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]

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.)