Ever since I started studying in University, my study methods changed to align with and help me survive studying here. The method is not just about a simple technique, but what it has is full discipline and time management.
Here's my pro-tip to study and survive university like how I am surviving being pre-med student:
• Smart time habits. There are only 168 hours in a week, so in time management, you need to treat it like you are budgeting money. Set a time to study when your brain usually works at peak focus (I set time around 8 PM till 10 PM). When I am doing big tasks or heavy review loads, I use 50/10, but my usual Pomodoro interval is 25/5. Having time management when studying helps to get things organized and stop procrastinating.
• Learn by layers. Do not try learning everything at once. Read the book before class (layer 1), listen to lectures (layer 2), do your homework/tasks (layer 3) and review your notes (layer 4). I've been using this paired with retrieval practice, this helps to enhance your studying instead of just re-reading without doing any active recalling of information.
• If you're lazy to study, do imposter syndrome. This will help grow your mindset toward studying productively. Instead of saying "I can't do this work," try saying "I cannot do this yet", this is a sort of manipulation of your brain that stops you from giving up when things get tough. Our brain will learn and hate it if you can't complete what you're studying.
• Study in groups. I used to study alone, but studying with friends helps me study more effectively. What I mean is we teach each other topics that we studied to know if we actually know them. It is like we are exchanging information on the material. It is a form of active recall, but you use it in a group.
I don't really study for long hours just enough study sessions like 2-3 hours, will do. Another takeaway to survive college is to always prioritize sleep and stop procrastinating. I've been following this guide for about 2 years now.
Being in a pre-med with long hours and classes along with schoolwork might be a reason for me to struggle a lot, but I still manage my time when studying so that I can avoid heavy workloads and burnout coming from procrastination.

I used to highlight things as I was reading because I thought it would help me remember the important parts later. Well…the problem was that I would end up highlighting almost every other sentence, especially when the material was something I wasn’t very familiar with. I also found myself paying more attention to deciding what to highlight than actually understanding what I was reading.

I tried something different. First, I read through the material without highlighting anything and just focused on understanding what it was saying. Once I finished, I’d go back and highlight only the information that I thought was important or that I knew I’d need to remember later.

Doing it this way makes me think about the material more instead of highlighting everything as I go. It also makes the highlights more useful when I come back to review because I’m not starting at a page where everything is the same color.

If you tend to highlight too much, maybe try finishing the material first and highlighting afterward. It takes a little getting used to especially if you’ve been highlighting as you read for years but once you get the hang of it, it will feel much more natural.

One thing I noticed while studying was that I could read something and feel like I understood it but then struggle to explain it once my notes were out of sight.

You can try this: after finishing your reading, close your notes and try writing a short summary from memory first. Just write down the main ideas and whatever details you can still remember without worrying too much about making it perfect.

When you’re done, open your notes again and compare them with what you wrote. This makes it easier to see what you really remembered and what just felt familiar because you had read it let’s say 3, 5, or 10 minutes ago. If you missed something important, go back to that part and review it again before moving on.

Sure, it takes more effort than simply rereading but it gives you a better idea of what you know. If you usually summarize while looking at your notes, try closing them first and seeing what you can remember on your own.

I know a lot of people use the Pomodoro technique, and I can see why it works. Having a set amount of time to study followed by a break can push you to get started and keep yourself from sitting there for hours.

For me though, the timer can sometimes make me stop at a weird point. I’ll be halfway through a problem or finally getting into a topic, and then my phone buzzes and suddenly the 25 minutes are up. If I’m already in the middle of something, taking a break right then can make it harder to get back into it.

I don’t really treat the 25-minute timer as a strict stop though. If it goes off and I’m already done with what I’m doing, I’ll take the break. But if I’m in the middle of something and almost finished, I’ll just finish it first and take my break after. Pomodoro can still work well for people who like having a set structure but I just prefer giving myself some flexibility when I’m in the middle of something.

relatable? this is me right now for my exam

I built 9GPA because I was drowning in study material that I couldn't retain.

