the IVY LEAGUE SECRET to STUDYING EFFECTIVELY
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, the speaker, a Yale University computer science student, shares his expertise on achieving straight A's with effective studying techniques. He emphasizes the importance of deep work sessions, setting specific deadlines to avoid procrastination, and using active recall combined with spaced repetition for better retention. The speaker also discusses the significance of focus, minimizing distractions, and the benefits of waking up early for uninterrupted study time. Lastly, he stresses the power of setting clear goals for academic and personal success.
Takeaways
- 📚 Study Effectively: The speaker emphasizes the importance of studying smart rather than just spending long hours, advocating for a more efficient approach to learning.
- 🏆 Academic Achievement: The speaker has a history of academic success, from being a valedictorian to studying at Yale University, which serves as a foundation for his advice.
- 🔍 Active Learning: The speaker suggests that active recall, such as doing past papers and practice exams, is more effective than passive studying like re-reading notes.
- 🕒 Parkinson's Law: Setting specific deadlines can improve productivity and focus, as it prevents wasting time and encourages efficient studying.
- 💡 Deep Work: The speaker highlights the value of deep work sessions where one is completely focused on a single task, leading to better retention and understanding.
- 🚫 Avoid Procrastination: The speaker warns against the pitfall of passive studying, which can be a form of procrastination and not as effective as active learning.
- 🌟 Consistency Over Intensity: Consistently studying for shorter periods is more beneficial than cramming for long hours, which can lead to burnout.
- 🔄 Spaced Repetition: Combining active recall with spaced repetition, by studying over time rather than in one go, can solidify knowledge and prepare for exams.
- 📱 Minimize Distractions: The speaker suggests separating study time from leisure time and using distractions as rewards after focused study sessions.
- ⏰ Early Morning Productivity: Waking up early can provide a peaceful and distraction-free environment conducive to deep work and effective studying.
- 🎯 Set Clear Goals: Having clear goals for academic performance and other aspects of life can motivate and guide one's actions towards achieving those goals.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is to provide a no-nonsense guide on how to study effectively to achieve straight A's effortlessly.
What is the speaker's educational background according to the transcript?
-The speaker was a valedictorian in high school, had a 4.0 GPA while studying, and is currently a student at Yale University studying computer science.
What is the speaker's perspective on studying for long hours without breaks?
-The speaker believes that studying for long hours without breaks is not effective and can lead to burnout. They advocate for studying effectively in shorter, focused sessions.
What is the 'Parkinson's Law' mentioned in the video?
-Parkinson's Law is about setting goals and deadlines for oneself. It suggests that work expands to fill the time available for its completion, implying the importance of setting specific time constraints for tasks.
What is the speaker's view on passive studying methods like rewriting notes?
-The speaker considers passive studying methods like rewriting notes to be less effective and more of a form of procrastination rather than actual learning.
What is 'active recall' as described in the video?
-Active recall is a study technique where one actively tries to retrieve information from memory, such as by answering past paper questions or practice exam papers, which helps to ingrain knowledge effectively.
How does the speaker suggest combining active recall with another technique to enhance its effectiveness?
-The speaker suggests combining active recall with spaced repetition, which involves reviewing material at increasing intervals over time, to make studying more effective.
What is the importance of focus according to the speaker?
-Focus is crucial for effective studying. Without focus, one's study sessions can be unproductive, and distractions can significantly hinder the learning process.
What does the speaker recommend to manage distractions while studying?
-The speaker recommends setting specific study times without distractions and then rewarding oneself with leisure activities afterward. They also suggest waking up earlier for peaceful and distraction-free study sessions.
What is the role of setting clear goals in becoming an 'academic weapon' according to the video?
-Setting clear goals is essential for intentional deep study work sessions and becoming an academic weapon. It provides direction and motivation for achieving high academic performance.
What is the speaker's final advice for viewers who want to improve their study habits?
-The speaker advises viewers to follow the steps in the guide, work hard, and apply the study techniques discussed to become an academic weapon and achieve good grades effortlessly.
Outlines
📚 Mastering Effective Study Techniques
The speaker introduces the video as a guide to achieving straight A's effortlessly. They share their academic success, including being a valedictorian and having a 4.0 GPA, and mention their current studies at Yale University. The speaker emphasizes the importance of effective studying over long hours of inefficient study sessions and introduces the concept of 'deep work' sessions, which are periods of intense focus on a single task. They also touch on the idea of Parkinson's Law, which suggests that the amount of time spent on a task can be directly proportional to the time allotted for its completion, advocating for setting specific deadlines to enhance productivity.
