How do you study?

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oriel · #1 Post by **oriel** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:17 pm

On a serious note here, I know we have some very intelligent people on this forum. Alot of you are students studying to become engineers or artists.

I, for summer, am taking a class to earn a bartender's certificate. And this class is HARD! There are around 200 drinks or so to memorize, on top of other tedious things.

So this discussion is to ask,

How do you study?

What's the best techniques that work for you?

Oriel

Brainiac · #2 Post by **Brainiac** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 6:24 pm

This really isn't a very easy question to answer as everyone has a different way and aptitud of studying. I remember the skills inventory I took as a high school freshmen had four specific groups of "learning"; visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic. Basically, learning through looking and watching, through sound and speech, through physical acts like taking notes and rewriting repetitions, or by throwing yourself into an experience (like a field trip or personal research by experience). Try to figure out which ones work best for you (as I recall, my inventory said I could learn equally well from all four).

For personal advice on just typical, daily grind, "check your notes" studying, I usually just put on some music on loop that will drown out external noise with distracting me (orchestral or soundtrack music, usually) and find someplace comfortable away from possible distractions (don't study wherever you keep games, TV, etc.). I also do not study excessively; I never go more than 1 hour without a brief break.

If you want anymore advice, please ask. Good luck.

#3 Post by **navynuke04** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 8:34 pm

I learn best by doing things hands on. If I can touch it and see how it works, I can remember it a lot better.

Not sure how well that would work out when studying to become a bartender though. You might be killing those brain cells as you are learning the stuff.

oriel · #4 Post by **oriel** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:29 pm

Navynuke, that's funny. The school actually recommends we do homework every night by going out and "tasting" various drinks. In school, we have a full bar with everything but the alcohol. Bottles are filled with various food colorings to give it that genuine look, but obviously do not mix the same.

Anyhow, you are right when you say that people learn differently. I thought there were some not so obvious tips people would like to share.

Oriel

#5 Post by **navynuke04** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:42 pm

Here's a tip. Learning by osmosis (falling asleep with your head on the textbook) does not work. I've seen several people try this the night before an exam. They usually do poorly.

Charlemagne · #6 Post by **Charlemagne** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm

In my last years at university I did a lot of math which, unfortunately, I don't find lends itself very well to typical or traditional "study methods". Mathematics (and in particular, for me, real analysis and abstract algebra) isn't the kind of discipline where you can simply "memorise steps A, B and C to solve problems X, Y and Z". Often, upon being tasked to prove a theorem I simply had to spend some time (often several hours) reading it, pondering it, becoming one with it, and in the end having a couple of cold beers before the right approach to proving it popped into my head. And even then my proof would usually need more work, athough I have to say that mathematics+logic+contemplation+beer occasionally provided me with a truly inspired and elegant proof.

For my other, more systematic courses (Computer Science and English mostly) I tended to stick with Brainiac's approach of the "daily grind". Take notes, but only to the extent that you need and can use them, and don't neglect to pay attention to what your professor is doing and saying. I've often found that what my prof said and how he said it is more valuable than any notes I could ever take on the subject, but then, I'm more of a visual learner. Your mileage may vary.

Blackthorne519 · #7 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:05 pm

I took a lot of speed, marijuana and coke, and stayed awake for days reading books. After my nervous breakdown, I did fine on the test. I still itch, though. Always itching.........

Bt

Brainiac · #8 Post by **Brainiac** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:39 am

Charlemagne wrote:Often, upon being tasked to prove a theorem I simply had to spend some time (often several hours) reading it, pondering it, becoming one with it, and in the end having a couple of cold beers before the right approach to proving it popped into my head. And even then my proof would usually need more work, athough I have to say that mathematics+logic+contemplation+beer occasionally provided me with a truly inspired and elegant proof.

This is quite possibly the most amusing thing involving mathematics I have ever seen.

Charlemagne · #9 Post by **Charlemagne** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:57 am

Brainiac wrote:This is quite possibly the most amusing thing involving mathematics I have ever seen.

Thanks Brainiac! If you'd like I could try to find a couple of the proofs I wrote while "under the influence". No guarantees though; I may have already recycled them. One thing I learned in the process of becoming a mathematician is that no matter how elegant and beautiful your proof is, someone, somewhere has already devised one more elegant and more beautiful than yours.

Meerbat · #10 Post by **Meerbat** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:08 am

For memorziation tasks - flashcards. Color-coded, with drawings or whatever other mnemonic enhancement you can think of.

Ghost_Rider · #11 Post by **Ghost_Rider** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:18 am

Blackthorne519 wrote:I took a lot of speed, marijuana and coke, and stayed awake for days reading books. After my nervous breakdown, I did fine on the test. I still itch, though. Always itching.........

Bt

Well... I sure hope that was sarcastic. For me, as others have already said, I think you learn by doing. I'm not good at just reading about something, I'd much rather be given an example of a problem or project and try to figure it out myself.

Music Head · #12 Post by **Music Head** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:34 am

Study, :lol

1eyedParrot · #13 Post by **1eyedParrot** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:58 am

Watch Cocktails with Tom Cruise.

Klytos · #14 Post by **Klytos** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:27 pm

Damn you Parrot! You stole my joke! :D If you weren't so damn cool....

When I did my bartending course at the end of last year I had to learn a couple of dozen drinks (200 is stupidity. People only order an unusual drink every so often...but that's not up to you I suppose...does that include shots or is it just cocktails?)

My study method was to try them all, watch how they were made and enjoy the drink. Taste is a strong memory trigger, and I found having tried all the drinks (while also a great excuse to get on the piss every night for a month :) ) worked really well. And of course there's the hands-on just making them.

IMPORTANT STUDY TIP : Drink heaps of water before you go to bed.

How do you study?

How do you study?

Study habits

Funny math

Re: Funny math