Hi everyone! How's your quarantine so far? It's been months since naglockdown but ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng time to sit and write for this blog. What I am busy with? Mag-aral! Hahahaha! It is so hard to be in the field nang hindi ka naman magaling dito but what's education for, di ba? I have learned that education is not about studying what you master or what you have been doing for so many years but also learning what you haven't learned, focusing on your weaknesses. And yes, for me, it's science! That's why I choose to be a Biology student - a struggling biology student, actually! Hahaha!
So what's my study habit? Some of my classmates saw na nagmamyday ako about what I'm reading, syempre textbooks binabasa ko though tambak ang novels ko from Manila International Book Fair pa last year huhu. I have no choice though. I need to study para pumasa plus the fact na mataas ako mangarap so aral lang. Hahaha!
There are so many study hacks and study habits that you can see online but to be honest, not all of it is applicable to everyone. You need to try each of them and see what works for you. So, I'm sharing my study habits because maybe, there are few tips from me that you can also try and see if it will work for you too.
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1. Prepare yourself. Specifically, your mind.
For me, this is a must. In order for me to keep my momentum in studying, I have to train my mind to focus on my goal and read some encouraging words. Reflect on the purpose why are you really studying? What keeps you going? I tell myself that I can do it. I can pass the exam, graduate on this course and soon enough, pass the NMAT, be a medical student and become a doctor. As a person who is struggling on my mental health, I always go back on my purpose so i can have strength to continue on my journey as a student.
2. Clean and organize your desk or your study place.
I have read somewhere that having a study place is an option for you to study effectively. In my case, I can study well on my desk in my room and on the dining table (Hahaha!) if and only if, it is organize. I can think and focus more if my desk is clean. I am also fond of using sticky notes to note the words I am not familiar with and to add a mark to what chapters I have to read.
This will be your guide as you study. Mahirap mag-aral nang wala kang sinusundan. You can decided whether you can read one chapter a day or 3-5 lessons on a certain chapter a day depends upon the topic of what you studying. (I got this from my former schoolmate who's now studying med. She saw my IG stories and told me that in med school, you have to read a lot of handouts and textbooks.) So I think, it's good that I can already train myself to read in an effective way. In my case, since we are still under quarantine and I stay at home, I read one chapter a day, 4-5 times a week and 2 or 3 days of my week will be allotted in answering the review questions at the end of every chapter. It helps you recall and review what you have learned. If there's a lesson or text you can't understand, you can just google it, look for pictures or journals about it.
4. Use Highlighters effectively.Anyone who's also fond of using highlighters like me? If you're using one, use it effectively like you can use certain color for definitions, examples, etc. so you can easily find the important paragraphs you are looking for when you review that certain text again. Don't be afraid of seeing your books full of highlights. It's just a proof that you are really using your book! Hahaha! Don't be afraid to write important words or notes on it (make sure to use pencil instead of ballpens in writing!)
In case you are studying numbers-related like solving equations, you have to practice on how to solve it. Like what's the old saying say, practice makes perfect. You have to try solving exercises and when you don't understand and not sure of how to solve it, look for the examples that were usually given and analyze it. With regards to the concepts or principles that you have to know, you can practice them by answering the review questions.
6. Share what you have learned.
Share what you learn to others or in any other platform like social media. This helps you to understand more the lesson since you should explain the concept to someone. Of course, explaining requires better understanding to a certain topic. In this way, you are not just capable of remembering the topic but also capable of sharing information to someone.
7. Take a break at some point. Some say Pomodoro Technique is effective wherein you allot 25 minutes of studying then take a break for 3-5 mins. interval after it. This technique doesn't work well for me because I easily lose focus on what I am reading if I stop after 25 minutes so I usually take a break when I feel like my mind is already heavy with the information I had from studying. When this happens, I feel like my brain can't take any more information from the textbook. I usually rest for about 10-30 minutes by laying in bed and close my eyes or sometimes refreshing my mind by playing random games on my mobile phone.
8. Acknowledge your accomplishment.
After you finish studying all the lesson based on your study plan, you can do things that will acknowledge your accomplishment. For me, I share it on my social media accounts because it gives me the sense of success! Hahaha! I feel happy knowing I accomplished something so I shared it with the people I know through my Instagram. Some also do this acknowledgement by rewarding yourself like, after finishing a chapter, you can watch an episode of your favorite series or drama or maybe, you can finally use your social media accounts and eat a certain food you want to eat.
Studying effectively is one of the most important things that students should learn. Your studying habit equation should not just study hard = passing and learning but study hard + study smart = passing and learning. Studying smart makes our lives easier than studying hard alone. Learning is fun too so don't stop learning! Read your text books and achieve your goals!
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