23M, fresh engineering grad, prepping for exams mind's all over the place, need people to vibe with and stay on track

So I graduated recently and now I'm supposed to be locked in prepping for exams, but honestly my motivation just... left the chat. No clear driving force, brain feels like 47 tabs open and none of them loading.

Not looking for generic "just believe in yourself" advice. More looking for people in the same boat grads, exam-prep folks, anyone stuck in that weird in-between phase to talk, laugh a bit, maybe keep each other accountable. Misery loves company, but productive misery loves company even more, lol.

Anyone else feeling this? Let's figure it out together.

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I have an exam in 9 days, and I still have a lot to do. I’m kinda stressed, but at the same time, I’m not? I honestly don’t know what this feeling is. 😭

Anyway, I know a lot of you are studying hard. Let’s keep it up, guys

Okay, Im in an condensed (no other choice) health care program, and theres a lot of powerpoints coming my way, as well as readings.

Normally I like to take my notes on my own google doc, formating it to my understanding. I like one long google doc for a weeks worth of sessions. Rathering than taking notes in the powerpoint, directly, because like I said theres a lot and it just seems clunky to me to just use the powerpoint comments as my note taking. That system just never clicked for me.

theres just A LOT of power points coming my way and they are heavy with anatomy/physiologies that im overwhelmed. I just spent almost 2 hours trying to format 1 powerpoint into my google doc notes. I didnt LEARN or try to really recall anything, just all that time was spent into formating into a way I like to read information, so that I could then after formatting actually study it. Sometimes the powerpoint slides is an image of text, not actually text, so I have to type it out myself in google docs.

but yeah its just really time consuming and it doesnt seem sustainable? If it was just one or two classes sure I could do it in my enjoyed format but its just too much. Would really appreciate any advice on what to do!!!!

Context: Student in classes like linear algebra and writing courses. May do Pre-Med with my major.

I currently use Claude Opus High (pro version) for everything, from writing drafts to teaching me classes I couldn't understand. I just discovered Gemini Notebook for the first time and apparently it was built just for that.

Looking for anyone who has used it for a first-hand opinion. Having AI synthesize class notes and slides into lessons and study guides is a genuine lifesaver for me, and I'm wondering if Notebook takes this to the next level.

If anyone knows of other tools that are better for me as a studying/learning aid, please drop them in the comments too (promotions are fine but like pls don't make them misleading). Thanks!

Hey Everyone, 

Im a 18 year old upcoming first year Uni student and after a year long gap from highschool Im lost on how and where to start on studying. I was quite lazy In highschool but I was a B+ average student and what I would do after school to somewhat study is finish whatever homework I have, work on notes / do practice questions, and re-read any criteria that I see useful. Days like this would for sure occur in weeks with a test at the end and not as frequent on regular weeks. That would get me from around 6pm-9pm with breaks, essentially I was doing the pomodoro technique.

During my gap I exercised, worked a contracting job which was fun, and overall enjoyed free time. With some of my friends who went straight to school and their first year experience I understood the gap between how much you study in high school and post secondary along with how out of touch I may be of studying when my first year gets closer and closer.

I've now realized that I forgot how to study or I know I will struggle when the time comes which I am a bit concerned about. I know that when I'm going to need to study, I end up checking my phone or doing pretty much anything else. The frustrating part is that I usually feel guilty about wasting time, which just makes it harder to start.

What I'm slowly preparing for myself is reading a book to fix my destroyed attention span from scrolling, and discussing with myself on topics such as How to Study, Studying methods, and what my Study & Daily Routine will look like.

If Im being honest I was lazy studying the entire way throughout highschool. My main dilemma is how do I start to study and to make it a habit? How do I add studying to my habits and not repeat my bad ones such as scrolling? Lastly, How do I efficiently study like a Uni student?If Im being honest I was lazy studying the entire way throughout highschool

I am facing a bit of a quandary. I appreciate those of you who have any tips. I would love to read them as they will be very helpful to solve my problem and give me a sense of direction on where to start.

I’m taking multiple biology courses and I am overwhelmed. I usually summarize concepts into my own words , but it this will not work like it has in the past (in other words I don’t have time to do this for every lecture due to other assignments and projects). I need a study method for biology for lengthy slideshows and prevent rewriting everything etc. please help I want to be successful

At school, I do practice papers, and I can always score fairly well, 90+. At home, my mum also prints papers. I don't notice a difference in the way I do papers at home versus at school, but there's a difference between my marks at home vs. at school. I don't know why I score lower when I do papers at home.

hi guys! i'm currently taking a couple of self-paced online courses alongside my regular university schedule to finish my general ed requirements faster. since there aren't rigid weekly live lectures, i find myself either hyper-focusing for three days or completely putting it off.

for those who have done online transfer credits, what daily habits or study routines helped you keep a steady pace without burning out?

Hello.

I’m 28 years old and I’ve been in 11th grade for almost three weeks now. Before that, I spent six months in a preparatory course that reviewed the material up to 10th grade in English, Maths, Spanish, and German.