🔍 Active Recall and Spaced Repetition for Better Learning
This paragraph delves into the specifics of effective studying techniques, advocating for active recall over passive studying methods like re-reading textbooks or rewriting notes. Active recall involves engaging with past papers and practice exams to reinforce learning. The speaker also introduces spaced repetition, a method where active recall is practiced over a period leading up to an exam, creating a 'muscle memory' effect. They discuss the importance of focus during study sessions, suggesting strategies to minimize distractions and the benefits of studying in the morning for a more peaceful and productive environment. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's belief in the power of setting clear goals for academic success and personal development.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Straight A's
💡Academic weapon
💡Study effectively
💡Parkinson's law
💡Deep work sessions
💡Active recall
💡Space repetition
💡Distractions
💡Focus
💡Goals
💡Balance
Highlights
Getting perfect grades doesn't have to be complicated. The speaker shares a no-nonsense guide on how to study effectively.
The speaker has always had good grades, being a valedictorian in high school with a 4.0 GPA, and is now a Yale University computer science student.
Studying effectively is more important than the amount of time spent studying, emphasizing quality over quantity.
The importance of deep work sessions for effective studying, as opposed to long hours of unfocused study.
Parkinson's Law is introduced, highlighting the relationship between time spent on a task and productivity.
Setting specific deadlines for studying can increase productivity and prevent wasted time.
Active recall as an effective study technique, involving doing past paper questions and practice exams.
Combining active recall with spaced repetition to reinforce learning and create 'muscle memory'.
The necessity of focus during study sessions, minimizing distractions for better retention.
Using distractions as rewards after completing study sessions to maintain motivation.
Waking up earlier can provide a peaceful and distraction-free environment for deep work.
The importance of balance between academics, health, and personal life for overall well-being.
Setting clear goals for academic success and personal development.
Visualizing oneself in the future can help in setting and working towards clear goals.
The speaker's belief in the power of having clear goals for leveling up in life.
Encouragement to follow the guide's steps and work hard to become an academic weapon and achieve good grades effortlessly.
Transcripts
foreign
if you clicked on this video because you
want to learn how to get straight A's
effortlessly you're in the right spot
getting perfect grades doesn't have to
be so complicated that's why in this
video I'm going to give you a no BS
guide on how to study effectively so
throughout my life I've always had
pretty good grades in primary school I
was a valedictorian in high school I had
a 4.0 GPA while studying Max 2 hours a
day and now I'm a student at Yale
University studying computer science and
over the years I've built enough
knowledge that you can call me like an
academic weapon and I'm not gonna lie
with you I am that guy in school I'm
that Asian boy who just happens to Ace
all his tests that Asian kid who just
happens to have like 100 different
interests 100 different Hobbies projects
programming debate music piano you name
it and I'm not trying to show off or
sound cocky but I probably spent the
least amount of time studying in my
class but that's because I learned how
to study effectively and now being at
Yale University and Ivy League
institution studying computer science
I'm surrounded by so many academic
weapons but guys I'm no different to you
I'm a student you're a student and we're
both trying to make it out I've tried it
all I've tried highlighting the Pomodoro
Technique making pretty notes flash
cards studying with friends you name it
and in my journey in being an academic
weapon I have learned a lot and what
I've realized is that you can actually
make studying simple and fun so whether
you're 13 years old or whether you're in
high school studying APS the IB or a
levels or whether you're a university
student this video will be valuable for
you because learning is something that's
extremely important for every single one
of us so you might as well become an
academic weapon now to make your life
more enjoyable
so the first thing you need to do is
change your broken monkey mindset I
often hear a lot of people saying stuff
like oh I studied for 10 hours a day or
I studied until 3 A.M yesterday and they
think it's a flex but honestly I don't
think it's a flex at all I don't know
about you but for me I would much rather
study two hours a day and still get the
same results if not better than the
student who studied like 12 hours a day
because what you need to realize is that
the time you spend studying does not
equal knowledge gained and it's the same
way like if you want to get shredded in
a gym you don't want to do like 20 sets
of 100 push-ups because your arm's gonna
die right you want to do three to four
sets of reps that are reasonable or say
you're trying to practice a piano it is
much better to practice 30 minutes a day
consistently rather than just like clip
out 12 hours in a single day because
you're going to burn out guys what's
most important is that you study
effectively the smartest students that I
personally know they understand the
principles of deep work so for example
one of my roommates Cody he took 20 APS
back in high school which is a crazy
amount if you know the American
education system and what I've learned
from him is the value of having deep
work sessions like study sessions where
you're completely focused on a task and
so your goal should be to become that
student who only needs one hour to
finish an Economics chapter whereas most
students would need a week
so now you might be thinking Colin how
do I study like what's the best way to
study the first law that I want you guys
to be familiar with is called
Parkinson's law and Parkinson's law is
about setting goals for yourself and
deadlines so let me give you an example
let's say you had math homework due next
week and you gave yourself one Saturday
to finish that entire math homework
because you gave yourself the entire day
to do your homework what ends up
happening is that you just waste so much
time during that day you're probably
going to end up working on your math
homework for like six hours when in
reality you only probably need like 30
minutes the point here is that if you
give yourself too broad or too long of a
lifespan to do something you're gonna
waste so much time so Colin what should
