/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10572323
yes, this is what you have to do for UNI everyday anyway

>>10572323
Yes this is a typical day in the life of a STEM grad students. Actually one often spends 8+ hours a day studying and as far as I know people that study boring shit like experimental chemistry and physics spend like 12 hours a day "studying" at times.

Fear of what? If you study hard and fail it only means the field itself will stress you as you may have to use that subject! So just move along and pick something else, plan b equals no fear!

Good luck.


And no tips here I failed badly in math college entry exam!

Well you probably go to highschool now from 9-5 so it's like half of that.

>>10572326
3 hours of concentrated studying without lectures?

>>10572328
Is this including lectures? I still have school to about 3-4pm everyday.

>>10572336
Thank you! You are right but I can't help but regret I didn't start studying earlier.

>>10572562
8-4pm school, 4-7.30pm study at home (excluding food).

>>10572323
You should be studying 4+ hours a day every day anyway, you won’t learn enough as an undergrad to be useful or have any mastery of your field as a grad student if you fail to do this and likely aren’t capable of the grades necessary for the latter eightee. You’re fearful because you’re not even doing the bare minimum for your degree; some people study all day long 7 days a week even on break, you can easily put in 3 hours a day. 1 in the morning and 2 when you’re done with classes or however you’d like to arrange it.

>>10574109
Thank you, I think I can do it but I was not sure. Basically my plan is to do an old admissions test (takes 3 hours for the math portion) and study everything I didn't know the day after. Then repeat for 22 days. There are exactly 11 old tests. I haven't studied the physics portion much but I plan to do so soon in parallel although as physics is my strongest subjevt and will therefore not require as much time.

>>10574089
>3 hours of concentrated studying without lectures?
3 hours in addition to lecures, and then some more for projects and homework

>>10572323
yes, if you're still going to school during this time (if its the last few weeks and you're just doing revision in classes id recommend you stay home) you can get 3-4 hours done if you cut out some of your leisure time, just make sure to take breaks and sleep enough. im in a similar boat, I've important uni exams coming up and im doing about 3 hours a day, should really be doing 6 tho lmao

>>10574117
Alright! Hopefully I will be able to study this much. Obviously I also have school and tests outside of this but I have honestly never studied that much so this is all new to me.

>>10574129
Good luck and thank you for the advice! Hopefully I can study more than 3 hours during weekends.

>>10572323
We have no idea what you're life and daily schedule is like. How in God's name do you think we can tell YOU if YOU can study every day. Are you genuinely retarded?

Pro tip: Don´t go to the lectures, only to the excercises. Learn 8 hours day on your own.

>>10574241
this is pretty much true for mathematical concepts but i find i have to go to lectures to get an initial grasp on biological or chemical concepts

>>10574241
I agree on Math.
Statistics however..

>>10572323

You don't need to study 4 hours straight.

Divide it in times of 25 minutes. With a rest of 5 minutes in between. Every four times that you do this, rest for 15–30 minutes. Just don't visit 4chan or facebook while doing so. Do something else.

>>10575100
>pomodoro

Works for humanities like Biology or Medicine.
There's no way it's good for Math, you just end up losing your thought with the alarm.

>>10575104
>>10575100
I recommend for subjects like math and physics to study in sessions of 45 mins with 10 mins breaks.
Taking short breaks and often is important.

>>10572323
>(with fear)
What are you afraid of ?

>>10575100

Pomodoro is only good for sheer rote memorization so you don't zone the fuck out memorizing lines and committing text to memory.

>>10575104
i find half an hour with 5 min breaks works well. that's with biology and chemistry though. with math its good to go for 45 mins to an hour

>>10572328
Biology bros study 15 hours a fay

>>10575146
untrue, all my bio friends in uni barely study, i study more than them and that's only 3-4 hours

Your brain have multiple memories some which involves rerouting new synapses and structural improvements on the neurons. Work involving higher mental functions, such as analysis and synthesis, needs to be spaced out to allow new neurological connections to solidify. New learning drives out old learning when insufficient time intervenes. Cramming doesn't work.

Your brain prioritises. It doesn't encode all memories equally. Different levels of neurotransmitters are used depending on the importance. The brain latches more readily on tangible, visual and uncommon than on the abstract and mundane.

The more connections to a memory, the stronger the memory, especially if it is learned in different contexts. Repeatedly access to your memories once they're encoded to stick around. Except for traumatic memories, memories tend to fade out if you don't recall them.

Take advantage of spacing out. The more a memory's retrieval strength has faded, and the greater the difficulty of recalling it, the greater the increase in learning will be. This is the "No pain, no gain" of the mental realm. The harder you have to work to recall something, the greater the reward for doing so.

