A Message to Anyone Interested in a College Degree

December 11, 2008 by Haytham Education, Society
21 comments

Written by: A Medical Student in Dallas Texas, co-authored by Haytham Soliman (click here for bio)

Studying is an art and a science. Every person is different and no one is perfect. So, instead of preaching to you an idealistic studying technique that are widely reported in literature, we will try to present a semi-ideal way of studying along with some tips that everyone can relate to and implement.

Realize that with time constraints (you only have 24hrs a day), one must understand their goals and purposes in life. There is no doubt your immediate goal of studying in this â€œbroken college systemâ€ is to get an A in the classes that you are taking.Â Believe it or not, that A is the bottom line in any course, and it will define you as a candidate to any program, scholarship or job. Your purpose can vary a lot among courses depending on your level of interest, future benefits, and applicability. You might want to learn your human biology course really well if you are considering a career in medicine. You also might not care much about what you get out from your German Cinema course. However, donâ€™t forget your goal remains the same!

As we mentioned earlier, learning is a science within itself. There are many trusted scientific sources that describe in detail how you can go about determining your best learning style. Some people are visual learners, other auditory, kinesthetic, or fall within a healthy intermediate. It really helps to find that out since it will enhance your productivity. If you are already in college and never found that out, rest assured that many people go through college utilizing a learning style that doesnâ€™t fit them but still end up with a 4.0.They just work a little harder than others.

In college, each class runs in a different manner. For example, Engineering, Math, and Chemistry classes require lots of analysis and problem solving skills, whereas Biology courses require brute memorization. You have to understand the philosophy of each class before taking it. Some classes depend heavily on power point presentations, others on chalk talks, homework problems, books or even labs. You need to know which medium is used most to be able to study for a particular course. The most valuable resource for you, for this particular purpose, is students that have taken the same course before you. They can provide helpful information about how to study and what to expect on exams.

Now that we laid down the fundamentals of studying, weâ€™ll move into what we have found to work best for us during college. As a word of caution, remember that each stage of a personâ€™s progress requires a different style and approach.

1. A balanced schedule of semester hours is the main goal here. 15 credits is a good full time average. Try to always mix and match â€œmajor coursesâ€ with â€œCore/Electiveâ€ courses (3-2, 2-3). Taking too many major courses at the same time is more challenging and might cause you to take a hit on your GPA.

2. â€œPick a profâ€ was my guide for any course that I took in college. It provided many information. What is the Grade distribution for a given Class (10%A, 30%B etc…), How many exams are involved and what is their format (2 paper, 1MC vs 3MC exams), which professor is the better instructor. At the end of the day, the most important contributing factor to me was the % of Aâ€™s granted in each class. I delayed my second Intro to English class (freshman course) until my junior year just so I can take it with a professor who offered Aâ€™s to 90% of his class.

3. Old exams, quizzes and notes. Information is not always presented in class the same way they will be tested. It is very important to look at information for a Q/A perspective to further consolidate your understanding of the materials. Keep in mind that some professors will use some of the old questions from their old exams.

4. Study buddy. Its always good to take classes with people that you know and trust. This way, if you were sick for a day or 2, you can still get reliable class notes. Notice, I said study buddy, NOT study group. College study groups end up being an epic failure most of the time and you donâ€™t get anything done. It is also easier to control the tempo with a 2 people study group.

5. Plan your studying. I always look ahead a couple of weeks before the exam to check what kind of information I need to learn and how dense it is. It is usually to pace my self the week before the exam so I can cram appropriately. The lesson to be taken is to always plan ahead so you donâ€™t get caught in a situation where you donâ€™t know all the material before an exam.

6. Productive studying is the key. I would much rather spend 1 hour of solid studying a day versus 10 hours of not-so-solid studying. I always had friends in the library studying 5-6 hrs a day for a course that require 3hrs a day of studying and still not even passing. Only YOU know how focused you are while studying. 6hrs of studying with a 10 minute interval day dream about the girl you want to get engaged to every 5 minutes is not the best thing to do. You will end up being drained, feeling that you studied a lot (5-6hrs) but in reality not having accomplished 1 hourâ€™s worth of real studying.

7. Try to always do well on the first exam. It really is not nice to be pushing upwards throughout the entire semester. Establish a good cushion because you never know what might happen further down during the semester.

8. Try paying attention in class as much as possible and taking notes. It saves lots of time when you come to study it before an exam.

9. Regardless of how you study or when you study, make sure to have gone over the material at least 3 times before any given EXAM. (Yes, three (3) times)

10. Keep your books. Especially the Chemistry,Math, Engineering, etc..along with the notebooks any any handouts. You might (and prolly will) need them later on.

11. Set time aside for standardized exams such as MCATs, PCATS , LSAT, DAT …etc.Â Generally there are two methods that are followed. Either Â summer of sophomore year after you have finished all of the classes recommended for the exam, or spring semester of 3rd year. The summer of sophomore year is particularly advantageous since you have a lot of free time and the material is still pretty fresh. However, you will lose that summer. Spring of 3rd year is also good, but plan for a very light semester.

