Don’t Make The Same Mistakes We Did!
Here Are The Most Effective Ways To Nail Biomed Study (ON & OFFLINE)
Before we dive into the most effective study tips on how to absolutely nail these next few years, we just want to say… CONGRATULATIONS on making it this far. You’re probably just realising that another long, painful year of study is about to come your way, or perhaps you’re thrilled to just get the ball rollin’ and smashing hours of study already (let’s be honest, there’s always one kid).
No matter which kind of student you are, this perpetual COVID-19 situation, where everything has gone ONLINE (and bonkas might we add), probably hasn’t helped you get into your groove of effective Biomed study this year… Whether it’s your first year or third, the study game has completely changed.
Online lectures. Online Zoom tutorials. Online lab simulations…
Wait what…I didn’t sign up for this?! And before you know it, it’s just you, your webcam and a series of cat videos on Tik Tok!
Doesn’t sound too productive.
And coming from a team of fresh Biomed grads, who’ve just come out the other end of those few years, we know just how important it is to find efficient study methods because… reality is, not everyone can read some words on a slide and regurgitate it in a test.
So we’ve put together the most effective study methods that worked for us — based on the type of learner we were and we promise that by the end of this, those daunting semesters ahead will be broken down into tangible actions for you to take.
1. FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND MAKE IT YOURS
We all have different learning styles. Some may enjoy just reading the textbook, some may enjoy hearing the lecturer explain concepts, some may enjoy drawing diagrams visually. Whatever it is, whatever style it may be. Find what works for YOU.
But how do I find this “magical” learning style of mine when I don’t even know what works for me?
Take some time these first couple of lectures to trial and error every style (simply listening, writing whilst listening, drawing pictures/photos/diagrams, re-writing notes, teaching others, etc…) until you can differentiate which one you were clearly passively learning vs actively learning.
Basically, you want to figure out which way of consuming information where your brain “gets it”.
Our go-to rule: If you can explain it back to someone who has no background knowledge afterwards, then you’ve found your learning style.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a trial and error process.
Personally, it took me the whole first year to figure out I couldn’t stand the monotone voices of the lecturers in the theatre, so I’d watch it on 1.5x in the comfort of our own home, jot down extra notes that were missed on the lecture.ppt and drew out coloured-labelled diagrams.
Whereas others in out team needed to attend lectures in person, recorded themselves answering the lecture objectives and played that back just before a test.
Here, have a look at these examples below:
2. MAKING FRIENDS = MAKING PROGRESS
Make friends? During uni? How on earth am I going to do that?! I just want to get in and out of that lecture and STAT.
But believe it or not, making friends is not a should, but a must. Mostly because you will rarely get any practice material, especially prior to exams, where you’ll be left all on your own in limbo about how to get more practice.
The best students, however, hack the system…they’ll write practice questions by themselves and with 4–5 students contributing, they’ll have a pretty representative portion of questions to serve as a practice exam. Ain’t too shabby at all.
(Sidenote, at @Halad to Health, we actually write practice exam questions for Biomed students in partnership with the @Monash Biomed Society. Make sure you’re following our Facebook Page to get notified when those resources will launch for you.)
So in your next Zoom tutorial, catch one of the names of your peers, add them on FB (we know this may sounds creepy but we’ve all done it at some point) and message them some Zoom University gag….and Voila, that might be BMS friend & study pal #1!
Especially with classes going online, making friends and forming a study groups has become super important because:
1. You’ve got a homie to back you up if you’re too shy to ask that “dumb question” on Zoom.
2. Keeps you accountable with due dates, upcoming assessments, tests — you name it, they’ll be your personal diary.
3. Venting…trust me, there are certain times you’ll NEED to vent about something going wrong.
3. THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES ARE YOUR ABSOLUTE GO-TOs
You often hear lecturers repeat this over and over, “Here are the learning objectives (L.O)…We can’t examine you outside of these…” And guys… it’s totally true, they can’t.
This is the biggest mindset shift from going from a hard-working student to a smart-working student.
You really don’t need to study as much fluff as possible about the topic. If the lecturer wants you to explain the 3 main pathways, don’t waste your time trying to prove a point that “There were 5 on the slide… do we need to know them too?”
