TheBondiTutor
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2015
- Messages
- 8
- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2008
- Uni Grad
- 2014
The 2016 HSC is just over 5 months away (October 13 is the first exam). Don't get stressed, get prepared.
I have some study "hacks" that I've picked up over many years to wake up that lazy sloth that lives inside my brain.
Don't expect to find in here methods you've never seen before (Some are plain common sense) but when times get desperate in the HSC a lot of you will be searching for that magic bullet and (unsurprisingly) you won't find it. What you will find here are methods that work for me and a lot of my students.
Destroying the HSC isn't just about putting in the long hours. You need a good mix of study, diet and exercise.
Try to incorporate some of these into your routine:
Study:
1. Past Papers / Questions
There are hundreds of ways that students learn. Some use flash cards, others sing their essays and some take on the "I'm going to write notes on every dot point in the Syllabus" approach. One technique that I've never seen fail is practising past papers and questions. The sooner you learn what you're going to be asked the sooner you'll learn how to answer questions the right way. If you're here asking asking questions like "How should I study?" or "What are the best ways to take notes" then past papers and questions are the way to go.
2. Lists
Your brain likes quick burst of information and it loves it in list form! How do you utilise this information? Try this:
Diet:
When it comes to optimising your diet for brain activity the name of the games is getting your fats. Your brain loves fat but it needs the right kind of fat.
3. Almonds and Almond Butter
This is a little secret of mine. I work as an engineer (and tutor on weekends) and need a lot of brain power to do my job. By the end of the day when most people are reaching for their 3rd or 4th coffee I bring out the Almond Butter. Almond butter is a delicious, high fat, low carb spread that can help you when your brain is feeling groggy. It will stop you feeling hungry and will keep your brain going longer and stronger than any energy drink will. Eat it straight from the jar with some celery. Alternatively, keep a little bag of almonds next to you, they also work.
4. Coffee
Coffee is life, at least it will be when you start university. If you find yourself trying to break through those last few hours of study or lacking the motivation to finish that assignment, caffeine will do the trick. Its a stimulant that has helped many to focus their concentration in the short term.
New to coffee? Have a look at this video by CGP Grey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTVE5iPMKLg
Your diet will have a huge impact on your ability to study. Make sure you eat well, especially during tough periods of the HSC. Use the coffee for "study sprints" and the almonds for "study marathons"
Exercise:
5.Swimming / Jogging / Rowing
You will be pumping a lot of information into those brains of yours in the coming months. Processing all those essays and problems is tough and your brain will need some down time. To make matters worse, studying isn't exactly a high intensity physical activity and your brains ability to work depends on how active you are. A good way to "switch off" is to undertake long, repetitive exercises. During the HSC I would jog for an hour to clear my head, at uni I swam, now as an engineer I row.
It doesn't really matter what you do as long as your active. Going for runs, swims or rows forces your brain to drop everything and focus on the task at hand. When this happens your stress levels are reduced and your problem solving abilities increase. Remember all those ideas that come to you in the shower? It's the same things except a lot more powerful.
I have some study "hacks" that I've picked up over many years to wake up that lazy sloth that lives inside my brain.
Don't expect to find in here methods you've never seen before (Some are plain common sense) but when times get desperate in the HSC a lot of you will be searching for that magic bullet and (unsurprisingly) you won't find it. What you will find here are methods that work for me and a lot of my students.
Destroying the HSC isn't just about putting in the long hours. You need a good mix of study, diet and exercise.
Try to incorporate some of these into your routine:
Study:
1. Past Papers / Questions
There are hundreds of ways that students learn. Some use flash cards, others sing their essays and some take on the "I'm going to write notes on every dot point in the Syllabus" approach. One technique that I've never seen fail is practising past papers and questions. The sooner you learn what you're going to be asked the sooner you'll learn how to answer questions the right way. If you're here asking asking questions like "How should I study?" or "What are the best ways to take notes" then past papers and questions are the way to go.
2. Lists
Your brain likes quick burst of information and it loves it in list form! How do you utilise this information? Try this:
- Get a piece of paper
- write down a subject heading at the top
- write down three things you learnt that week about your subject
- put the list somewhere you'll see every day (e.g. bedroom wall)
Diet:
When it comes to optimising your diet for brain activity the name of the games is getting your fats. Your brain loves fat but it needs the right kind of fat.
3. Almonds and Almond Butter
This is a little secret of mine. I work as an engineer (and tutor on weekends) and need a lot of brain power to do my job. By the end of the day when most people are reaching for their 3rd or 4th coffee I bring out the Almond Butter. Almond butter is a delicious, high fat, low carb spread that can help you when your brain is feeling groggy. It will stop you feeling hungry and will keep your brain going longer and stronger than any energy drink will. Eat it straight from the jar with some celery. Alternatively, keep a little bag of almonds next to you, they also work.
4. Coffee
Coffee is life, at least it will be when you start university. If you find yourself trying to break through those last few hours of study or lacking the motivation to finish that assignment, caffeine will do the trick. Its a stimulant that has helped many to focus their concentration in the short term.
New to coffee? Have a look at this video by CGP Grey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTVE5iPMKLg
Your diet will have a huge impact on your ability to study. Make sure you eat well, especially during tough periods of the HSC. Use the coffee for "study sprints" and the almonds for "study marathons"
Exercise:
5.Swimming / Jogging / Rowing
You will be pumping a lot of information into those brains of yours in the coming months. Processing all those essays and problems is tough and your brain will need some down time. To make matters worse, studying isn't exactly a high intensity physical activity and your brains ability to work depends on how active you are. A good way to "switch off" is to undertake long, repetitive exercises. During the HSC I would jog for an hour to clear my head, at uni I swam, now as an engineer I row.
It doesn't really matter what you do as long as your active. Going for runs, swims or rows forces your brain to drop everything and focus on the task at hand. When this happens your stress levels are reduced and your problem solving abilities increase. Remember all those ideas that come to you in the shower? It's the same things except a lot more powerful.
I advise against playing mobas or other immersive addictive games. I play rocket league in my breaks now, its great