Study Tips You Need from a Physiology Student

Hey babes! Your favorite physiology student here! Its been two weeks since the start of my program and though my caffeine intake has gone up drastically and my brain feels so full of cell physiology, I am absolutely loving being in a learning environment that has challenged me to (for lack of a better phrase) get my mess together.

One of my goals this semester was to find a study schedule/study aids that are efficient and effective for me. As a physiology student, you are challenged to learn a lot of detailed information in a small amount of time all while not forgetting what you learned the week before. When I first started in the program, I was so nervous because finding study methods that worked for me was one of my biggest struggles in college. I was studying three different disciplines in three different departments (one in another language) which made it hard for me to find a consistent study method that worked every single time. Since starting graduate school, I have met so many people from so many different places who have shared a plethora of different study techniques with me. In today’s blog, I wanted to share some of these amazing techniques, apps, and scheduling resources to help you up your study game this semester!

Let’s Hop Right In!

Rapid Learning with Anki Flashcards

Anki Flashcards is a resource that I was just introduced to this year that has literally been saving my butt on all my quizzes. Think of them as Quizlet flashcards on steroids. Here is what Anki has to say about their study aid. “Anki is a program which makes remembering things easy. Because it’s a lot more efficient than traditional study methods, you can either greatly decrease your time spent studying, or greatly increase the amount you learn.” Basically, it is a program that you can sync over all your electronic products to help you learn and review material really well based on an algorithm. I highly recommend this for the premed babe because this daily practice really helps instill good daily study habits as well as a really good understanding of your material. Make sure you check out some youtube videos to understand how to use the program properly. It really isn’t that intuitive but once you get the hang of it, you will absolutely LOVE it.

Download Here

For my Visual Learners

Draw to Know It is a really good resource for students who are visual learners. I personally love pictures. My biology I professor at my undergraduate university instilled this type of learning in me way back when and since then, I have used the technique to learn by drawing out pathways, biological systems, electrophysiology problems, and more. Draw to Know It helps out with the first step of understanding what exactly you should be drawing. I love it for big-picture concepts in physiology. Whether you are a high school student or medical student, there are so many different packages with this program. I am def obsessed with Draw to Know It and highly recommend. If you are interested, use the code below for a discount for 15% off!

15% Coupon Code: HJN87TP2J

Check it out here!

This is a game of organization more than anything else…

Girl, if you do not have a planner by now….what are you doing??? A planner is so essential to practicing good organizational skills. Even if you are just a college student and you feel like your schedule isn’t that busy, having a schedule keeps you organized, on track, and eliminates so much anxiety when things do start to get chaotic. I use a paper planner and the apple calendar on my laptop/iPhone because I have to plan things out by blocks of time. On Sundays, I develop my study plan, block out workout times and relaxing time, and ensure that I know what I have to do each day academically to stay on top of things. I have noticed that the higher you get in education, the better your organization skills have to be. Here is how I plan:

Step 1: Ask yourself, “What has to be completed by the end of the week?” (*Hint, take a look at your syllabus, upcoming due dates, etc.)

Step 2: Write down what has to be completed and start dividing it up for the week. Spread it out as much as possible.

Step 3: Block off 1/4 of each of your study sessions for review of what you previously learned in that semester. (This makes test time much less stressful).

Step 4: Pick a “chill-er” day and use that as a guide to the cut-off day when you should be learning vs. reviewing/getting ready for the next week. You should not be straining yourself fon this day. This day is for family/friends/church/etc.

Step 5: BLOCK OUT TIME FOR YOUR HEALTH! Do not miss appointments because you are studying (physical and emotional). Do not skip out on going to the gym because you “don’t have enough time.” Granted, some days you probably won’t but if you seriously don’t have enough time to do a 30 min-1hour workout, you are not planning well enough. If you do not take care of your physical and emotional health, you will make it so much harder for yourself later on down the road.

Whiteboards are not for note taking, but for note synthesizing

Okay, so I used to not be WhiteboardGang but since I realized that ya girl was a visual learner, the whiteboard has been my very best friend. My study buddy and I have a favorite phrase. Its, “Let’s draw it out.” The whiteboard is not to take your notes, but to synthesize them. That means creating those silly bubble maps and charts we learned in middle school to understand a concept in full. When you are able to synthesize a lot of information in a way that is cohesive to you (instead of trying to remember line 48 of the notes you wrote from your book), you will become much better at learning information fast and effectively. The whiteboard can help you relate those small details back into a big-picture concept. It can also help you practice muscle memory of understanding physiological or biological (or whatever you are studying) processes over and over again. It is there for a reason. USE IT!

Start active studying with a group and get a study accountability partner

I used to HATE study groups mostly because nobody ever really seemed that they wanted to study with me. But in grad school, I love them! I have two main study buddies that I study with every single day. Even if we aren’t exactly doing a lot of studying together per say, it is great for accountability. My favorite part about studying in a group is actively studying. In college, I used to passively study all the time. Passive studying is like taking notes out of a book or going through flashcards or drawing a pathway once and being like “Okay, cute! Done studying!” No, hun. Humble yourself and get yourself a study group! Sometimes seeing things through others perspective can really help your own growth in the material!

The best app you will ever download: Flora App

LISTEN! I love my Flora App so much. Around campus, you will always hear me talking about my “garden” or “planting a tree” because I am so in love with it. The Flora App is a productivity app/habit tracker that a lot of students use to help minimize distractions while studying. Yes, that means say goodbye to your 30 minute non-planned Instagram scrolling haul in the middle of your study session. To use the Flora App, you virtually plant a tree or some type of plant for a particular amount of time (depending on what you set it to) and watch it grow as you study. The catch? It doesn’t allow you to leave the app to text, go on social media, or basically anything. This app has helped me tremendously in using my time effectively during my study sessions. Graduate school is not like undergrad. Every minute counts and you have to treat it like a job.

STOP SLEEPING IN!

W A K E U P. My very last study tip, is one of the hardest for me, but one of the most KEY. You have to stop sleeping in. When you take your education seriously, it reflects in your grades and your understanding of the material. Start waking up the same time your friends or family members go to work in the morning. Your sleep is so essential. You have to figure out how much sleep you need to properly function. Unfortunately, we as students won’t always be getting a phenomenal 8 hours of sleep, but if you can, you better do it because you probably won’t be able to the next day. Though sleep is important, too much sleep can be detrimental. The more you sleep in, the more lethargic you will be during the day. Most of our brains like to work with the sun. So if the sun is up, your brain probably wants you to get up. Even if it means having a 20 minute Anki flashcard session (don’t forget to plant your tree) or getting in one of your workouts, time is valuable and sleeping 10 to 12 hours a day is not a responsible use of your time. Think of it as your academic currency. If you find yourself sleeping more than usual, talk to your doc

Those are all my tips for today! If I think of any more, I will definitely update this post. Remember that learning is such a privilege. There are so many people and children who would do anything to be in your position. Change your perspective on how you think about school. Instead of saying you “have” to do something, tell yourself you “get” to do it!

Much love, y’all! Enjoy your semester! I will be checking in next week!

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