It's almost that time of year again and it seems to be a pre-dental way of life. That's right, I'm not talking about a Thanksgiving feast big enough to leave you full for weeks, I'm talking about finals! Along with finals naturally comes one tell tale trait of the pre-dental student: their study habits. Maybe you're a freshman, new to the pre-dental stream, or maybe you're just trying to take your game to a whole new level. Either way, this list of tips and tricks may just be what can help you to achieve the level of academic performance you desire. These tips and tricks are both from my personal arsenal and those of others online. Most of them I've developed through years of study as an undergraduate, grad-student, my time in pilot training in the air force, and now as a post-bacc.
1. Develop a plan. A well considered plan is always key when you've got multiple different classes all competing for study time. I prefer to start early and generally and then increase the level of detail in my plan as finals week approaches. This adds more flexibility to my earlier study time and prevents me from being concerned about fine, unnecessary details.
2. Sleep well. This is personally my most important study and exam strategy. Although it may seem counter intuitive, by not studying late and sleeping instead, you will increase your productivity dramatically while also reducing stress. By being well rested, I find that my memory "opens up" and allows me to both recall and learn details more accurately and faster. This tip also ranks highly on almost any online source, including Time Magazine's 6 Tips for Surviving Finals Week.
3. Eat well. Not only do you need to take care of your mind, you also need to take care of your body. Now that you've probably got a little more free time on your hands (which should be used for study), you're probably spending a lot more time at home. This often means that there is far more temptation to eat poorly and use your finals study as an excuse to justify it. We all begin to prioritize study over other things when finals come around, but you can't use it as an excuse to not be taking care of yourself. Take some time to go grocery shopping and prepare something reasonably nutritious for yourself: it will pay dividends when you actually sit down to study.
4. Stay active. I really should have roped the last few points into one big "take care of yourself" section, but it's really true. Taking care of your mind and body should be atop any studying plan. This is also one are which is backed by science and almost guaranteed to improve your memory functions. According to the Harvard Health Letter, researchers at the University of British Colombia found that regular exercise boosted the size of the brain responsible for verbal memory and learning. Not to mention, exercise is known for it's wide array of positive psychological effects.
5. Stop procrastinating. Although pre-dental students are usually among the most motivated of college undergraduates, we can still fall victim to this often taboo side of studying. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory and in today's world there are more procrastination inducing triggers than ever. However, I like to think of study in terms of the old adage, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," except I like modify it to say, "an ounce of study not is worth a pound of study later." I find that by completing study earlier, it makes subsequent study more effective. Take for example the normal semester class in one of the most notorious pre-dental classes; organic chemistry. If I have completed the reading and example problems before the class, I find that I can absorb almost all of the material being presented to me in lectures and I leave feeling confident. However, if I have not I don't understand half of what is said and leave feeling as though I have a mammoth study task ahead of me. By doing that small amount of study early, I've significantly reduced the amount of effort required for later study and have overall learned and retained the information significantly better and faster.
Although certainly not exhaustive, this list is my top five essential study tips which I believe have helped me through the plethora of study I've done in the past. If you apply them well, hopefully you too can achieve your desired study outcomes. Please feel free to leave any feedback in the comments section below or even some of your own study tips. What have you found helpful?
(Title photo courtesy of Syracuse University)
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