[ummm]

(Original post by rambo94)
i wouldn't consider myself a 'super student' but i recently got an offer to study medicine so if its someone like me your wondering about i always enjoyed learning new things and developments in science, when i was young, and still now which means i read quite a bit about science and still do. also my parents encouraged me to study from a young age which i think helped me in the long run. i also enjoy puzzles and iq tests etc. which makes it a lot easier to find patterns. i see maths and chemisty equations and theories as a series of patterns. biology requires more memory but i still see patterns. i dont have a good long term memory but in psychology we found that i had a better than average short term memory because i could recall 11 digits after they had been read out (the average is 7+/-2 digits) which could have come from studying as a child. Also, with revision i find that explaining things that ive learnt to people and doing past papers to apply my knowledge helps things go in and stay there.

What do you mean by 'patterns'? Explainnnn your secretsss!

[see-are]

It's a combination of a lot of things

genetics - I personally find it easy to understand a lot of what I learn at school, and once it's properly understood it's much easier to memorise

motivation - if you revise in the state of mind that I NEED to know this (in my case this could only be achieved by leaving revision quite late) and not like "I should probs know this" then you will learn it better - pressurise yourself

technique - loads of people don't know how to revise! It's different for everyone but one universal rule is that it should be made as enjoyable and easy as possible (I listened to music, had my favourite snacks at hand etc etc) so you can bear to do it rather than those people who tortuously copy out pages and pages of notes

edit - I'm not saying I'm a super student I just know how to pass exams!

[INTit]

(Original post by ummm)
What do you mean by 'patterns'? Explainnnn your secretsss!

It's hopeless hes simply super human. 11 digits is an outrageously good short term memory assuming hes not using any memory tricks like the 'memory palace'.

[ummm]

(Original post by INTit)
It's hopeless hes simply super human. 11 digits is an outrageously good short term memory assuming hes not using any memory tricks like the 'memory palace'.

What the hell is the 'memory palace', hahahha?

[POWCATTY]

(Original post by non)
doctors will hate this you said something bad about them.

im going to med school and im not offended. ive often thought the same thing though. personally....i think i just have a good memory, i remember most stuff from lessons if they are taught in the right way (normally the teacher talking and me taking notes as they do so). i also have a very visual memory so i remember a lot of stuff based on where it is and what page/paragraph it is in the book, and i like diagrams i dont try to, ive just found this is what my brain does - when trying to remember a particular fact my brain turns to the right page etc. but i have utilised this a bit and started to colour code my notes and make spider diagrams with key phrases and stuff.
its not just about memory though, i find certain subjects very easy to understand (any sciences) - most of the time i dont need to study them because i understand and remember it from class.
on the other hand im god-awful at english. i dont know if its down to bad teaching or if its just me, but gcse english i really struggled with. now i can really understand what people feel like when they are lost or dont understand something. in most cases it just takes time to go through the topics at your own pace and starting from an appropriate point (you might be starting too far in, for example).
as for being a doctor, yeah its pretty much memorising stuff, but theres sooo much to learn that theres no way to memorise it all, therefore an understanding of biology, chemistry etc comes into play so that you can link everything together and draw conclusions without necessarily knowing all the facts. and dont forget that you need AAA/A*AA to even be considered for the course.
tbf i do sort of like studying. i like knowing stuff and being able to link stuff up in my head. i did quite a bit for a levels - when we had study leave i did about 6/8 hours a day. sounds bad, but honestly its just the way i study. i cant do 30 mins then take a break...my mind only gets really active after about 1 - 2 hours, then i just keep going till i start to loose focus.

i do think its partly down to genetics, but also upbringing and personal choices. once youve chosen/found your subject its just a case of practising and finding the best and easiest way for you to study and remember stuff (it takes years to figure all this out....it took me till the end of A2 lol!) i dont think im a super student though lol!

ohh sorry for the essay :/

[rambo94]

(Original post by ummm)
What do you mean by 'patterns'? Explainnnn your secretsss!

well for example in chemistry if two molecules with OH groups react then i can be 99% sure that H2O will be released and an ester formed. i can visualise the reactions taking plaace in my mind.

with maths its a bit harder to explain but if you had 3x^2 + 2x then i can see that it would be x(3x+2).

[Tirrany]

I've just found myself to be really good at maths since I was 4 or 5!

I think it's got a lot to do with genes (obviously).

Furthermore, as a child, I used to spend HOURS lining up my toy cars, counting them, rearranging them in shape, all the usual fun activities.
I believe that they also had an impact.

[LordJenkins]

(Original post by ummm)
What the hell is the 'memory palace', hahahha?

Im not sure either, but i recently decided to create my own memory system for remembering numbers in sequence. Basically, every number from 0 to a 100 has a picture and an action. So i could recall many many numbers called out in a set amount of time.

Not really gonna make a super student though, just for fun!

