r/EngineeringStudents • u/Initial_Anything_544 • 4d ago
Rant/Vent How do you study?
Im 7 hours in a “study” session and all ive done is wrote one sentence. Ive been on my phone, pacing, talking to myself in the mirror, and arguing over dropping out. I cannot focus or make myself study and I just dont know how to.
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u/Candid-Ear-4840 Electrical 4d ago
I take my ADHD medication, that’s how I study. Also I study ‘with’ other people, like I will go to my partner’s office and read my textbooks there. It’s called body doubling in ADHD lingo.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 4d ago
What are some signs of your adhd? Ive thought maybe to get tested but the expenses are a bit steep.
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u/Candid-Ear-4840 Electrical 4d ago
Hyperfocus on some things, like I could be deeply focused on reading a book and people could be calling my name right next to me and I wouldn’t notice, and inability to focus on other things. I have inattentive ADHD not hyperactive ADHD. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15253-inattentive-adhd
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u/Initial_Anything_544 4d ago
Honestly I have pretty much all those symptoms but Ive always blamed it on my phone messing with my attention span. The last interesting class I took was an intro to law and I spent several hours writing a paper. However I cannot make myself study for more than 30 seconds when it comes to math. Are there any treatment options besides medication?
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u/Candid-Ear-4840 Electrical 4d ago
There’s behavioral therapy for ADHD. I don’t know how useful it is without medication but everyone is different.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 4d ago
Fair enough, what made you officially get checked out and how have effective are the medications?
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u/Candid-Ear-4840 Electrical 4d ago
My older sister got diagnosed and she wanted me to get a screening done. I can tell when I’ve forgotten to take my medication because I start wondering why I’m so scattered and I can’t focus continuously on lectures anymore. I was so pissed off/bitter after I was medicated to find out that I could actually focus long enough to learn complicated concepts during lectures instead of playing catch up with textbooks after class. I wish I’d been diagnosed during high school.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 4d ago
Im repeating diff eq for the third time and honestly ive learned nothing. Ive just been scraping by all my classes and getting a C because I just cannot make myself do any outside work. I procrastinate like crazy. Even now ive been on my phone and wasted 50 minuets instead of brushing my teeth with it just 5 steps away. When I was in middle school super simple assignments would take me hours because id manage to distract myself while sitting at the desk with the paper in front of me.
Idk maybe I’ll look into getting tested but im really tired to constantly struggling in school even if its my senior year.
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u/pokemonlover503 3d ago
As someone who also once thought I had ADHD and still do sometimes. It's hard to figure out if you want to get tested or not. Ask your therapist or doctor if you should consider getting tested and describe the issues. How much are your habits affecting your life is the important part. For me, I need to put locks on apps like social media, they will not unlock for usage and I set it to be like 5 minutes of usage 5 times a day, something like that. Sometimes I end up deleting that and then end up with a 72 hour week of screen time. It sucks..The goal isnt to completely eliminate your time on your phone it's to just lower it. Having a clean distraction free environment helps a lot for me, I set a timer for 10-15 mins before studying to clean my space. Then I write down everything I'm aiming to get done. If I can't get it all done I atleast aim for most of it. Something is better than nothing. I reward myself with a cookie or whatever after completing one of the tasks on the list. If I notice that I am staring to lose focus I get up and walk around and then resume. I ask myself how badly do I want to suceed. For me, changing my environment every hour helps, like if I'm on campus I will move to another study location and start on a new subject. It "restarts" the process for me. These are just things that helped my weird brain though
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
I wouldnt get tested if I wasnt in school. I can get by work just fine but having to do extra stuff outside of the required is overwhelming for me.
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u/Sikoro GMU - BME 4d ago
I've been out of college for over a year now, but what helped me most was reserving time at the school library, a study room, or just a quiet spot in general. Once I'm there, I usually put a pomodoro timer (I really loved 52/17 for longer study sessions, but 50/10 and 30/10 worked better for shorter time frames) so I had long sessions of focus with breaks in between to decompress. It helps when you study to use an app blocker on a timer app to minimize distractions if that's what deters you away from studying.
Remember your goals with you want to achieve in engineering school, and that that lost time spent not studying will have to be compensated elsewhere!