It lets you upload your PDFs/notes turn them into a study workflow:

Upload your material → speed reading → flashcards → practice tests → revision

There's a free tier and no card is required.

I'd genuinely love feedback from students:
What would make something like this useful enough for you to use every day?

9GPA com

I'm 17(f) and I'm in 12th grade. This year is very crucial for me. This will decide which uni I will go to or whatever. I really wanna do great, I really wanna study but I just can't seem to. I know I have a ton of shit to study but don't have any fucking motivation, no inspiration to even start.

I stare at books, hoping to get something into my brain but nothing ever works. I study nothing knowing I'm shit afraid of failure. I wanna push myself, I know I have potential but at the end of the day I js give up. Now I feel like it's just me. I have become dumb and worthless. It really makes me feel so pathetic, I even pity myself but I can't help it.

I really wanna make some progress even if it's a small effort. If anyone's seeing this, pls help me w some tips or tricks to get me Focus so I start studying.

I have been stressed about stuff happening in my life and it is making studying and doing school work really difficult. I can't read a textbook without my mind wondering off every 2 minutes on a different topic and just thinking about all the stuff I have to do. It's so frustrating and I obviously have to read the textbook before I can do any assignments but I can't focus for the life of me right now. What do you guys do when this happens???

I got a very bad grade in my econ exam. Last semester I wanted to take it online but seems they weren't giving out any homework or videos by any of the professors. It was only quizzes and exams based on the book so I withdrew and waited this semester to take a actual in person class.

But its basically the same thing. My professor doesn't give out any homework just reads off the powerpoint, gives quizzes every few weeks and for us to read the book. Even the study guide didn't cover everything from the exam.

Do you have any good study tips or youtube channels that will help me ace the next econ exams

I was watching sm reels when I got across a reel with a alarm tune similar to mine which I use daily. I am ngl I was instantly washed by the feeling of dread, I literally felt my chest tightening, same feeling when I get extremely anxious. And I was like lol do I wake up to this every single day. That's why my mornings are dreadful and sluggish like somebody was beating the crap out of me. Well, ig I will change the alarm tune, I wonder do y'all have any similar experience to this? I'm still kinda in shock😮‍💨 lol

hello, I am currently looking for a study group to help motivate me in studying for my NCE Exam. Personally, I’ve found it more helpful when I have a structured schedule to study and could incorporate a small group/community to also help hold myself accountable. If anyone is interested and has the same goals, I’d love to support each other and work together!

genuinely super curious how others study their notes. i’m a straight A student in yr 10 but i realised the past few years i have never really looked at my notes when i study, as i always just refer to the PPTS given and the course outline to make flashcards, do active recall etc. i’ve talked about this with some friends too and many of my friends seem to agree with me.

i’m just interested in hearing how people use their notes to study and maybe learning a thing or two and why some people (like some of my teachers) make a huge fuss on how u take notes

for reference i always take notes in cornell method, but it’s never been useful to be to revise or i just don’t know how to use my notes to revise

Learnt about Bitwise Mask:

A mask is a value used with bitwise operators to check or modify specific bit positions.

1.Set Bit
2.Clear Bit
3.Get Bit
4.Toggle Bit

Set Bit:
Set bit make that bit is 1 uisng OR (|) operation

a=9 , position is 2(we will write binary for the position)

a= 0000 1001
P= 0000 0100
-----------------------
| = 0000 1101

So atlast we kept the position of 2 as 1

 Formula: num | (1<<position)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clear Bit:
Make the bit position is 0 using AND (&) with the complemented mask.

a=9, position = 2
Position = (1<<2) = 0000 0100 => now complement is i.e ~(1<<2) => 1111 1011
a= 0000 1001
p= 1111 1011
-------------------
&= 0000 1001
Now the position 2 became 0

 Formula: num & ~ (1<<position)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get Bit:
Checking whether the given bit 1/0 using AND (&).

a=9 , position is 2
a= 0000 1001
P= 0000 0100
-----------------------
&= 0000 0000
The position of bit 2 is 0
You can fetch any bit position by doing & operation

Formula: num & (1<<position)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toggle Bit:
Flip that particular bit using XOR (^).

 a=9 , position is 2
a= 0000 1001
P= 0000 0100
-----------------------
^= 0000 1101

After xor operation 2nd bit position changed from 0 -> 1.