[rambo94]

(Original post by INTit)
It's hopeless hes simply super human. 11 digits is an outrageously good short term memory assuming hes not using any memory tricks like the 'memory palace'.

i wouldnt say im super human but i think that every time you study or do things involving your mind like play chess or do a puzzle, if you do it until your head 'hurts' then your memory gets a little better. well thats my theory anyway!

[de_monies]

(Original post by LordJenkins)
It isnt like the intelligence that we see in the Newtons, and the Steve Jobs's.

Thanks

Just saying that Steve Jobs wasn't a genius. Dennis Ritchie was a genius, Steve Wozniak is a genius but Steve Jobs isnt

[garfeeled]

personally i think that some people are are born with a brain that works that way. Maths is my best subject so my brain works with numbers and such **** so i boiled down my other subjects to a formula thingy, which sounds so sad, and i ended up getting and A* in english and french when i was predicted a d in both

[ummm]

(Original post by rambo94)
well for example in chemistry if two molecules with OH groups react then i can be 99% sure that H2O will be released and an ester formed. i can visualise the reactions taking plaace in my mind.

with maths its a bit harder to explain but if you had 3x^2 + 2x then i can see that it would be x(3x+2).

For the maths example, would you be able to see that instantly, without even thinking about it at all?

[LordJenkins]

(Original post by rambo94)
i wouldnt say im super human but i think that every time you study or do things involving your mind like play chess or do a puzzle, if you do it until your head 'hurts' then your memory gets a little better. well thats my theory anyway!

Rambo, some really nice information you posted here, thanks. You have been accepted to study medicine? NICE job! What would your main advice be for someone who had the same ambition? From studying, social activites, all the way to the interivew? What do they looks for most in a potential Doctor?

[LordJenkins]

(Original post by garfeeled)
personally i think that some people are are born with a brain that works that way. Maths is my best subject so my brain works with numbers and such **** so i boiled down my other subjects to a formula thingy, which sounds so sad, and i ended up getting and A* in english and french when i was predicted a d in both

Sad? No... What ever works for you, its cool. When you look at a maths problem, how is it that you work through it, and find the solution?



Now what the formula thingy?!

[cyfer]

Don't kid yourself.

There is no secret technique to anything. It's just hardwork.

You won't want to admit it, but one day you may.

EDIT: This applies for memorisation subjects. Not Maths.

[jaydeedonuts]

natural aptitude + parental upbringing.

for me especially in terms of maths, i found myself studying maths gcse content at age 9/10 at a study thing called kumon. despite the fact i hated the copious work i aced all the exams and simply.. i could just do it.

i think personal traits come into play, i am determined to succeed in every single thing i do, be it exams, fifa (division 1 on online seasons ) to life in general. failure is not an option.

studying medicine come september woop woop.

[SparksInTheSky]

I'm probably not a "super student" but I did do very well at school. For most people who did well, it came down to hard work, motivation, and having a good start in life. Most were doing very well at 11, maybe because they had a supportive background, read lots of books, whatever. Then they ctd to work very hard because they had a natural ambition to be the best (perfectionism). For me I actually have a really bad memory but fortunately when it came to exams I had the self-motivation to sit down and revise really hard. You have to be prepared to sacrifice some of your social life too - have a long term perspective and see the gains of working hard now. Coping well with exams is useful, keeping up with current affairs is good, having an inquisitive mind is good too.

There are some people who are literally whizz-kids, I know a few of these and they do just seem to have a knack of getting things really quickly, or a super-memory or something, but they work as hard as the rest of us.

[rambo94]

(Original post by ummm)
For the maths example, would you be able to see that instantly, without even thinking about it at all?

pretty much but im doing a2 maths now and also working through sooo many peroblems helps you to just 'see' it.

[cyfer]

(Original post by atayi1234)
natural aptitude + parental upbringing.

for me especially in terms of maths, i found myself studying maths gcse content at age 9/10 at a study thing called kumon. despite the fact i hated the copious work i aced all the exams and simply.. i could just do it.

i think personal traits come into play, i am determined to succeed in every single thing i do, be it exams, fifa (division 1 on online seasons ) to life in general. failure is not an option.

studying medicine come september woop woop.

My friend did kumon. He ended up way ahead of others but it pushed him to be a human calculator rather than an actual thinker.

From what I've seen of my friend, I wouldn't recommend jumping the gaps like kumon. Try to advance your mind in other ways e.g. Maths Challenge, Maths lectures (the Ri hosts a series of progressive ones)

[Supermassive_muse_fan]

Use logic.


Once you understand how the mechanism works, you can apply it do different circumstances. There is no way you could memorise 5 years worth of medical knowledge. What you do is learn how and why things happen, and then modify that to different variables such as different disease states or normal physiological differences.

Also academia comes easily with being naturally curious and inquisitive. I've always had an interest in learning why things happen.