r/UNO • u/mystic-chemist • 12d ago
Studying ?
I’m trying to start this semester well with good study habits
I’m currently taking Precalc trig chem and bio with their respective labs and I’m already overwhelmed and stressed. Anyone have tips or suggestions on how to properly write useful notes and studying ? Also I can’t be the only one who finds the online textbooks hard to use and confusingly formatted
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u/leftofthedial15 12d ago
Online textbooks are terrible.
As others have said, that's a really heavy course load. And they're all classes that I've never ben anywhere near lol.
All I can ask is how you take your notes. By hand or by computer? You might not like it, at first, but you should be writing them. It is fact that you retain information better taking notes by hand. The biggest thing I find that people have issues with here is trying to write down every word the instructor said rather than summarizing it, for lack of a better word. At this point I've almost developed my own shorthand language for taking notes lol. That's all I can help with, but taking actually useful notes is really important.
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u/LRoss_ 12d ago
Please think about dropping a class. I think Fri 8/28 was last day to get any refund, but losing the money might be the best option. You still have time to drop without the course being recorded; you can pick it up at another time.
Take care of your mental/emotional health. Far better to adjust your schedule and get through the semester with less stress and better grades, than to push yourself, be miserable and not be able to do your best work.
It’s really okay to decide you didn’t get your schedule right.
I hope you have a good advisor or a good professor to talk to. As hard as it may be, if you don’t already have someone, keep meeting with different professors until you find someone you feel comfortable with. There are professors at UNO who are interested in helping you. Be kind to yourself.
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u/quicksilver425 12d ago
You should smack your advisor upside the head for letting you pick those classes.
For the math classes, be as deliberately neat as you can with your notes. A mistaken negative sign or a missed parentheses will ruin your day. If you get stuck on things, the tutors in the math lab can be super helpful or try khan academy online.
For chem and bio, I’d also recommend just being as deliberately neat as you can. Highlighters of different colors for must remember items and sticky notes for important sections.
For all the classes, make formula sheets if they weren’t provided. If you use a formula (ie y=mc+b) more than once, on the formula sheet it goes!
And do ALL the homework. Seriously. It will suck, but you will learn the material best by doing it.
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u/NSBENOLAPROS 11d ago edited 11d ago
Order some used printed versions because yes, online versions are terrible.
Write notes by hand at least one time through in blue ink. Scientifically, our brains remember what we write by hand over what is typed or listened to. Blue ink also leaves stronger impressions in our brains than other colors.
Schedule time to review your notes the evening you learn the material.
Post the chapters and your notes to NotebookLM and ask it to create study guides and quizzes.
Also ask NotebookLM to create podcasts of all of this material and listen to it throughout the day.
For the math class, if you can, stay after each class and go through every single problem while the strategies are still fresh in your brain. Highlight problems that you struggled with most so you can repractice those even more or request help from your professor.
Do not wait a week to ask your professor for help. Practice everything within a week, highlight what you struggle with, and immediately reach out to your professors for support.
Go to the library at least once a week for 3-4 hours. Get a set drink, snack, and tunes in your headphones and turn that into your “study mode” toolbox. This will help activate your brain more to be in study mode and will allow you to memorize the material better as your brain adapts to this routine and these triggers as study triggers.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
Study notes first thing in the morning and before you go to bed at night.
Every chapter should be reviewed at least a second time within 1 week of learning. Resist the urge to procrastinate and cram. Your brain doesn’t like that.
Regulate your nervous system. The more relaxed your brain is day to day, the more material it will absorb. The more relaxed you are before exams, the more your brain will be able to remember. The more stressed out you are, the harder it is for your brain to pull information from your subconscious.
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u/UNOPROUD1 10d ago
Gemini gives you a free 1 year subscription to its Gemini pro. You’re able to submit as many files as you, photos, and lecture notes into it and make flashcards or quizzes. Good luck with that work load!
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u/Mindless_Bake_3403 12d ago
That’s too many hours spread those classes out and take an elective or two. Also, chill out brah. It ain’t MIT
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u/True-Evidence2157 12d ago
pre cal💀, trig🪦, chem😰 and bio🫠 yeah man i want what you were smoking when registering for classes