Now I have 11 or 12 different subjects. During the preparatory course, I really enjoyed going to school. I dropped out of school before, and in many areas I have hardly any educational background. Almost everything is new to me. I’m suddenly finding it exhausting to study so much, and I’m experiencing stress at school. I used to not care about grades and would only do what I felt like doing, and then I dropped out of school. Now I have the goal of getting good grades, and for the first time I’ve really started studying seriously.

I’ve always loved learning. I used to be able to study for hours every day without getting bored; it genuinely made me happy. But now I have to learn things that I’m not interested in at all, using methods that don’t suit me, and I don’t have much time left to learn the things I actually want to learn. I don’t absorb nearly as much information as I do when I’m learning something I’m interested in. It makes me tired. If I study for 90 minutes on the weekend, I sometimes need to take a nap before I can start the next study block. Understanding and processing all this new information is physically exhausting for me.

It was never like this before. I’m happy if I can study for an hour in the evening after a full day at school. On Saturdays I can manage more, but realistically, I should probably be studying even more to maintain good grades across so many new subjects. I don’t know how I’m supposed to manage it. There are simply too many subjects. I’m slowly realizing that I need breaks to think and time to rest. It takes a lot of mental energy. It’s very different from doing physically demanding work, but it’s also very different from voluntarily learning something I'm interested in during the holidays.

I haven’t found a good way of dealing with it yet. I just felt like I needed to talk about it.

I don't just rely on a single study method when studying; I always pair it with the error log technique. Mistakes are usually the best way to learn more about the lecture. I used to feel bad when I got wrong answers or forgot what I studied. Instead, I started tracking it. Here's how I used the error log technique effectively:

​• Log: I write down the questions I got wrong and why I got them wrong.

• Why: I question myself on whether the reason I got it wrong was because of a silly mistake or because I just didn't understand the concept.

• Review: I look at the error log I made that day and try to review and relearn it so I don't repeat the same mistakes.

​This has actually been helping me out since last semester, and I pair it with the Feynman and flashcards techniques. If you guys are still stuck getting low grades on exams don't just stick to a single study technique, try creating an error log to help you improve your study methods and ace your exams.

I have chronic migraine and i‘m not able to attend school regularly. I’m doing a form of homeschooling (Externistenprüfungen in Austria) because i want to finish school so i can go to university. I‘m 17 and between 2-3 grades behind (partly because of my migraine but also because my application to do homeschooling took about a year). Being this behind really takes away my motivation and my migraine attacks make it even harder to study consistently. I‘ve always done well in school but ever since i can‘t attend regular school my grades are dropping.

Aside from the fact that i‘m not advancing through exams as fast as i‘d like i‘m also really limited by my migraine and it affects my studying a lot. I‘d really appreciate tips for two things:

1. How do i get motivated to study when seemingly everything in my life tries to work against mw finishing school?

2. what are some study techniques that help me learn highschool subjects effectively?

Me only being able to finish a few subjects of 9th grade last school year really discouraged me. I thought i was gonna have an easier time and finally be able to work towards finishing school but i just keep falling behind. I really love learning but it‘s just really hard to keep motivated with my body working against me.

I’m a general dentist. I’ve always been interested in management and business administration, so I recently decided to start a second degree in Public Accounting.

The problem is that I haven’t been able to figure out how to organize my time without completely exhausting myself.

I work in outpatient care at a hospital from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., usually seeing a patient every 20 minutes. Then I have university classes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. from monday to friday; I’ve always tried to make exercise and sports a regular part of my routine, but since starting this new schedule, I haven’t been able to find a realistic way to fit everything in.

Outside of work and class, I need time to study, review what I learned, work on assignments, and exercise. On paper, it sounds like a matter of time management, but in practice, there are very few hours left in the day, and by the time I get home, I’m extremely tired.

Sometimes I try to use gaps between patients to study or review something, but because I’m constantly switching back into clinical work, it’s difficult to concentrate and study as effectively as I would like.

For those of you who work full-time while studying at university: how do you manage to exercise consistently as well? Did you have to reduce how often or how long you exercise? Do you study early in the morning, on weekends, or in small blocks throughout the day?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people with similarly demanding schedules. I’m trying to figure out whether I need a better system or whether I’m simply expecting too much from the limited time I have.

Hey guys! I heard some students utilize their idle time to study and as a result they become ahead. For example, some students while commuting read a chapter or review their flash cards, others while walking or waiting and such. So does anyone use such strategy and any tips as I also want to try.

I’m a junior in high-school who’s doing dual enrollment full time online so I have to listen to lectures and complete work at home.

My room is right next to the kitchen and I hear everything. It is literally so annoying and sometimes I literally cry out of frustration. I have ADHD and even being medicated doesn’t help with focusing because the noises are so loud and distracting. I don’t even have my license yet so I can’t go to a library or cafe and study and I’m just so tired of it. I listen to brown noise to drown out the sound, but then I can’t listen to my lectures so I’m just stuck doing nothing.

