tips for Taking Notes!:

1. Decide when to take notes

I know that in middle school and early high school years, all of my teachers told us: okay, get out a piece of loose leaf, and write this down, and then they tell you exactly what to write down. In university, that doesn't happen. Nobody tells you when you should write stuff down.
 
That then begs the question, should you even take notes? I would say usually the answer to that is yes. Even if all your notes get provided for you in the form of PDF slides or whatever, I think it helps you stay focused and attentive to what your professor is saying.

2. Know whether or not slides will be provided

Most of my professors use Power Point slides in their classes, and most of them upload them onto some sort of online database (there are a lot of different ones) where you can view or download them.
 
If my professor uploads them before class, I try to print them out and bring them to class. If the prof uploads them after class, I write down the corresponding slide numbers next to notes I'm making in my notebook.
 
If I know the slides are being provided, I don't write down what is on the slide. It's just a waste of time, since you get all that information anyway. I only write down all the extra stuff - things the prof adds or says, or even maybe some things that are pointed out in class discussions (depending on the nature of the class).

3. Determine what to write down
 
 It's a really good skill to know what is important to write down and what is not. I don't write down everything. If you write everything, you're not helping yourself at all.

But how do you figure out what's important? I think you kind of learn as you go, and it is also different depending on the class or professor. Here's some ways I use to determine what is important to write down:

• If a prof emphasizes something, or says something repeatedly, I write it down.
• Focus on big things. Key concepts, key terms, and summarizing sentences are good things to write down. A lot of little details can be left out. You don't want to go back to your notes after you've finished the course and say, "Why the heck did I write that down?"
• Always have at least on example written down, just to help with understanding later.
• A big thing for me is if the prof says something in a specific way that makes a light bulb of understanding go off in my head, then I make sure to write that down because I know it will help my understanding later.

Of course, sometimes you don't know what to write down, and later on in the course you realize you shouldn't have written something, or you SHOULD have written something, but that's okay. Like I said, you learn as you go, and then you know for next time. (In the meantime, ask a friend).

4. Do what makes sense for you

I was going to say "be organized" but really, just organize your notes in a way that makes sense to your brain. Notes are not solely to record the information you need to know for exams, but they should help you in your understanding of course material.

I write and organize my notes in a certain way, but that doesn't mean everyone else will be the same. I also have my own system of abbreviation, because as soon as you write the entire word "environment" out you've missed something important the professor said. But really, you just want to be able to look at your notes later on and be able to say, "Okay, this helps, this makes sense." What you don't want to say is "What does this mean?"

What are your own personal tips for note-taking? How do you take notes? Do you use a computer or a pen and paper? (I prefer pen and paper, but sometimes profs talk SO FAST it's helpful to use a computer).

College Writer Blog Tag

Laura tagged me in this college writer blog tag, so here it is. (Although in Canada, college is where you go for vocational training and university is the same as what Americans would call college. Anyway)

Also I'm kind of the same as Laura, most of the group of high school/teenage bloggers I used to follow kind of disappeared. So if you're a college-age blogger I'd love to follow you! Leave a link or tweet me @asherlockwrites. :)

Now I have to answer some questions!

What year are you?

First year! I graduated two years ago, but I took a year off last year to work at an international school in the Philippines.

What's your major(s)/minor(s)?

Um, nothing, yet... will let you know later.

What types of writing do you do?

Tweets. Blog posts. Haha just kidding I do more than that... although I haven't really been writing at all since this summer, really. I'm really bad at making writing a priority when I have lots of other things, like school, on my plate. When I'm not stuck in a rut, though, I like writing anything that I have ideas for. I have a harder time writing contemp, though, and while I love pure YA romance I cannot write it without it coming across really cheesy.

What are your plans after college, both career-wise and writing-wise?

Who knows? My vision of the future is very short sighted at the moment. I basically want to be doing everything. Travelling the world, saving it, what have you. I'd love to be working at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights though. For writing... hopefully by then I'll have had the courage to go back and fix up my book and actually have something decent.

What is one thing you've learned about writing while in college?

Well so far I've had one semester, so not much. Hopefully I will learn from my mistake of not writing at all this entire semester though. Any tips for me??

Well my answers are definitely very different from Laura's but that's one thing about college-age bloggers is people are at very different places in life! I think it's pretty cool.

Are you a college writer blog? Answer the questions!

Talking About New Adult as a New Adult

First of all, for those who don't know, New Adult is a fairly new genre that is centred around those of college/university age (so I guess 20s?). Basically, it's what you would read after YA. I don't know a lot about it, but I've read quite a few discussions... and quite a lot of discussions about how it's not really a "thing" yet, etc. It's obviously not as widespread or well known as YA at this point, and there are lots of arguments against its necessity (from a few things I've seen anyway).

A few years ago, that is what I thought: New Adult? Irrelevant.

Buut... things change. Like, you get a couple years older and suddenly you aren't in high school anymore and you're almost 20 and life is a lot different than it used to be.

At this point, I have to admit that being a "new" adult is a lot different than being a young adult. You have different things to deal with than a high school student, and you think differently (hopefully more maturely) than a high school student would.

And, where else would I go but back on the topic of diversity in fiction? I mentioned before that I believe that diversity in fiction is about representing EVERYONE's experiences, regardless of how rare their experience is in the context of society.

Well, representing the experience of college/university age people is a part of that in my opinion. Why not represent those people (by this point, my) experience as a new adult? Why not have something they can relate to on a deeper level?

Do you know that feeling when you read something that was written by someone who is from the exact same place you are, and you just feel this warmth and familiarity when they're talking about the same stores and music and weather and places that you know and see everyday?

That's the feeling I want to get when I read a book, and I think it's a feeling that everyone should have the right to experience.

Just some thoughts. What are yours? On the new New Adult genre? On diversity?

On Taking A Gap Year

Today I want to talk about the "gap year" phenomena. A "gap year" for those who don't know, is a term for taking a year off between high school and university or any other post-secondary education. For most people in North America, the progression of life is:  graduate from high school, go to university.

There is a lot of controversy over the issue of the "gap year", and numerous articles stating the pros and cons.

Right now I'm in the midst of my gap year. My experience with my gap year so far has been amazing. I'm working at a school in the Philippines. I've met so many people, learned so much, and come to appreciate the world in an entirely new way. I've also come to a much greater understanding of things than I did before.

I'm also so psyched to go back to school. At the end of last year, the last thing I wanted to do was more school. I miss it so much though! I miss studying, I miss learning. I learned how to convert cassettes to mp3s the other day and that 5 minutes of learning was the best part of my day just because I love it so much.

So obviously I'm in support of the gap year. But like anything, you have to find what works for you. I read a lot of writing blogs that always give that advice - yeah, look at all this writing advice out there, but you don't have to follow all of it. Do what works for you.

Same goes for gap years. You don't have to take a gap year if that's not what works for you. You don't have to go and volunteer somewhere for a year (although I think traveling is a great way to open your mind, especially to developing countries), you don't have to work and earn money for a year, but you can. And you can go to university right away too. It depends on you, and what works best for you and your needs.

So, this advice might not apply to you specifically, but maybe it will help someone in the long run. :)