I do instead the next time you get an
assignment or the next time you decide
you want to study for a class try to set
deadlines for yourself in hours in very
specific hours let's say two hours to
complete this math preset and if you
write that down on your whiteboard or if
you write it on Google Calendar for
example You're Gonna Save so much more
time and now you will feel that when you
give yourself that time I'm constrained
you're like 10 times ultimately more
productive and worst case scenario if
you're not done with your map problem
sets by the end of two hours you can
always add more time but you cannot take
back time that you procrastinated with
you cannot take back time that you
wasted and that is the key difference
here also one thing to note is guys
don't be like overly unrealistic right
don't tell yourself I'm gonna finish 30
000 word essay in 15 minutes that's just
a complete BS but still give yourself a
little bit of a challenge and I promise
you that by the end of the deep work
session you will be happy and really
proud of yourself
so the second important part of this
video is answering the question how do I
study what techniques should I use most
students what they do is passive
studying so this looks like for example
just reading the textbook just rewriting
notes and trying to make it look
aesthetic and pretty and then at the end
of the day you're like
I'm done 10 pages of beautiful notes I'm
totally being productive nah in reality
you're really just like procrastinating
it may seem like you're doing a lot of
stuff but in reality you're really not
and guys I was once guilty of this too
now it's not to say that writing notes
are completely useless no it's not but
if your primary method of studying is
just rewriting notes from a textbook
then you're doing something wrong so
what should you do now what if the best
study techniques in my opinion is active
recall active recall looks like doing
past paper questions it looks like
searching for practice exam papers
online and just going through all the
questions one by one this in my opinion
is the most effective way to study and
do well for your exams because if you're
actively trying to take that information
from your head to answer questions soon
enough that knowledge is going to be
ingrained in your brain and most likely
your professor or your teacher is
probably going to repeat some of the
past exam questions maybe it's going to
be worded differently maybe the numbers
are slightly changed but the main
concepts are going to be the same and I
truly believe guys that if you study by
answering questions you will become an
academic weapon so that is active recall
but there's actually a way to make
active recall even more powerful and
that is by combining active recall with
space repetition and so basically how
space repetition works is that you're
doing active recall for a long period of
time so say for instance you're going to
have like a biology exam next month what
you want to do is for every week for
four weeks before the exam you want to
take as many practice exam questions as
you can and that way you're chipping in
your studying and it's almost going to
be like muscle memory by the time you
take your exam so this is probably the
best study method that I personally use
to get good grades
now I want to talk about Focus because
studying without Focus will bring you
nowhere nowadays there's like so many
distractions around us you have
Instagram Tick Tock Twitter Netflix you
name it and what most students do is
that they study while scrolling their
Instagram like every five minutes me
personally I like to separate my study
time from my fun time so this looks like
for example committing to study for 30
minutes without any distractions and
then afterwards I can check Instagram or
something like that guys you don't have
to go like complete monk mode and delete
other social media and things like that
but what you can do is instead tell
yourself okay after I'm done with my
math homework then I can watch that
Netflix show and so now you're shifting
your mindset into changing these
distractions into rewards for studying
hard and this is really good for you
because you're training the brain to do
hard things and to remove distractions
now another thing that I love to do is
waking up earlier so me personally I
really like waking up in between 5 30
a.m to 6 30 a.m but it's going to be
different for every person so say for
instance you normally wake up at 8am
maybe try to wake up at 7am and from 7
to 8 get some deep work sessions and I
personally find that in the mornings
it's usually very peaceful and quiet and
you can get that deep work pretty easily
also if you wake up earlier you're
normally not going to get your phone
buzzing all the time so you're more free
from distractions personally speaking I
would much rather get my work done
before dinner time as opposed to having
to study from like 10 pm until 2 A.M and
I'm a huge believer in balance and I
think that balance is very important
balance to academics health and to your
personal life and having fun so try to
get rid of distractions because two
hours of deep focus work is much better
than six hours of mid Focus work
the final thing I want to talk about is
setting goals for yourself I'm a huge
believer in setting goals for yourself
not just for grades but also in your
personal life also in your health also
in your ability to make money and learn
new skills so if you want to get
straight A's in school if you want to
get a 4.0 GPA make it clear to yourself
make it crystal clear that that is one
goal that you're trying to accomplish
because if you don't have goals clear
set in your mind then it's going to be
hard for you to do like intentional deep
study work sessions to become an
academic weapon and if you don't know
what your goals are or if you're trying
to make new goals for yourself the easy
way to do this is try to imagine
yourself in the next 10 years try to
visualize yourself and see who you want
to become so maybe for me in 10 years I
see myself completely jacked with a
six-pack so I reverse engineer that goal
and I create activities centered around
achieving that goal and I promise you
guys if you have clear goals you're
going to level up in life so that's
gonna be it for this video I hope you
guys got lots of value from it I have
full confidence that if you follow the
steps in this guide and you work hard
you will become an academic weapon and
you'll get good grades effortlessly my
name is Colin and I make videos on
college self-development and high
performance so if you want to be part of
my journey stay tuned make sure to like
this video and smash that subscribe
button down below God bless the hustle
we're all going to win one day and I'll
see you in the next one
foreign
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