The last week or so

[splinteredstar]

I broke my toe, and then walked on it for three days.

I failed two tests in the same classes as the last two failed tests.

Best friend irl had a family friend die.

Attempts to study over spring break have resulted in boredom, despair, and the slow eroding of any belief in myself I had.

Murrf.

Comments

[edmondia.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Three days isn't that bad. I walked on my broken foot for over a month without noticing it.

Have you been seeing a tutoring center for help with those classes?

[starsplinter.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* How did you do that? I have a high pain tolerance but daaaamn, that about knocks me out of the park.

Also I would like to point out that I had classes on the third floor of a building. And that I discovered that my ice pack was dead the night this happened.

I have not. I should. Part of the problem is that I feel like I know it going in, I feel like I have an understanding of it and then - it turns out that I don't.

And some of it is just that I'm not yet acclimated to how much time I'm going to have to study. I've never had to before.

[edmondia.livejournal.com]

Apparently my pain tolerance is ridiculously high. During the entire year that my foot was broken I took half of a vicodin, and discovered I violently despised the side effects, despite the fact that while it was snowy I was slipping and falling all over the damn place.

No elevator? With an injury like that, one that affects your mobility, you can go to disability services and request accommodations. When I finally got put on proper crutches, my classes were forcibly moved to places I could actually get to, and my fellow grad students had to fetch my mail. (English department was on the third floor of a building with no elevator.)

So, I hope you don't mind me putting on my professional hat here, but the kind of problems you're having right now are literally the ones that I get paid to help out with.

What you're describing is actually very, very common, especially with the smart kids. I didn't study much until college, and even then didn't bother much with the classes I didn't like. (The one C+ I got in college was in a class I loathed--I didn't study enough, didn't pay attention in class, and was very aware of it. I just didn't care.) My middle elder sibling didn't have the study thing hit him until grad school. That hit him really hard. It's actually a pretty terrible problem--students who have struggled throughout school know exactly what problems they're going to have, and usually have a very clear idea of what services are available to help them, but the smart kids tend to faceplant when faced with the kind of thing you're describing here. And then they flail around because it's all WTF aaa panic panic, crisis of confidence, imposter syndrome, etc.

This (http://www.samford.edu/how-to-study/) is a video series that is somewhat boring but useful--it's all about effective studying. You're going to recognize exactly what you've described here in the first video.

So here's my professional advice, which I know you haven't asked for, but it's silly to be friends with a teacher and not shamelessly abuse their knowledge:

1. Go to your prof's office hours and explain your problems and ask for advice. And don't be shy or embarrassed about going, either. This is literally what office hours are for, and we always want struggling students to come see us--we can't help you guys unless you tell us where you're having problems.

2. Go to the tutoring center to get help. I was a tutor for ages in undergrad, and as a teacher I am constantly shooing my students down there. It helps immensely, especially if you set up a weekly meeting with the same tutor--something I highly recommend. Also it's free.

3. Consider forming a study group, or study with a friend who's taking the same class. This is especially useful when you're preparing for tests--research has shown that rereading notes isn't actually all that useful. Instead, you'll want to verbally quiz each other. Not on definitions, mind, but on processes, something like "describe how this thing works". I guarantee that's the kind of question that will be asked--what teachers are looking for in test design is comprehension and synthesis of material.

4. Take your notes by hand. Research has shown that you retain the material better when you write it out physically. This is also a useful study skill--rewriting your notes can help you prepare for short answer type questions, and helps with memorization, but again, you'll get the most of it if you write it down in a notebook.

(Damn you, character limit.)

Studying cont'd

[edmondia.livejournal.com]

5. Read your textbooks carefully, and take notes as you do. I don't recommend highlighting--students have a tendency to highlight too much--but I do recommend having a pen and underlining what you think is the pertinent info. You can also take notes in the margins, or if you find yourself really stuck on a chapter, write out your notes. If your prof posts the notes before class, even better. Bring those notes to the lecture. That way, you don't have to write down the main notes, and you can concentrate on the lecture. You can make notations about the points that the prof emphasizes, write down the little asides (the little asides are huge in helping student comprehension, because they're usually examples), and write down questions that you have, which you can then bring to office hours/study group/tutoring meeting.

And this is getting ridiculously long so I'll stop now.

[nenya85.livejournal.com]

Yeah you've been having a frustrating patch. For what it's worth, I have confidence you'll see this through. I'm sorry about your friend. best wishes to her.

[starsplinter.livejournal.com]

Thank you. And I mostly have it, it's just... hard to remember it sometimes.

*hugs*

[serria.livejournal.com]

*hugs tight* I'm so sorry to hear about it... I know these things can pile up. If you need someone to vent to, I'm always here. Hope things get better..

[starsplinter.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I think I'm on the upswing now. It's just - you know how depression goes. That voice in the back of my head saying that there's no real reason to get out of bed in the morning, that I'm not going to achieve anything anyway - it gets harder to ignore, some days.

But I'm on the otherside of the worst of it, I think. *hugs* Thank you.