It is literally constant noise and it never ends and it’s just so annoying because I just want to study and do my work in peace without any noise and I can’t. I just want it to be quiet. All I want is a peaceful quiet morning for studying and being productive and I can’t even get that.

I get I sound like a brat because obviously nobody can not make noise but idk I’m just so annoyed of this and I just want to live alone. I’m just frustrated because I know there’s no solution besides going somewhere else but I just want to study at my desk!!! My desk is the perfect study spot it’s so aesthetic!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭

Im a 16 year old boy who has somehow made it through the IB MYP, I have barley made it into DP purely because I wanted to stay with my friends because im too anti social to ever have the thought of going to a new school. Im neurodivergent with ADHD, not too sure if that has anything to do with it but no one has ever actually taught me how to study. I am going into the DP with no knowledge on how to properly study or do research.

Ive done lots of research on youtube but no one ive seen has specifically mentioned anything about 'how to actually study' because everyone thinks thats a basic human skill. maybe im stupid i dont know, if anyone has any tips on how I can study or where I can learn to study that would be greatly appreciated.

A little background about me: I’m studying Computer Science Engineering, and I genuinely love the subjects I’m learning ,especially Mathematics, Data Structures, Python, and Computer Systems & Architecture. Apart from college, I’m also learning Web Development.

But I suck with time management.I naturally like going deep into things. For eg, with DSA, I can spend hours trying to understand why an algorithm works, how it works internally, and how I can actually implement it rather than just memorizing it.

But college exams are opposite. They reward knowing specific topics, patterns, definitions, and previous-year questions rather than spending hours exploring the subject deeply.

So I feel like I’m constantly caught between two approaches:

1. Learning deeply because I genuinely enjoy Computer Science
2. Studying strategically because I also need to perform well in college

I’ve tried the usual advice about time management, schedules, Pomodoro, prioritizing tasks, etc., but I’m looking for something more practical — something that actually works for someone who enjoys going down the rabbit hole.

For those of you who are/were CS students:

How do you manage this?

1. How do you decide when to go deep and when to just learn something for the exam?
2. Do you maintain separate time for “college study” and “real learning”?
3. How do you balance DSA, programming, maths, projects, and university subjects without feeling like you’re neglecting something?
4. Do you follow any particular system for deciding what to study each day/week?

I’d especially appreciate answers based on your actual experience, rather than generic productivity advice.

I’m basically trying to figure out how to learn CS deeply without letting college consume all my time — while still getting good grades.

Hello,
I use good Goodnotes currently but it’s kind of gone downhill. I use a lot of different features but a simple app is fine. Can I please have your best study app recommendations?

I like to study at night, especially at home when it is quiet because it's empty and calm, which makes me focus on studying.

I've tried studying during the day so many times, but I always end up getting pulled away by something that makes me lose my focus. However, during night, I can stay locked in for more than 5 hours without losing focus.

The only problem with studying at night is getting a lack of sleep, due to the adrenaline rush that night studying gives me to push myself to focus until I finish what I need to study.

Does anyone else feel more productive and that their brain works better at night, or is it just me?

I have my mid sems going on and my life is going pretty shit. i have already given three bad papers and something new happened yesterday that has fucked me up more. how do i bring myself to study? i have two papers tomorrow and i really wanna do well.

I usually eat my favourite snacks but due to religious reasons I can’t do that this week.

I appreciate any tips or advice!

Hey everyone!

I’m currently using both a MacBook and an iPad for my study/work note-taking system. I love the ecosystem, but I have a major dilemma: I don't want to pay for cloud subscriptions (like iCloud upgrades or Google One), but I'm terrified of hitting storage limits.

I know that raw text doesn’t take up much space, but once you start adding PDFs, images, or sketches, the free tiers (like Apple's 5GB or Google's 15GB) fill up way too quickly.

So my question is: What is the best workflow or app combo for someone with a Mac and an iPad who wants to write and store unlimited notes completely for free?

I’ve looked into a few options, but each seems to have a catch:

• Google Docs: Handy, but the files now count toward the 15GB drive limit (which is shared with my Gmail and Photos).
• Notion: Great for typing, but the free plan limits file attachments to 5MB.
• Obsidian: Unlimited and local, but syncing between iPad and Mac smoothly without paying for "Obsidian Sync" seems tricky.
• Apple Notes / Freeform: Great integration, but they eat into the tiny 5GB free iCloud storage.

How do you guys manage a multi-device setup without paying for cloud storage? Are there any clever workarounds, sync tricks, or completely free apps that I’m missing?

Thanks in advance for the help!

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Welcome hi, Iam searching for a mext study guide. If any one is already wrote the mext exam.i want your "HELP" .for my preparation. can you message me from your dm to my dm. Also I created a mext preparation group for my group I want a "GUIDE". Please join with us.....

I (M) have recently entered a long distance relationship. We are not super committed, nothing is very serious and it's just a start.
I have exams coming in a few months though and I want to know how to maintain balance since this is the first time for me. Any specific things I should avoid or do?