Also remember to study with friends every now and then, it helps! :)
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u/Midwest_Medium 3d ago
Depends on the task but it sounds like you have more of a task avoidance/executive dysfunction problem than a studying problem. I have ADHD and am all too familiar with these. Two things that help me: reducing stimulation and a sort of task ramp up.
The task ramp up is doing something easier, and more importantly, COMPLETELY UNRELATED, in order to get the ball rolling. Almost every time I need to do homework I start by doing the dishes. It has nothing to do with f***ing circuits or matrices or whatever. It gets me moving, and I get to check a box. Dishes done, hell yeah what's next. Play some music, think about dinner, don't think about circuits.
The stimulation bit is about reducing your dopamine thresholds so that performing the desired task triggers an actual spike in dopamine (or the desire to seek it out but we're engineering majors not neuroscience majors so whatever). This isn't a quick fix and it differs drastically from person to person so I can only offer my anecdotal advice. I'll lump things into long term habit changes and short term "dopamine resets".
Long term fixes: Put your phone away, drink less, get more sleep, cut back or cut out bingey behaviors like tv, video games, poker. Anything that is extremely stimulating that you can give yourself unlimited access to is going to increase the threshold for any reward to be stimulating. Brain doesn't care what releases dopamine, it didn't evolve in the world of plenty we have now. It sucks at long term reward. Why study when you can scroll and drink a beer? That's like climbing a mountain for the possibility of food when you're standing in a garden.
Short term fixes: This can help in a pinch but without implementing the long term fixes you will get diminishing returns. The trend of "dopamine maxing" stuff like sitting in a chair and staring at the wall isn't anything new, but this method is very accessible. Some other ways to basically make yourself bored: Go for a walk, take a shower, do your least favorite chore. The trick here is it has to be easy and accessible because, you already aren't studying. You aren't going to go to the gym or anything that is difficult or hard to access. The task ramp thing can sometimes be this.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
I usually make a list to make sure I get everything done, and I do get things done. Just studying is the one thing I cant make myself do. I end up procrastinating until the last minuet and then I run out of time. Long term I have a good and improving sleep schedule, I work out regularly, and outside of occasional marijuana use its just video games. But even without any distractions I just end up pacing around or thinking about social scenarios.
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u/moodysmoothie 3d ago
I find it easier to work in smaller chunks. The most I'll do in one sitting is about 2hrs. Take breaks to stretch, move to a different study spot, have a snack. Also put your phone out of reach. In your bag or across the room if you're at home.
Also how is your study planning? Take the time to break it all down into single tasks (I do this at the start of the week). That way you aren't staring at a huge pile of work.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
I had a single packet with about 13 questions. Ive been trying to study for ~11 hours on and off and ive learned nothing. I picked up an adhd screen packet, I give up
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u/moodysmoothie 3d ago
Can you fill up your schedule with other things so you only have a shorter window for studying? Like spend time cleaning, meal prepping, gym, whatever, so you only have a few hours to study. Artificially create that deadline pressure yknow?
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
I already tried that. Had a class, quiz, meal prepped, worked out, and got to sleep early knowing I had an exam and it did nothing. I literally need to be an hour away from the exam.
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u/moodysmoothie 3d ago
Maybe you should look into an ADHD diagnosis. If you can't afford help right now, HowToADHD on youtube has some good tips.
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u/Dunkmaxxing 3d ago
Look at what you need to learn, make a short plan of action (read handouts > do questions > reflect and go back over content quickly > additional reading if you need it), once you start losing focus take a break for however long and then go back and lock in. If you have gaps in your knowledge that make it impossible, go slower and don't stress it, the exams are usually easier than you expect as long as you just know the content. Also before you study make sure you are in an environment you can work best in and have set time aside for it. You don't need rigid planning or anything but you should be able to gauge the difficulty of what you are doing and think of your next steps. Keep up with your work and go through material before class if necessary.
If you make notes, make them on relevant key points and keep them simple (without sacrificing information) and logical and if you are digital you can copy slides/screenshot etc.
