Better way of studying physics

[bolzano95]

Hello!

I would really appreciate some advice on my current situation related to studying physics. I am an undergraduate student, just finishing my first semester at uni.

For the first semester I was learning like in high school: came home, went through taken theory, made homework and if I had some unresolved questions or problems, took a little bit more time for the specific subject and that was it. Went to school and got top mark and moved on.

While at university this doesn't work at all. For the last 4 months I was doing everything the same like description written up.
I studied theory until I understood it completely and made 1 or 2 problems myself. That was it, because I had to move on and study other subjects. Also, when I reviewed the same things I was studying a week later it was just like I didn't study them at all. Forgot all derivations, proofs. I asked some older students for some tips and they said I'm doing things totally wrong. I should do problems first and then a week before oral exams, study theory. But how do I do this if I don't even know theory? And now I'm 1 week before all my oral exams and it is just overwhelming how much things there are. Even if I take things step by step, I won't be able to pass those exams. So here I am, freaking out: How am I going to pass my classes?

I would really like your suggestions and advice. I am struggling so hard on my own. I am determined to make some changes. I found a student who is willing to help me with solving physics problems and it really shows what I know and where I am still missing things. For example, when I was doing problems today, I forgot an equation for something, but I knew that I can derive it, just like my professor did it at class. I failed big time. I didn't even know how/where to begin. It really frustrates me that I don't remember basic things. Am I even smart enough for physics?

I have really big passion and appreciation, it really inspires me. I always cheer up other students and they think I am crazy, because even if there are tough times, I always come to lectures fresh and seeking new knowledge, even if I don't understand it.

But I have to change my way of studying. Therefore I would appreciate you advice and suggestions. Please be honest what you think about my situation!

 

[Stephen Tashi]

It's interesting that you have oral exams as first semester student. Are you studying in the USA? What specific physics courses are you taking?

Also, when I reviewed the same things I was studying a week later it was just like I didn't study them at all. Forgot all derivations, proofs.

Before deciding on a new method of study, try to diagnose the cause of the forgetfulness. Some possibilities

1) Your initial comprehension of the material was superficial. Perhaps it relied too much on pure memorization.

2) You are suffering from a general anxiety and perhaps also trying to process a lot of information that is unrelated to physics.

3) You have a physical illness that interferes with your memory.

4) You have outstanding lecturers. This can a cause the phenomena of being comfortable with a topic (because the lecture makes it seem obvious) and later having difficulty reconstructing the logic used in derivations.

It always useful to study with someone else. It's probably more useful to be in the position of having to explain a topic to someone than to be a questioner.

 

[Choppy]

I think you're on the right track in your sense that it's important to understand the theory behind what you're doing before you start blindly tackling problems. But that said, I think sometimes students can get caught in the trap of reading the material, feeling like they understand it, and then moving on to the next thing, without having really worked with it.

You identify (and improve) weaknesses in your understanding by working through problems... lots of them... with feedback.

It's when you work through the problems and get to those tricky questions that you don't know what to do with at first that the real learning happens. You learn when you struggle, when you try to look at a problem from different angles, when you try to figure out where this problem fits in the bigger picture of the subject matter of the course. And when you finally have those eureka moments, they solidify the material the problems draw on a lot more than in cases where you know the answer right away.

Another way to look at it is skill development. It's not enough just to "know" what you're doing. You need to develop skill with each concept. And skill comes with practice. As and example, I could explain in detail the biomechanics behind an assortment of judo throwing techniques to you. You could study them in detail, understand everything about establishing a grip, forcing your opponent off balance, the correct position of your feet, hips, body, and what direction to pull to execute, but still until you actually practice doing all of this many, many times, you won't actually be able to throw anyone. It's very similar with problem-solving in STEM subjects.

 

[Drakkith]

Also, when I reviewed the same things I was studying a week later it was just like I didn't study them at all. Forgot all derivations, proofs. I asked some older students for some tips and they said I'm doing things totally wrong. I should do problems first and then a week before oral exams, study theory. But how do I do this if I don't even know theory?

I suppose the idea is that you will learn the theory while solving the problems. That's how I did it. I would quickly go over the material I was working on and then start on the problems. If I got stuck, then I reviewed the material again and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. I won't say this is the absolute best way of going about it, or that you'll get any benefit out of it, but that was how I got through my classes.

And now I'm 1 week before all my oral exams and it is just overwhelming how much things there are. Even if I take things step by step, I won't be able to pass those exams. So here I am, freaking out: How am I going to pass my classes?

First step: realize that performing poorly on a single exam is not a game-ender. If it was, I'd have been kicked out of college my very first semester. Failing an exam means that you need to work to determine where and why you're having problems, which is what you're already doing, so I applaud you for that. It also means that you'll probably need to work a bit harder than the students who didn't have problems in order to catch up. Beyond that, a single poor grade is mostly meaningless. It won't ruin your academic career and it doesn't mean you're stupid or not suited to physics.

I would really like your suggestions and advice. I am struggling so hard on my own. I am determined to make some changes. I found a student who is willing to help me with solving physics problems and it really shows what I know and where I am still missing things. For example, when I was doing problems today, I forgot an equation for something, but I knew that I can derive it, just like my professor did it at class. I failed big time. I didn't even know how/where to begin. It really frustrates me that I don't remember basic things. Am I even smart enough for physics?

One of the challenges in college is to "learn what you can learn" under a buttload of stress, pressure, and time constraints. You might not be able to learn every derivation of every equation in every class, so you'll have to figure out which parts you can learn and which parts you can't.

One thing my buddy told me the other day was that he often felt very stupid in his classes. He would always see other students around him that didn't seem to be struggling and appeared to just "get" everything the first time they went through a lesson. He said that he eventually realized that many of these students had such an easy time because they were repeating the class for the 2nd time.

I'm not saying that your classmates are like this, I'm just mentioning it because I think it's important to understand that you rarely know why someone is doing well or poorly in a class. So don't be too harsh on yourself if you're not near the top of your class. And conversely, don't look down on those students who just don't seem to get it. You never know why they're having problems.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Before deciding on a new method of study, try to diagnose the cause of the forgetfulness.

This.

 

[bolzano95]

Studying in Europe, taking Basic Physics course.
1. I think this is definitely one of the reasons. I do have not so good basic knowledge from high school and I'm trying to cover it up+ get through college material.
4. I definitely have outstanding lecturers. I was discussing this with my other professor and even he admitted that listening to this lecturer is not for every person. How can I get over it? I imagine standing in his office explaining physics and ... it's just like I'm drawing in my non-knowledge.

I will definitely keep in the back of my mind explaining a topic to someone else. I haven't been doing this and I'm definitely going to try out. Plus I think it will give me a great feedback of what do I actually know.

Really appreciate your help!