So… write your notes following the L.Os because they’re your guide to knowing what you have to know for each lecture.
Our go-to rule: List the L.Os first and then write/record/draw/colour your lecture notes based on those.
Here are some examples:
4. BE PREPARED & ORGANISED — YES, BUT BE BALANCED, TOO
You might be reading this thinking Well FFS, that’s easier said than done!
Because it’s true, sounds simple right? Just be organised, everyone says. But how? When you’ve got a part-time job, a strict gym schedule, piano class every Thursday, family gatherings on Saturday nights, and on-top of all that, a girl/boy-friend too.
Here’s how we like to stay organised:
Our go-to rule 1: Use a diary, calendar or your reminders. Write your important upcoming assignments, tests, exam dates in and that way you can see when things are due and not completely freak out WHAT?! WE HAVE AN MCQ QUIZ DUE TOMORROW?. Believe us, we were guilty of that too.
Our go-to rule 2: To-do and checklists with minor tasks rather than major assessments. When you break up a 10000 word report into manageable tasks, such as research this, write a structure, reference that, you get a tonne of satisfaction when you tick it off your list. Every tick is a bit of momentum and soon that mammoth task will be done in no time!
Our go-to rule 3: Write false due dates a day/week prior to the real date. This may sound silly, and it may make you feel even more stressed. But why we suggest this is because it gets you prepared and reminds you that it’s due sometime soon, and so you don’t end up keyboard-warrioring that 1500 literature review the night before.
Look at this MacBook Apple Calendar Example below:
5. RECAP EACH WEEK TO AVOID REVISING AN ENTIRE SEMESTER
Why is this important? Because suddenly, you blink and it’s a week before exams but you barely remember week 6 content let alone week 1 (and multiply that by 4 units)! That’s the kind of sh*tshow we want you to avoid.
The best piece of advice we can give a Biomed student is to review your notes weekly.
Our go-to rule: Take out just one hour on your Saturday or Sunday, flip back on your notes/recordings/diagrams and go through the content. Even if this is passive learning, this allows you to consolidate and flag any areas of content you still might not understand earlier rather than later.
But perhaps reading your notes doesn’t work for you… try FLASHCARDS. And since everything is ONLINE now, there’s plenty of free online flashcard apps, like QUIZLET or MEMORY, you can use and type up on your phone and flip through as you sit on your 30 minute bus ride.
Here are some other examples:
6. FINALLY.. TRY TO ADAPT TO THE CHANGES
“The only thing that is guaranteed…is change” said someone, somewhere, at some point…and the COVID-19 happened and we all agreed.
Transitioning into studying Biomed, where you are never spoon-fed information and create your own homework is challenging enough… but now to do it all online, now that can be confronting and stressful AF. We completely get it.
But what I’ve learnt from my journey through Biomed is that things are constantly changing, there is always more content to come and without a doubt it gets tough to keep up sometimes. And I won’t lie…somewhere along my journey, some tears were shed, all-nighters were pulled but the most important thing I learned was the ability to adapt and balance my life to the changes.
Sure… uni is important and grades are crucial but your mental health and social wellbeing surpasses any of those two things. So even when you think you don’t have enough time to submit that essay, take a small break to just relax, go for a walk, call a friend over lunch, because you’ll come back and realise your mind is twice as clear and ready to go.
Now of course, I’m not saying to just kick back and relax, during times of stress, pressure and change. Rather what I’m saying is plan ahead, start early and that way you’ll feel a lot more prepared for any changes that come your way.
So whether this is your first year or final year in Biomed, perhaps these online classes aren’t too bad after all. (I mean…look at all the travel time has been saved and adaptability you’ve learned.)
And hey, if anything, when an interviewer asks you “Tell me a time you have to demonstrate determination and discipline”, you could probably just hit them with “I started uni when COVID-19 happened” and they’ll get exactly what you mean.
So take the time now while you have an excessive amount of time being quarantined and isolated in your room, to litmus test how you learn, get on top of your lectures and prepare to adapt to the many more changes to come.
Always feel free to reach out via info@haladtohealth.org.
Karlene Ta,
Operations Manager