Use spaced repetition techniques to maximise the efficiency of this process. The ideal would be to space out the subjects into different sessions depending on how hard is to remember something. Once a subject being studied every day is mastered, you space it out to recall it every 3 days, then once a week, then biweekly and review... If you fail once, begin to study it every day and repeat the process. Some things are easier to learn than others.

Also be careful with recalling and recognising. Make you you're putting the focus on recalling information from your own memory. Studying should feel like work.

>>10574166

Take many breaks. 45 min with 10 min break is normal. When you can't take it no more take a walk or something.

>>10572323
3-4 hours a day is nothing, that's like a part time job. Grow some balls. Hell, my undergraduate degree was at least 7 hours of studying at day all day every fucking day.

>>10574241
Can't I am in high school.

>>10575100
>>10575129
>>10575213

Thank you!

>>10576487
Im am happy that it is likely within my capacity to study for 3-4 hours a day. I was afraid it wasn't because I have never studied that much for such a long period before so I am completely ignorant on how much I can reasonably learn.

Having said that, how common is it to actually study 3-4 hours a day everyday during STEM degrees in college? Is it only towards exam periods or all the time? Currently I study maybe 2 hours a week and am third in my year (120 pupils).

>>10576736
>Can't I am in high school
Cant you just bring your own stuff and study that instead or do you still have important tests etc? Also if you are having trouble you can ask your maths/physics teacher for sure they'll help you.
You're probably overstressing this stuff too. I dont know if you're applying to a god tier uni with 90% entrance exam fail rate or something but you're probably worrying too much. If you can find old exams practice those to get a good feel for what to expect it will easy your mind.
>how common is it to actually study 3-4 hours a day
If you only mean the hours outside of the regular 9-6 schedule I dont think it's normal to study 4hr every day on top of that. Maybe like 14hr/week sounds more reasonable. That's like 2 hr a day to finish up the practice material from the lectures/TA sessions plus 4 hr on either saturdays or sundays and a completely free day on the other.

>>10576842
>Can't you just bring your own stuff and study that instead or do you still have important tests etc?

I still have important tests, probably like 3 this month but my grades are already good so I am willing to compromise a little if it means I will pass the entrance exam.

>I don't know if you're applying to a good to a god tier uni

International reputation is not very good but the degree at the school is the hardest in the country to get admitted to.

If I recall correctly the pass rate is about 10% and to pass you need 30/75 points lmao. Furthermore there are often more applicants (that have passed the test) to my first choice degree than there are places so the admissions is in reality 33-36/75. My goal is 40/75 to secure a position but right now I am not even close to getting such a good score.

If you are curious I can send you an old test. It's only calculus and some complex numbers.

>>10574117
lol that seems like a bit to much effort, I just 80-20 it hard.

>>10576884
80-20?

o another tip, make sure drink water when studying, water will help keep you awake if you're studying in the evening without fucking up your sleep with caffeine. Also, its retardedly obvious, but make sure you breathe, your brain can't work properly if youre dehydrated or not breathing. i always catch myself holding my breath when writing notes / solving problems

>Is it possible to study 3-4 hours everyday for 3 weeks(with fear)?

yes what the fuck that's not even difficult that's less hours put in than your average wageslave job

>>10574089
>3 hours of concentrated studying without lectures?
you're supposed to have 30hours of lectures per week then 30 hours of studying per week on top of that.

Assuming you work the same amount every day (including lectures when you have them), that bring you to 8.5h of studying a day for optimal results.

Of course you're also a smart person so you work out say 6h a week, and you sleep 7h a night, it takes you 1h to eat in peace. Count also 1h commuting
Also count 30min between showering and going to the bathroom multiple times a day

so your 24h day should include :
>7h sleep
>3h preparing food and eating and resting
>1h training
>8.5h studying
>1h commute
>0.5h hygiene and bathroom
>total 21h

plenty of time left to fap and play vidya

>>10572323
>studying this much
Dude if that's a lot for you, don't even bother taking that exam.

>>10572323
don't think im how many hours you need to study. just try studying what you believe you need to get more concrete understanding on or need to memorize, or you don't understand (which is better to ask your prof for help rather than looking up how to do it). also tackle challenging parts of your studies. don't focus only in what you're good at or what you know, basically study smart, not hard (well studying hard isn't bad just don't waste time studying nothing)

>>10576736
>high school

im gonna assume you're in grade 12 as an 18 years old. if you're actually already struggling to stay focused on studying. then idk what to tell you mate because university or college is gonna be a hell for you since you can't pull off not studying at all on post secondary unlike maybe for some people on high school. also maybe you can actually study for long but you're just scared which you gotta break that.

t. passed with an avg of 85% on high school, barely studying at all and now university is kicking my ass

How do you guys "study", what is your study area like?

Do you just silently read books or something and do questions from the text?

