--Original published at Allison's Psych Blog

My study habits are honestly, not the best. When I was in high school, though I took higher level courses, everything came easy to me. I was able to get through my classes with good grades, while only having to look over my notes once or twice. So, I did carry those habits into college. My first exam ever, I failed. I only looked over my personal notes rather than the power points made for the lectures, and missed very important information. As the semester went on, I learned to really dedicate more time than just one time through, to making sure that I understand the material fully. I need to set aside more than one day to really work on the material, and go over everything more than once to make sure it is in my head for good.

--Original published at Phil's College Blog

In high school, I went to a college prep secondary school that required me to study most nights for my classes. I had to do this because a usual week for me included 4 tests and at least 1 paper to write. However, my study habits in college have become very different. I will saw that because I am not being tested as frequently that my study habits have taken a turn for the worst. For example, some classes only have a few exams throughout the entire semester which allows me to procrastinate more than ever. I believe part of my issue is that my academic schedule became easier for me once I got to college. To study for the exams, I usually still use the same habits that I used in high school. They include studying  a few days in advance for a big exam and rereading my notes and the textbook. Then once I feel comfortable, I quiz myself on the material. I usually  study until I can recite the information. I feel that these habits never let me down so for that reason I never have had to change them.

Although, the only time my study habits change is when I struggle with a topic. If am struggling with a topic I usually go to someone for extra help days in advance of the exam. For instance, last semester I did not understand some of my history material so I went to my friend for help. Only after that meeting was I able to understand the material completely. If I am to lazy to go to my friend for help, I will look on YouTube for answers pertaining to my questions.

I feel that my positive habits have carried me through a tough academic  career. However, my negative habit is being stubborn not asking for help. This has caused me trouble with classes that could have been easy only if I asked for help. For example, I would stare at a math problem for an hour before I went for help because I want to hold myself to a higher standard. This in turn made my entire grade suffer because of the time spent on 1 problem. I have begun to go away from that because I know how uneffective and dumb that is of me, and I have to tell myself to go ask for help instyead on being by myself working on something.  

--Original published at MaddieHinson

Since I was in middle school, I had found that studying with flashcards is the best way to get myself to remember facts and recite back information. That method had worked for me in high school as well, but since I’ve come to college, I have had to tweak that slightly. I do still use flashcards when I need to memorize something fast, and usually reading the cards out loud while I’m studying helps the most. However, in college, exams have been not focussed on memorization, but on explanations. This is where I have had to add different methods to my studying.

What I have found that works is putting a broad topic for a subject on one side of the flashcard, and then some key points about it on the other side. Then I explain out loud to myself each of these points in detail, as if I were explaining it to someone else. This has helped me in past classes really understand the concept as to why I’m learning the material, and not just remembering formulas, or definitions.

For this class, I am doing the same route as I have in the past, except that I have been doing a little bit of both, between memorizing different theorists and what they believed in, and trying to explain the concepts as well. The part of my studying methods that I need to change however, is the amount of time I spend studying, and when I start. Currently for this class, I just made my flashcards this weekend, but haven’t gone over them yet. Usually, since I’m fairly busy, I try to do everything I can that’s due the next day, and then if I have time, try and get more work done, but that’s not always possible. I would’ve liked to have started studying for the exam when I first learned the material, and made sure I was confident with each section, and that’s how I am going to approach the second exam.

--Original published at Robert's Psychology blog

People can remember a large amount of information but there is some limitation of memory. Some of these limitations are memories fading, memories being false, and only being able to remember a limited amount of information at a given time.

As time passes people tend to forget some information and details of a memory. For example, try to remember the name of your first-grade teacher or the color of their hair. If is hard to remember everything that has happened in one’s own life. I believe this is true because every second of every day we have the potential to for new memories and if it all this information was turned onto memories then it would quickly overwhelm our brains.

There are some memories which are stronger than other memories. For me the memories that are stronger are typically associated with stronger emotions. This is way it is easier to remember happy event is your life. I believe this is what causes that feeling of nostalgia or the feeling the past is worst than what it was.