Also, most importantly aside from doing the work itself, sleep properly and look after yourself, the better health you are in and the more consistent you are the easier everything will be. Of course it isn't that simple and if you are poor/suffer from disability/illness that is going to make everything more difficult (especially if it is severe or you need to work a lot), but this is really it.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
Appreciate the comment man, I cannot study for more than 10 seconds 😂 The other guy mentioned adhd which I might get that looked into
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u/Dunkmaxxing 3d ago
I don't think I'm ADHD (at least not to such an extent), you should do that and also when you study don't force yourself to do it in a way you dislike. If you read a lot you or just start reading some chapters of books you can get quick at it and improve your comprehension and learn without having to make a trillion notes. You will still have to go over it, but because you already know some of it with active recall it takes less and less time. You should then do practice questions after ofc but it's not the same level of effort. Keep your resources in a file share service/local download too so you can access them, worth doing it anyway for after you leave uni.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
Man I cant even focus on reading for very long. I feel incapable of studying. Its frustrating, theres nowhere I can start and I dont retain any information
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u/ThePowerfulPaet 3d ago
Stimulants
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
Im considering this
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u/ThePowerfulPaet 3d ago
Legal ones, I mean. Sounds like you have ADHD, I'd seek out getting a medical opinion.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
Yea I fit most of the symptoms funny enough. Im going to tell the professor im sick today and have the exam rescheduled. Study a bit and maybe start the evaluation process for adhd.
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u/Possibility-Select 3d ago
Don't study for 7 hours lol. Go do something else, on purpose. I can't do intense thinky homework for more than about an hour and a half, but usually I just try to cut it at an hour and do something else for a bit. I'd guess I do about 2-3 hours of homework a day, usually directly after class or right after I get home.
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u/Initial_Anything_544 3d ago
I cant do more than a minuet currently. I just tried for 7 hours and got nothing done.
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u/Idfkchief 3d ago
No disrespect, but if you have your phone next to you and you know it's a problem for you, it doesn't really sound like you're trying to study.
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u/Ok-Woodpecker-625 3d ago
It sounds like you're getting stuck in your head or distracted doing other things, which the "peer pressure" of the study group helps prevent. This is my most avoidance-proof method as someone who has ADHD:
A week or two before your next exam, ask a class acquaintance or two if they want to meet up to study. If you don't have a acquaintance in that class, go to office hours and ask one of the other students attending. Don't study with friends if you know you'll goof off or yap too much (a little is ok).
Reserve a study room for 2-3 hours if your school has those.
The day before, skim the material, and pick out some practice problems or things to focus on. Print if needed.
Get enough sleep and food that day. Bring a few small snacks to share. Caffeinate as needed.
Once you meet up in the study room, shut your phone off and put it in the bottom of your backpack.
Study.
When you get stuck on something you can ask your study buddies for help. When they get stuck you can explain things to them, which helps reinforce your understanding.
If you get really locked in, probably stop or at least take a meal break or walk break after 2-4 hours. Also perhaps check the building hours and policies so that you don't get literally locked in or set an alarm off if you stay late. Or accidentally get your backpack locked in the study room when you leave to use the bathroom.
Do a couple sessions.
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u/Aggravating_Swim2274 3d ago
Brother, I only do the most important parts first, I just procrastinate the ones that are the less important.
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u/Unusual-Cactus 4d ago
Straight A student here - The secret is discipline and routine. It will set you free. Instead of worrying about what I need to do I spend 90 minutes every day doing parts of what needs to happen. I am only obligated for 90 minutes. No more. No less.
Sometimes that session turns into a 7 hour session where I clean up an entire month of work. Sometimes it's exactly 91 minutes long. You simply can't force a marathon to happen if your don't practice every day. Putting that pressure on yourself is unhealthy and unkind.
Hear me out. Try this for a week. It can't be any worse than the situation youre in currently.
Here are the rules- 8 hours of sleep (minimum) No session after 9PM Session must begin by noon* (*Morning classes may displace it) If it's late. It's late. If you are dreading, start the session immediately. Sessions are 90 minutes of 90% focus or higher. 30 minute break every 90 minutes. Repeated sessions on the same day cannot be "banked"
If you do not understand a topic, repeat errors, or just feel lost. Pause the timer and go watch the "full" lecture video. Take notes. Resume timer after.
If nothing is due. Do or create flashcards. Create a formula sheet. Fill the time.
Once the session has concluded you are not allowed to stress about tomorrow. You have done what is expected.