Circle of Death by Adriana

Circle of Death by Adriana - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

After having tried study method after study method and not really gaining much from them, I finally came upon one that worked for me. I think different people have different forms of studying depending on what works for them. The study method I tried is something I like to call 
“the circle of death.” It sounds kind of scary but it really worked for me. What I do is make notecards after lecture just because it is all fresh in my mind and then I surround myself with notecards and make a circle of them around me. I go through each one, answering the questions or defining words or phrases. If i don’t get it right, I put it back down and move on. If I do get it right, I take it out of the circle. I go through them until I know all of the notecards. Sounds pretty simple, however, I do not allow myself to leave the circle until all of the notecards are gone. I’ve done this with anywhere form 15 to 200 notecards, taking anywhere from 10-6 hours.

This method has worked for me in different ways. By writing out the notecards the night of, I can remember everything that was said in lecture, and I find it to stick with me more and I am able to understand it better as well. By surrounding myself in notecards and not allowing myself to leave until I know it all has helped me to not give up. It also assures me that I know each concept extremely well.