Though people can understand various number of new situations by using their memories, the new memories they form can be very different of someone else who experienced the same situation. I’ve noticed that the way my friend and I formed very different memories of the same situation, and sometimes it leads to arguments of who’s memories are correct. The human brain is not like a computer with its memory, the memories are not perfect accounts of the event that have happened but can be warped by our own viewpoints.

With the aid of technology people are about to store information that people are susceptible to forget. This can be does with computers, books, or images. These forms of information can last much longer but the last the memory itself, just an account of the memory.

--Original published at Zach Nawrocki's Blog

I am currently a sophomore and I feel as though my study habits have improved dramatically from last year to this year. I feel as though my study habits this year are so much better then what they use to be but there are obviously still things that can be improved. Some of the things that I do well for studying is I start studying at least a week before a test, so I do not cram everything into one or two nights. One other thing that I do well is I restudy the stuff from one day to the next until I have gone over all the information and feel comfortable with it. Lastly, I not only read the slides or notes I took in class but also read the given book for the class and take notes on that. The one main thing I struggle with while studying which I feel a lot of students can agree on is staying focused for a certain about of time. This seems to be a growing problem among the younger population and is a real problem when it comes to studying and retaining information. For the first exam in this class I am reading the chapter in the book and taking notes on that then after I finish one chapter I am looking at the slides that were covered in class and connecting the information from the book to the information covered in class. To prepare for the next exam one thing I want to start doing is after each class go over the information again to make sure I understand it completely right after we go over it and ask any questions that I am confused about to better prepare for the upcoming test.

--Original published at Ariana's Blog

My study habits have changed drastically from high school to college. In high school, I never really had to study and when I did, I would just cram the night before. Once I got to college I knew that would have to change. Now, I try to review all my notes every day, just a quick read through so it starts to stick. Around 2-3 weeks before an exam I take an hour out of my day to study the material. A week before, I will really start getting deeper into the material and studying for a longer amount of time. I still cram a little bit of the information beforehand, but I usually start early enough and know the material well. I also try to get my other work done the week before the exam, so I have that time to commit to studying. Along with that, I like to have a study group with people who keep me focused and who want to study as well.  I am pretty good at taking breaks in between my studying, however, sometimes I take too many breaks. One thing that I could improve on is keeping my phone in a different room. It becomes a big distraction when I have it near me. My studying habits change with every class I take. Some classes need more time and some need less. 

For this class, I know I need a lot of time to study. I have already gone through my notes multiple times. I also have been trying to make note cards for definitions and important people after the lectures so I can learn those as we go. I am taking the reading seriously and trying to take notes that I believe are going to be important. Depending on how I do on the upcoming exam will determine whether I need to change my study habits for this class. 

--Original published at Jessica K's College Blog

The first day of school, finding the love of your life, marriage, and everything else a person may love in life, they have the power to remember it all.

No matter what the circumstance, people have evolved their way of understanding the situation with the power of their minds, rethinking past experiences or evaluating past advice to solve any problem at hand. For the most part, memories also serve as a timeline for everything a person has gone through and can be remembered if the impression was longlasting and memorable. That is how people from all ages can go about their lives as well with the information they learned earlier in their life, like the alphabet for example. People have to rely on memory to do jobs, know their location, focus on certain tasks in hand, and so much more.

Throughout the centuries, humanity has evolved with the use of technology, relying on their memories to create new ideas and innovations, which is far more powerful than any supercomputer built to this day. People’s minds not only have the power to remember, but to improvise, to create something new that may have worth in the future.

And even with the science of it all, to analyze the brain’s mechanics of memorization, there is no denying that memories and the inner workings of the brain have lead humanity into the time it has created now.

--Original published at Alex's Thoughts

I think that memory is a fickle thing. How the memory is experienced depends on the viewpoint of the person who is the subject of the memory. While someone may remember an event a certain way, other people who witnessed the same event at the time may have different associations with it, or remember the events occurring slightly different. As such, the experiences and memories that one has of life would appear to be entirely subjective to the person. As for why certain events appear to be set in memory stronger than others, I believe that hindsight is the best means for gauging this.

