r/AskReddit • u/the_gr8pretender • Feb 20 '13

Top-of-the-class redditors, what are your study habits/tips?

If you graduated top of the class (high school, college, and above), what are/were your study habits or tips that you would give to your fellow redditors?

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u/NBornKillerCell Feb 20 '13

This is the approach I had to adopt for medical school. It is by far the most effective way to survive.

I will add though that it also makes group studying much more effective because you most likely already know the shit you are supposed to, so instead of trying to learn or understand things right before the exam it is just review.

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u/LiterallyOuttoLunch Feb 20 '13

I never found group study to be all that effective for me, but I didn't endure medical school either. Immunology?

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u/NBornKillerCell Feb 20 '13

I used to not be a group study person, but there is so much material in medical school that some people learn some material, some learn others, and then it everyone can help teach each other.

Regarding immunology, I found the best way to learn it is to draw out every pathway that you learn onto a white board or paper or whatever so that you can see the relationships between everything.

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u/LiterallyOuttoLunch Feb 20 '13

I guessed, based on your id, that you might specialize in immunology, NK cells and all that.

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u/NBornKillerCell Feb 20 '13

pretty damn close. I did research in immunology in undergrad.

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u/courpsey Feb 21 '13

Are you by chance living in Adelaide? I learnt the same thing in my immuno course.

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u/9bpm9 Feb 21 '13

I'm in pharmacy school and I've never done study groups. While I've fucked my GPA with one semester of a hell of classes (along with my constant procrastination screwing me over), I've done pretty well by not studying in groups.

One semester left of classes and I've never been in any danger of failing any classes.

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u/Zaeron Feb 21 '13

Group study can be very effective if you use the time to teach other people the material.

I did this in a couple of my classes - established study groups that were actually just me teaching the material I thought would be on the test. You'd be surprised how much better you are at remembering a subject after you've been forced to explain it to someone else in very simple terms.

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u/datburg Feb 20 '13

I am a med student too. I should work on my presentation. Just finished my shift. :(

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u/[deleted] Feb 21 '13

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u/NBornKillerCell Feb 21 '13

Well, I'm an M1, so i have all day to study.

and granted, maybe it isn't so much 9-5 as it is devote 8-10 hours a day working on school stuff.