>>10576987
Uni library usually.
>>10576875
Post some images

>>10576925
hehe

>>10576736
Yep, every day. You have no other way since in most stem subjects homeworks are a requirement and a person of average (100-115) IQ need to spent at least 4 hours for one paper.

>>10576987
At my computer with enough room to take notes or read a book or my notes from lectures and excercises

>>10572323
is fear some kind of study algorithm?

>>10576987
At public libraries, I wish I could study at home but my apartment is ridiculously small, only have space for a bed and a bathroom.

Different anon, but all of this is something I'm keeping note of. But, I have a question; how do you effectively study? I know it sounds stupid, but I cruised through high school with a 3.9 GPA and never taught myself (or ever needed to) the discipline needed for university.

>>10572323
Lycka till på matematik- och fysikprovet mannen. Jag ska göra det också för att byta till teknisk fysik. Går redan design och produktframtagning.

>>10578019
Read the book A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science.
It is all you need, if you decide to actually take action. Torrent or libgen

>>10578057
Lycka till du med! Får lite panik om jag ska vara ärlig med dig men gjorde ett gammalt prov igår och det gick väl hyggligt (inte tillräckligt dock). Ifall du sökt till teknisk fysik på KTH kanske vi syns till hösten!

>>10578148
Japp hoppas vi ses, precis, på KTH, jag är så pass svulstig att det var enda alternativet i min tanke. Bra att du gör gamla prov, det borde vara främsta sättet du pluggar till detta genom, och när du kör fast på en fråga läs en massa bakgrundsinformation som behövs för att lösa den och återkom flertalet gånger så att den sitter rejält. Ihärdighet är nyckeln till bra problemlösning

>>10578019
You have to achieve a certain mental state where your task is the only important thing. When you catch the flow stopping is hard, you can practically go on a study loop without eating, drinking, sleeping etc... It can be useful during finals to use the "crunch mode" but you have to rest a lot after.
I generally found the most efficient way to study is to have a good night sleep and wake up well rested, have a calm morning, breakfast, slow coffee, shower etc... then you sit down and study in your own pace. You then take breaks not to be stressed, have a nice full lunch and a 30min to an hour rest and back to study. After dinner you can relax, watch TV, play games etc...
It helps a lot if you like your field, you either study to get to the good parts or study the good parts.
During lectures you take notes and be vocal if you fall behind. You and your notes are the most important, nothing should keep you away from having the best material to study from. As a student you have a right to study and you can achieve a lot if you complain when you feel your lecturer is lacking in parts.

>>10578162
Tack för rådet! Det är ungefär det jag tänkt men är huvudsakligen oroad över tiden. Har mycket i skolan samtidigt nu då studenten närmar sig men det gäller väl att helt enkelt bita ihop. Planen är väl att göra ett prov och öva på alla uppgifter jag inte klarar dagen efter. Upprepar jag detta så borde jag precis hinna alla prov tills 11 maj.

Hur självsäker känner du dig?

Mitt namn börjar med Ab och mitt efternamn med Me, ifall vi syns det vill säga ;)

>>10578187
Som det är just nu skulle det inte gå värst bra, provet är så heltäckande om man säger så, men jag kan nog snabbt fylla i mina svagheter. Är ganska bekant med det mesta, så det ska nog gå bra med en mild fördjupning i allt helt enkelt. Har ju redan haft mycket svårare matte. Sålänge jag lägger ner tiden så klarar jag det. Det blir lite konkurrens på schemat, men det går nog bra. Jag heter Fredrik.

Får önska dig lyckan ännu en gång! Ska ha namnet på minnet.

>>10576987
I get together with other people and study concepts as a group. I try to go over the material before, so I can understand what I need help in and what I am strong in. I end up explaining as much as I possibly can and try to make sure that I understand what I'm saying.

I also try to simplify explanations as much as possible and make a conscious effort to explain every step. I find this most useful when trying to teach concepts to students who haven't taken the course yet or other people in the course with me who are completely lost.

Just study man you get used to it after a while

So since many people are mentioning long hours of study, do you guys rely one any particular stimulant? Like coffer or Red Bull?

>>10578481
Good quality coffe is a must, but getting wired is to be avoided.
The best stimulant is the enjoyment of studying, being better and better and not having to deal with life's most frustrating bullshit, like working a boring job, raising a family, making ends meet week to week and month to month. Just sit at your desk, munching on knowledge and only planning to the next lecture or next exam.
This is the time where you will be truly free so you might as well enjoy it as much as you can, while you can.

>start studying
>get distracted on other information relevant to class, but not information on test
>spend 2 hours exploring that line of thought

FUCK

>>10576736
>Can't I am in high school.
Ok, then ignore my advice and just go out drinking with your buddies

>>10578585
Imagine the level of denial you need to be at to think that sitting at a desk inside all day has more in it for life than raising a family.