In particular, a personal experience that I remember like it was yesterday was when I decided I wanted to become an engineer. I was assisting my father in disassembling a tractor engine under a warm June sun. I was having a bit of difficulty getting the head off the engine, so he gave me some advice on loosening the bolts and told me that if another man created it, I should never be afraid to disassemble or work on a machine. He told me that I was just as capable as anyone who created the machine, so I shouldn’t underestimate my ability to work with machines in general. I went to sleep that night with the thought in my head, “If I can work with machines, why shouldn’t I be able to design them?” I began researching my career options, and soon settled on engineering as my desired career path. I believe that if I had not decided to become an engineer, I would merely have filed this memory away as a fond experience with my dad. However, hindsight has set this memory as the moment I made a life-altering decision, for better or worse.

My theory is that in hindsight, memories that correspond to important events in our current life are the ones that stand out the strongest. For example, a person that is stranded on a desert island would have little use for memories about enjoyable movies they saw as a teenager, but be attempting to recall any survival information they’ve absorbed over their life. In my example, this memory serves as the basic structure to why I became an engineer as I am actively pursuing a degree in Engineering. As for a means to measure this phenomenon, I’d interview participants about their current status in life. This includes everything ranging from marital status to income stability. I’d then ask what 3 memories stand out the strongest to them after talking about their life. In theory, the most prevalent events occurring in their life should prompt a memory related to the event to stand out above the rest. For example, if a subject is getting married, an event that would most likely stand out to them is when they met their significant other. If they are dissatisfied with their current job, a memory that might stand out is that one opportunity that may have worked if they had taken it. If correlations like this are present in a majority of subjects, then my theory that current events hold some influence over how strongly we perceive certain memories is validated.

Memory is strange, but it is an essential part of how humans interact and learn throughout life.

--Original published at Grace's College Blog

I have had to improve my study habits since coming to college. In high school, I would rarely spend a lot of time studying for exams because I was busy with extracurriculars. In college, I have more time to study and spend time reviewing material. When studying for an exam though, I tend to procrastinate studying until the day before. I spend hours reviewing the material and making flash cards and rewriting information to help me remember. Positive habits are making flash cards and not being finished studying till I know the information which will, most of the time, take the whole day. For this class in particular, I started making flash cards after we get new material, every week. Flash cards are helpful because you’re writing the information down and then have a good study tool. I do need to review the practice questions after we complete the quizzes every week. I also need to look over my notes every day after class to make sure I have a general idea of what he had discussed. I need to improve by beginning studying immediately after we are given new material, in order to help me remember the information for a longer period of time. I also need to be more confident and ask questions during class if I don’t understand something, instead of thinking I’ll just look at it again later.

--Original published at JanellesCollegeBlog

Since coming to college, I have had to change my study habits from high school. I have found in college it is very important to begin studying in advance, whereas in high school I was able to get away with beginning to study for exams the night before. I also was able to just read through my notes and memorize information, whereas in college it is more about understanding the content than memorizing it.

I have done well at studying a little each day for classes, so I do not feel overwhelmed right before exams. In most classes I have found making flashcards is the most efficient way for me to study. This way I can mix up the information and not memorize it in a certain order. I also do well with being efficient during the time I study. I study in chunks and take breaks, so I will not be as distracted during the small chunks of time I am studying.

I believe I could improve my study habits by asking more questions of my professors and classmates when I am confused. Often when I am studying and come across a concept I do not understand, I pass over the concept and do not try to get clarification on it. This is a bad habit I would like to break. I could also improve my study habits by trying to study information in multiple ways to master content rather than just flashcards.

For the first exam in this class I have been studying the information a little bit each day. I have also been making flashcards. As well as flashcards, I have also utilized the study guide provided on Canvas.

To study better for the second exam, I think it would be helpful to ask more questions in class when I am confused about a topic. I do not always realize in class I am not grasping a concept, but when I go back over my notes after class sometimes I find I did not fully grasp a concept in class. This is when I believe I could go back to the professor or classmates for clarification. I am looking forward to learning more about memory in class this week.