The process of studying was something I never had to become familiar with. As being a so-called “gifted child” throughout elementary and middle school an overbearing amount of effort to receive straight A’s was not necessary. Whether it was for my most hated subject of math to my favorite subject of English, I thrived academically without the need to study.
My junior year of high school approached. Consequently, it hit me like a truck. My classes weren’t all about memorization anymore, but also the application of concepts. After a few weeks of taking AP classes and more rigorous courses, studying quickly became a necessity.
Although, first things first…how do you even study? I didn’t learn any study skills during my 10 full years of education. So, even if I wanted to, I didn't know how. Cornell notes? Flashcards? Quizlet? Who knows.
Not really experiencing immense amounts of academic challenge for the past few years, feels more like punishment than a reward at the moment. So, I experimented. I re-read and restudied class material, but it wasn’t very challenging. My brain didn’t absorb the information either. If anything, it was just boring and frustrating.
Coming back to in-person learning from the torture of online learning was a revelation in and of itself. In my Spanish and math classes, they allowed notes on tests and quizzes as they couldn’t monitor whether students were cheating or not. So, when it came to taking tests in person I had no material to rely on, other than the facts I drilled into my head the night before.
I now realize that studying has its benefits. Tests do become significantly easier if you do study. Effectively of course. I only see such a difference as I receive higher scores and finish my tests faster if I study beforehand. I also realized that there’s not a single way to study. I study differently for all 5 of my classes. Deep down, I wish I could’ve stayed a “study-free” student, but I am also relieved that I’ve learned an important skill that will continue to help me throughout the next few years of reaching a higher education.
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Hi Kristina,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and it's so relatable. And like you said about not learning study skills is so true, we are just taught to be able to do well on the test and to generically study but no specific methods. But when school does suggest study methods they are not really applicable to many students because we all study differently even for different classes. Also after a year online we now are totally switching our routines and especially as a junior which is supposedly the hardest year we have to now get our study methods down for the future. Great work!
Hi, Kristina! I do relate to you; I was also considered a "gifted child," and I've observed that gifted children struggle when they get to college and high school. They haven't developed study methods like everyone else, and then when they do poorly on tests for the first time in their lives they feel like failures and it can lead to mental health issues. It is a struggle, and it does say something about how the school system is flawed. Thanks for sharing! :)
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