>worst that happens from sitting at a desk
kyphosis, carpal tunnel syndrome
>worst thing that could happen from raising a family
a lot
you decide

>>10578086
Reading right now, thanks.

>>10572323
I only study every 3 weeks until the last month and then I do 5hours a day after my assignments are done.
I found studying every week is wasting time initially as I already remember everything.

>>10572323
>3-4 hours everyday
I dont know man that sounds too intense for me

>>10579208
>spend 4-6 years on education to get higher paying job to be able to provide for a family
>knocks up gf in HS, goes on low paying dead end jobs to be able to raise a family on bare minimums or be able to pay child support

Guess which one is comfy suburban life and which one is trailer trash

>>10579978
Then it's toilet cleaning for you, buddy, get used to the stench

>>10579978
It's actually not bad, you'll find that you'll be spending about 4 hours a day doing assignments anyway. If you add that to your lecture time it's about the same as an 8 hour work day, easily manageable. Shit, I'm working 40 hrs a week and managing 4 hours a day on average.

prisoners dilemma.
game theory dictates a "studying arms race" whereby people race to beat others at studying quantity.
look at the gao kao in china.

>>10579987
Only low IQ people need that much

>>10572323
not about how long you study, but how efficient you study

>>10572323

I am so fucked for my upcoming neuro psyc final.

>depressed, stressed out, unable to fucking concentrate, have been struggling the whole god damn year, death in family/drama draining me
>had 9 days to prepare
>work nightshifts
>sleeping pattern completely reversed. Find myself going to bed at like 7am and waking up at 7pm sometimes even 9 or 10pm despite alarm clock set for noon and plans to study. Have only been able to prepare for the multiple choice section which focuses on 2 chapters I am fairly proficient in by now
>essay portion is cumulative, constitutes 50% of exam and tests chapters outside of the 2 I am prepared for.
>exam is in 3 days.
>Frantically reviewing neuroanatomy to no avail. Probably totally fucked.
>Need at least 80% on this final in order to have decent shot at med schools in my country

FUUUCK

>>10580228
And this is why you should review your materials every day so you don't have to crunch and stress out for being a lazy ass brainlet trying to study 3 days before the exam

>>10580332

I usually do but have not been able to find the motivation with all this shit happening in my personal life. I've been deteriorating and I can feel it.

>>10580411
Man up, bitch!

>>10580411
Take an extra year. Nothing wrong with slowing down to allocate resources toward solving your own life instead. You have a lot of options but you're only seeing plan A, in the tunnel vision of your mental state.

Thy true intellectuals needn't waste time studying.

>>10574089
They say for every hour of lecture, you should spend two reviewing.

>>10580822

Thanks, I'm leaning towards doing that. Probably the best thing for me.

>>10580558

>haha look at me I'm so tough big strong man shed no tears, no depression. Death of a loved one? HEHE doesn't bother me strong man!

You're the type of guy who will dine alone and die alone because of how insufferable he is to every single human being on Earth. So drive trucks or hammer some fucking nails into your finger subhuman neanderthal.

>>10581005
I am doing my /eng/ degree with a full time job, no retakes, no courses dropped, got an award and several recommendations and in the finish line at graduation
Let's see you do half of this after me, child.

Wait, do people really study 3+ hours a day? I thought that was a meme. Ive never studied more than an hour on something I couldnt grasp, tops.

>>10581342
yeah but how long do you remember it for?

>>10581346
Long enough to finish the semester

I lost all my motivation for academia. What do I do?

>>10581212
Imagine being this guy.

>>10574248
bio is the easiest field besides CS to self teach, there is absolutely nothing that they can say to you in 1.5-2.5 hours with brainlets asking questions that can easily be answered from the textbook that will help, office hours exist for a reason. If you do not have attendance grades, never ever go to class unless you want pussy or friends from there and it won't compromise study time. You are responsible for your own education as a university student, only the highest level lecture courses require consistent attendance, and of course lab classes.

>>10581349
You know you have to pass the grad final with questions from all the semesters, right? You can't just lazy crunch it to forget the next day.
Passing a semester is one thing, passing the grad final is another.

>>10581349
haha good luck with grad school quals

>>10581359
drop out? which field R U in?

>>10581212

Translation: socially maladjusted fag with 0 self awareness. I pity you.

Hey OP I'm in the same situation as you, only my entrance exams are in 2 months and I only have a week of school left, so I'll have much more free time to study.

Best of luck to you.

>>10583365
entrance exam to med school?

>>10572323
Studying is for brainlets
Real /sci/entists just go to lectures, and understand everything the first time

>>10583415
Maths exam for applied maths degree.

>>10572323
any fags from saarland university here?