From 1989 to 2003, I was a student at the University of California, Davis where I did my undergraduate work.  I spent a majority of my free time while studying very hard.  I recall logging long hours in my dorm room or at the library memorizing and learning what I thought I needed to know.  So where did it all get me?  It got me a high “B” average and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology.

Was I satisfied? No.  I just spent 4 years of my life studying hard to basically end up with a “B” for college.  I was not happy with that so I vowed to change things when I got into Chiropractic college.  I evaluated a lot about my college experience before I started at PCCW.  I wanted to go in and really do well academically.  My reflections on my studying yielded one fundamental concept:  I was studying harder but not smarter.  Allow me to explain in the advice that I give you.

1. Know your learning style.  Each of us tends to be stronger with audio, visual or kinesthetic (feeling).  Audio learners may do well taping the letures and listening to them later.  Visual learners may get a lot out of their written notes or study guides.  Kinesthetic learners may want more of a hands on or tangible way of learning the material.  Of course we all have some affinity for all three methods of learning, but we usually stress one above the others.

2. Understand the teaching style of the instructor as it gives you an idea of how they will test.  We take classes to learn information, but we take tests to see if we are understanding the instructor’s teaching style.  The teachers will usually indicate which areas of the material they are stressing or believe are important.  Old tests or sample tests are of good help here as well.

3. Study for the type of test that is being given.  If you are studying for a multiple choice test by memorizing every piece of information you are being tested on, then you are working too hard.  In a multiple choice test, the visual or retrieval cues are right there on the page.  You may only have to be familiar with the material to be able to recall the information you need.

Conversely, if you are just skimming the material to prepare for a fill in or a written test, then you may be underprepared.  Find out what format the test will be given in and you will know how hard or which way you need to study for it.

4. Learn from the mistakes you make on the midterms and quizzes so you can redeem yourself on subsequent exams or on the final.  Don’t throw in the towel if you bomb one of the tests because you can learn from your mistakes. This allows you to not make the same errors on the final.

5. Talk to your instructors.  I cannot tell you how many of your instructors really have no idea who you are.  Go to office hours, introduce yourself and ask them questions. These people are very freindly and smart.  Many of these teachers are very willing to help you when you show the initiative. 

I ended up changing the way I studied for PCCW and it paid off for me.  Remember, grades and doing well in clinic were important to me.  That does not make it right or wrong, it’s just the way I saw it.  I studied smarter and I ended up doing much better at PCCW and I was very pleased when I graduated.  If you want more details, you will have to e-mail me and we can talk about it.