12. Look at your major requirements and try to obtain a degree plan from your counselor on your first semester.

13. Get active with your MSA. It helps attain some sort of a social life as well as networking with other Muslims.

14. Don't under any circumstances get any 8 or 9 am classes. Traffic is horrible going to school and you will go there late almost every day. So get your classes in the late morning or early afternoon. Also try to avoid classes that will get out around 4pm also because of the traffic going back home is not going to be too much fun.

15. Have a plan B just in case you dont make in to that “Professional” school that you want. That way you are not wasting anytime.

Finally, know this, in general, people with 4.0 GPAâ€™s are not really smarter than everyone else, they are just willing to work harder than everybody else.

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We challenge ourselves and our readers to engage in discourses that touch our lives as citizens of the West, while maintaining our individual Islamic identities: Ultimately to cooperate, but not to compromise.

ali

Salaam alaikum,

you could also add, NEVER SCHEDULE A CLASS THAT CLASHES WITH JUMA(Friday Prayer)….it will never be worth it!

May Allah swt make us competitive in knowledge of deen and dunya for His sake. ameen.

MS1….east coast boi!!!
http://haytham.wordpress.com haytham

Yea… I agree with you. I just thought that it was a given.
OsmanK

N.1 Rule: No one in the future will care about what classes you took so always take the EASIEST CLASS. A lot of people say to take what you find “interesting”, that’s pure BS, it will not help you at all. Easy classes are the way to go. A good way to get into Med is to take reqs for Major and then add only easy classes all over. There are 300 level classes which are a joke in every university, you just have to find out about them.
Anonymous

I agree with OSMAN,

I think the author mentions this a little bit in point number 2
Faiez

Finally, know this, in general, people with 4.0 GPA’s are not really smarter than everyone else, they are just willing to work harder than everybody else.

I have to disagree with you here. In order to get a 4.0/4.0 GPA, you need to have intelligence. Hard work may get you a B just because your not as smart as the fellow next to you. There is a level of intelligence that goes into getting a 4.0 GPA. I’m not saying that hard work won’t get you an A, but a lot of the time you need intelligence to get that 4.0. Hard work can only get an average individual so far…

Then again, undergrad is a joke compared to grad school :)

Asalaamu alaikum
http://haytham.wordpress.com haytham

Then again, undergrad is a joke compared to grad school :)

That I can testify to :D haha
OsmanK

have to disagree with you here. In order to get a 4.0/4.0 GPA, you need to have intelligence. Hard work may get you a B just because your not as smart as the fellow next to you. There is a level of intelligence that goes into getting a 4.0 GPA. I’m not saying that hard work won’t get you an A, but a lot of the time you need intelligence to get that 4.0. Hard work can only get an average individual so far…

Then again, undergrad is a joke compared to grad school :)

Asalaamu alaikum

Definitely not true in the Health Sciences/Premeds. Its unfortunate but this field has become a basic regurgitation of pointless biological facts that no student remembers a month later. Requires a lot of studying, that’s all.

Physics/Math/Chem I agree with you though, however, they are not as popular.
Nihal Khan

jazakam allahu khayr
Faiez

Definitely not true in the Health Sciences/Premeds. Its unfortunate but this field has become a basic regurgitation of pointless biological facts that no student remembers a month later. Requires a lot of studying, that’s all.

I guess that depends on what school you go to and who your teacher is.
http://www.organicmuslimah.blogspot.com Organica

As a newly graduate, I can attest that the information in this article is useful.
Random muslimah

I really agree with the point about taking notes in class – i’d go even further and say at least show up to class. I had friends who wouldn’t go to class regularly and then spend a week reading the textbook before the final. On the other hand i regularly went to class (even though i wasn’t always particularly engaged) and I still managed to pick up enough information so that I didn’t have to study the textbook so intensely.

As a 4.0 student myself, one piece of advice I would definitely add to the article is to establish a relationship with your profs/instructors – you can do this by participating in class and/or meeting with the prof. before/after class to ask questions or to discuss points brought up in class further. This worked out really well for me and i also got some great professional advice along the way. This shows your profs. that you take the class seriously and that you want to do well and are willing to go the extra mile to do so. For example, I was once taking a french lit. class and found myself struggling, although i usually did really well in french classes; i met with the teacher and sincerely asked her what i could do to improve and i started doing much better on my papers thereafter. I was a social science student – but i think the same might apply for other fields as well, Allahu A’alam.
http://www.organicmuslimah.blogspot.com Organica

“As a 4.0 student myself, one piece of advice I would definitely add to the article is to establish a relationship with your profs/instructors – you can do this by participating in class and/or meeting with the prof. before/after class to ask questions or to discuss points brought up in class further”

Good tip.

