My Personal Studying Experiences

I have proudly told some of my jnrs that I ended my NUS Yr 4 semesters with all Ace except 1 B+ for all my modules. My true intention is really not trying to show off (there r a handful of others with straight Ace). But as promised to a few interested jnrs like chunkit, I am trying my best to analyse and share my experiences in overcoming the education system in NUS.

There is no doubt that most students in NUS are hardworking. Sad to say, hard work does not always pay. In fact, it din pay well for most ppl in NUS. I din do well in yr1 to 3 although i thot i was hardworking enough. But tats becos i have adopted the wrong studying style tat doesn suit the NUS system.

I used to study by myself in NUS yr1, adopting the studying style i used in O and A levels. I did okie for my yr1. In yr2 and 3, i studied with a very large grp of friends but without a standard 'formula'. We ended up talking and crapping a lot, and some of them did very well, some did very poor and i was quite average. But for all the 3 yrs, i have nv done my tutorials and did not follow closely to my lectures at all. I attended 100% of my lectures but day-dream most of the time.

It was in yr4 sem1, after attending 2 short retreats, that i came back to sch with a pretty focussed mind. I remembered for the first 3 weeks of my lectures, I could absorb and understand 90% of the things taught. However, as more projs and CAs came, my concentration dropped gradually and i began to have a hard time 'chasing' my lectures. Still, i ensured that i cleared all my prev lec notes before i attended the next set of lectures.

Throughout the sem, i would spend a lot of time in the lib reading, studying and understanding the lecture notes ALONE in the library. 2 weeks before exam time, I will begin studying with a small grp of frens, around 3 to 4 of us, to discuss and share wat we know and wat we duno. I learnt this from my law tutor tat studying can be broken up into the 4 scenarios:

1) You know what you know
2) You know what you duno
3) You duno what you know
4) you duno what you duno

The 1st case is of cos excellent. 2nd case not too bad, as least we know what are the areas we duno and we can go find out from friends (studying in grp). 3rd case is not too bad either becos afterall we still know the stuffs. 4th case often happen to most of us, we duno wat we r supposed to know, and ended up being killed in the exams. Dun u often experience that u thought u have already understood and grapse certain concepts fully, but its only after attempting the exams/quiz u found out that ur concepts are not clear! Thats why studying in grp helps a LOT in overcoming the 4th case!

I know this method may not apply to all, but i always see myself as person of only average intelligence. If i can study by myself alone, i wudnt need to go to sch to attend lects, tuts... cos all i need is to buy the notes, watch webcast, try past yr qns and go to take the exams, hoping to score As. Perhaps some simpler modules we can do that but as we advance into higher levels, deeper understandings is needed and we cant afford NOT to share and exchange our knowledge + understandings of concepts. Must study smartly.

Its jus like the analogy of a candle. Using ur own energy and determination, there s only a limit in which u can bright up a room. But if u were to share ur flame with the candles around u, together the whole room can be much brightly lit.

I used to wonder how come a few of my frens can consistently score so many A and A+ throughout their first 3yrs in NUS. Edward u shld know who they are. No matter how much effort i put in, i was always nowhere near them. Finally, i got a share of their secret formula.

SO jnrs, try it out for one sem!