mallory’s junk drawer

It’s that month again folks! Happy February.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

During my last two years of my undergraduate, I came across this notion of working smarter, not harder (a.k.a. working more efficiently to maximize your grades). This is one of a few main concepts that raised my GPA by 1.0 whole point. Here are some tips that if you truly follow, you’ll see incredible results. 

Stay on top of the work 

Review lecture slides or textbook material before going to class 

Go to class (or if online, schedule a regular time to review the material)

Complete all practice problems because chances are it’ll be on the final

Own your note taking method; either on your laptop, on lecture slides, or a notebook (and don’t think of dramatically switching it up half way through the semester)

Summarize your notes at the top or bottom with a few quick bullets on what the lecture focused on to help you organize later on

Ask questions when you are uncertain or need clarification 

How Can I Work Smarter?

Go through the course syllabus for learning objectives and course description to see what areas are to be focused on

Create a daily, weekly, and monthly study plan and don’t be scared to adjust

Get enough sleep; this one is my number one tip, there’s nothing worse than hearing about people pull all-nighters before an exam (I’ve also know people who have accidentally slept through and missed it entirely)

Eat, eat, eat (and eat well); fuel your body and your brain with superfoods and plant goodness b/c everything is connected and it will pay off than eating artificial vending machine junk (trust me)

Use the 50/10 rule (50 minutes focus, 10 minute break), or whatever version you find most effective

Find your study place and rotate (i.e. use library for one course and a coffee shop for another)

Make school your 9-5pm job - the top people in my program go to the library at 9am to start their “job” and it’s so so important 

Study Plan

Focus on the course(s) you try to avoid them out (and try to focus on them at the beginning of the week when you feel more motivated)

Always start study sessions with what you reviewed last time

Plan sessions in 2-3 hour blocks throughout the day and spend time studying a different course in each session (or at least one different course in-between the same course to reduce boredom)

Create practice tests and quiz yourself on material by shifting memorization to true understanding

Use summary notes to help destress before exams 

Create study groups (if that’s your cup of tea) to quiz each other and explain concepts