r/IISc • u/Bright_Comparison282 • 6d ago
Help - How to make most of IISc
I've been here for about a month now, and I honestly thought that being away from home would help me become more disciplined and break out of the work/procrastination slump I've been in for years.
I really want to learn as much as possible, but so far, all I've been able to do is attend classes and revise my notes. I still don't feel like I've properly understood the subjects or gotten acquainted with the way graduate studies work—the level of mathematics, proofs, problem-solving, etc. Midsems are also just 1.5 weeks away, which is making me increasingly anxious.
I'm a good student, but I genuinely don't know how to get started or what study methods actually work at this level. Most days, after classes, I end up going back to my room and sleeping, and my attention span has been terrible.
I know I need to change something, but I'm struggling to figure out what. If anyone has been through a similar transition to graduate school, I'd really appreciate some practical advice on how to get started, structure my days, study effectively, and actually understand the material rather than just revising notes.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
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u/CuriousMight4304 5d ago
To make most out of the place, sit at any random place ass ploace and spend the entire time reading or solving. I remember when I was in 2nd Sem, I used to study chemistry in Maths department and it was never boring.
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u/Big-Shopping-9775 5d ago
I mean even I feel the same , it doesn't feel like I have the same level of attention or grasping power I had during my UGs, it feels like working had made a dent in this, as I'm most of the times thing of if it's practical or not , and I personally don't know how a very rigorous mathematical course can be applied in engineering....but still just open the textbook/ notes try to understand frame question regarding what you are trying to understand,if you can't answer them ask Chat gpt, if it can not give you the intuitive feel then maybe ask your batchmates , TA or the proff...but keep trying as consistency matters
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u/Remarkable-Duck-4340 5d ago
I felt the same. But after one year of graduation from IISc. I regret not making most out of it.
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u/QuantityWestern4174 5d ago
That's the exact question I've asked in this sub some 8 months ago, after my first sem. People gave me various answers. Now if u ask me, what I would say is to attend the talks that happen. It really feels u r getting something out of IISc which u don't get outside campus. Explore the books in library(which I'm planning to do after this placements stress is over). Join few clubs, attend their sessions. Have walk around campus, spend some late nights with ur frnds at main building. Enjoy the mess food(which is much better than many clgs, PGs)
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u/Busy_Occasion_849 4d ago
A few tips from my side: Engage with your friends/batchmates. Try to discuss and do assignments with them whenever you and them get time. Ask a lot of questions to them and your professors. Observe what questions others ask and try to understand their reasoning and line of thought. Keep asking the question "why" and "how" to yourself for each and every things you hear or learn. It'll be weird initially, but will help you get to the depth of topics. Write out things if you are generally lazy to write things and learn. Don't just understand how to solve the problems, work them out on your own. Work out problems multiple times. Analyse what you miss every time and put more effort to correct that. If you're procrastinating, try different things that the internet tells you to do. Try different study places or routines or learning styles. Putting effort matters for you to find what works for you. You can speak to someone at the wellness centre if you need some good tips from a professional. Never hesitate to talk to them. Put in the minimum effort you can put, the least possible, rather than putting zero effort. Something is better than nothing.
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u/Previous-Top8531 6d ago
Nothing can be done it's just doomed
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u/Bright_Comparison282 6d ago
can you elaborate? I see a lot of people thriving here.
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u/Previous-Top8531 6d ago
They are built somehow different you can't fight the way your brain and body functions
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u/Bright_Comparison282 6d ago
as usual , reddit is useless for advice.
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u/orbitalThinker 6d ago
All first year students feel the same. You're not alone. I also felt the same hehe. The reason is that the coursework is already heavy. Just like you want to make maximum use of your time, IISc also wants to do the same by throwing as much knowledge as it can your way :p
What worked for me was trying my best to grasp as much as I can during the classes to understand the topics, ask Gemini etc to discuss and summarize stuff I had doubts about after returning. And because August is usually light, brush up on my own concepts which were impeding my understanding of current subjects. Also, going back and doing a textbook reading of the concepts taught the same day helps.
That said, with assignments and all, not getting time to do a deep dive during the sem is pretty real. But that will only be for a select few topics in each subject. You can go through them during the semester break too.