I liked to write a short note with a small present (mostly Egyptian bookmarks) to the professor at the end of the semester and after receiving my final grade. I have developed great relationships as a result (I am still in contact with many of my professors due to the small act of gratitude and respect!
UmA

Also never forget that a little negotiation with your prof never hurts if you’re not happy with your mark.
http://www.thesilentstorm.wordpress.com thesilentstorm

I thought I would mention, in response to some of the comments, that Intelligence has nothing to do with your GPA

—-

nice post, Alhamdulillah
Algebra

Aslalmu-alaikum:

Haythem:
I like MOST of your comments. I just wanted to add some suggestions. These suggestions are from a Biolgy, Algebra, and Chemistry teacher at a college…………… i hope you don’t mind………….
1. I suggest every student to go to the Career Center and take the different personality test, carrer test, skillls test. It is a great help for those students that think they want to take certain corses only because their parents wanted them to. Seriously, it is a great help in finding out one’s special gifts and skills.
that way one can get a better direction early on.
2. Eat Good food………….. there have been many studies done that nutritious food helps students score higher scores and think clearly.
I usually give my students this article when they initially come to learn and than i have to REMIND them again during SEMESTER EXAM week as well.
I am sharing the link with you guys…………………

3 http://health.yahoo.com/experts/joybauernutrition/19322/foods-that-make-you-smarter
4. Lastly, i know we are not suppose to talk about religion in a class room. but i kinda of sneak it in, only when my students ask questions i might suggest to them to PRAY for good grades and BENEFICIAL GUIDANCE.
salam
http://haytham.wordpress.com haytham

Just FYI for any body who writes lots of papers …. check this out http://www.dustball.com/cs/plagiarism.checker/
http://cookiesandcreem.wordpress.com Cookies

I like how it says “A message to my little highschoolers” in the link :).

JZK for the helpful info.
http://www.maniacmuslim.com AsimG

Here’s my question:

How does one deal with feelings of negatviity, being overwhelmed, procrastination and/or laziness?

There’s plenty of resources out there for this that are supposed to “inspire” students, but they only make me laugh due to the corniness.
I.e. 80/20, swiss chesee method and all other random junk.

I’d love if there was some sort of Islamic article loaded with ayahs, hadiths, sayings of sahabahs/tab’in/ and scholars.

Truly, this would be a great endeavor for MM to try to accomplish, but it should not be done with haste.
Anonymous

Assalamu Alaikum,

First of, this is a WHOLE different article by itself. And it truly is a real problem for everyone nowadays. I hope my opinion on this topic will be helpful to everyone.

I dont necessarily think that there is just one way to deal with laziness, procrastination, negativity or feeling overwhelmed. However, there are certain techniques that one can use in combination.

1. Dua : Allahuma inni A’ootho bika mina Alhammi wa Alhozn , wa Al’ajzi wa Alkasal.
اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن والعجز والكسل
2. Sleeping at a certain time and waking up at a certain Time. You should make an effort to get yourself used to this. Lets say sleeping every night at 11 and waking up at 6. This is beneficial because our bodies have biological clocks. If we do not really have a certain schedule, then that clock will always be off trying to adjust to the new sleeping system each day. This will give you feeling of weakness and laziness.

3. We are what we eat. There has been substantial amount of studies about this, and i do agree that most of us are guilty of this due to our lifestyle. However, at least try to eat healthy, and at set time intervals.

4. Plan your time around the 5 Salah’s. SubhanaAllah, its a perfect technique for time management and will allow you to pray on time as early as possible.

5. The trick to not be overwhelmed is definitely planning ahead. I find it really hard to study a 400 page book when I know my exam is in 4 days. It just sounds overwhelming when you think about it, and it makes me think that I don’t want to study period. Thus, what you should do is say I am going to study 100 pages a day. All of a sudden, this doesn’t sound as bad, right? Further you go ahead and tell yourself wait that means its only 20 pages between each salat? Now, this is such a piece of cake I feel like I can definitely do this. So as you can see, it is all about the psychology, how you can trick yourself into thinking its not overwhelming regardless if it is or not.

6. Plan free time. No one really likes to study, well at least not me :). Thus, I have a reward system going for myself. I tell myself, If I finish what I have to do today, then I get to go online on MuslimMatters :P.(not really)… If I do not, then its straight off to bed. I hope you catch the my drift though of the reward system.

7. A little nice HEALTHY competition does the body good. I found that I did best on classes when I had someone to compete with be it my sister (a lil sibling rivalry ;) , cousins or friends ). So, I would find a good friend who you know is a better student than yourself and stick with him when he studies. He will certainly rub off on you and you will get encouraged to study harder and keep up with the pace.
sacbutteredtoast

speaking of college:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/students/uncs-saad-wins-rhodes-scholarship.html
Roshan

THIS HELPED A LOT THANKS!

Haytham

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