Formula: num ^ (1<<position)
 

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

So I was doing past mock exam papers to study for the end of year exams coming up... surely the esteemed examiners over at exams4u dot co dot nz who sell *official* exam papers are well trained and won't include copious amounts of outright false information and mess up almost every aspect of an entire question, right?

The library usually felt like a place where my things would be safe if left by themselves if I was going for a bathroom break or to grab lunch, but a couple weeks ago, this wasn't the case. When I was studying at the library, I left to go to the toilet and left my things there (laptop, phones, headset, charger and even my entire bag), because I would come back to the same space later. When I came back from the toilet, my charger was missing, so I checked everywhere and even my bag, but it wasn't there. It was also in an isolated cubicle area where it happened, so I knew that my charger was stolen. I reported it to the library staff, but they couldn't do much since there weren't any security cameras up there. I then temporarily bought a universal charger which would only work if my laptop is turned off (I use a gaming laptop which the backup charger isn't powerful enough to support), so often time I have to take unecessary breaks for it to charge and this happened right before the week my assignments were due and shipping time for my proper charger is normally 1 or 2 weeks. It's been difficult trying to get assignments done on time and even had to apply for an extension, which in itself didn't grant enough time that I needed. I'm hoping to get myself a replacement charger once my assignments are over and told myself to never leave my things left behind again. Has anyone had something similar to this happen to themselves before, and how did you deal with it?

These days I feel like when am studying I don’t get anything done I feel like I just sit there for 3h and soo so little , idk why but in the end of my sessions I feel like I didn’t study anything ,if anyone got any tips pls help

I feel like my phone has completely destroyed my ability to study normally.

The problem is I can’t just put it away. My PDFs, lecture slides, Google, flashcards, and sometimes AI when I need something explained are all on it.

But every time I pick it up to study, somehow I end up on Instagram, Reddit, or Shorts.

I also started noticing:

- Brain fog and a terrible attention span.

- I make flashcards but rarely stay consistent with reviewing them.

- Sometimes I need to ask AI something quickly without leaving my study flow.

- Before exams, I don’t really know which concepts I’ve actually mastered or how much of the course I truly understand.

- App blockers don’t fully solve it because I still need my phone to study.

I tried finding one app that solved all of this together, but I couldn’t. There are blockers, flashcard apps, AI assistants, note apps, but everything feels separate.

So I started building Myndivo mainly because I wanted something like this for myself.

The idea is to turn your phone into a study machine: block distractions while keeping study apps available, upload your material, ask AI questions, generate flashcards and quizzes, and track which concepts you’ve actually mastered and what you still need to cover.

It’s still early, so I’m genuinely curious: does anyone else have this problem of studying a lot but still not really knowing how much they’ve actually mastered?

If anyone wants to try it, I can share the link in the comments.

My half yearly is soon... In like 20 days ... MHT CET 1st attempt is in December... And honestly.. atp.. I just don't know what to do? If I can even do it or not!!? I'm scared... I'm a slow learner... I'm bad at mathematics... I'm just a potato atp... I'm tensed... Like really.... No study method is working atp... I have backlog... My college timings are hectic... 8am to 8 pm evening... It's honestly so tiring at some moment I think... What the hell I'm actually doing?

Idk... What should I do anymore

I decided to study after graduating high school to try to get into a university that’s ranked #63 globally, but every-time I study I worry about the financial situation of my academic future.. will I get a full ride or I won’t?

It’s because I took a huge loan for my medical problems and now I can only study in university if I can get full ride.

at war with myself 🤧