Study to Success by Ismael

Study to Success by Ismael - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

A big part of my life as a teen is school. It might not have been the best thing at times but it's the easiest way to success. I had to eventually figure out how to study if I wanted to succeed to the standard I set for myself. It had to be effective but not frustrating, efficient but not boring or a pain. It had to be something which I could do and not be bothered to follow through. The method I developed for my personal learning style is categorized in three different steps: learn, review, and quiz. These steps are essential and crucial to success.
The structure of my learning method starts with attempting to learn the most important material I didn't fully understand or I just didn't know. This step has to be first, since I don't want to overload with information or in depth details that will most likely not be in the exam. Otherwise, if I do this step later, I won't be as concentrated and I will most likely forget when taking the exam. Also I will have to take notes of the overall picture. I don't ever zoom in and try to figure out every single detail otherwise I will get things confused and somehow Hitler and Napoleon both started the Mexican-American War in Asia(in other words, I will get things mixed up).
The second step is to watch videos on YouTube about the subject. I will never watch an in depth video. I will watch the overview and see how events, formulas, or information connects. I will try to find as many patterns possible. These patterns sometimes might seem dumb but it really doesn't matter as long as they help you remember the information. (One example is Napalm Strike. Napalm has the word palm. A palm tree catches on fire. Napalm Strike was used in Vietnam to burn trees in order to stop enemy soldiers from hiding in the thick forests.) Again, it might not make sense if you attempt to explain it to others but if it helps you remember, make as many connection as possible. The more connections you have the greater the possibility of you remembering on the test.
The third and final step is to quiz myself. I won't have a multiple choice or true or false quiz. I quiz myself on the patterns I have created. This step is quit odd for it make little to no sense. Why would anyone quiz their self in something that isn't in the exam? Isn't that overloading information that is unnecessary? No this step is as crucial as the other two steps. If you can't make studying a little different, you have failed and will most likely be better off just reading the review book. This method structure is meant to keep you interested and make it as fun/ creative as possible. If you try to remember something that was told to you compared to a story you made up, odds are you will remember your story with more detail than the story you were told. In other words, you will remember things even more if you relate the information to yourself. We relate the information by making patterns/ creating your own patterns. Patterns will always lead one detail to another. (1 leads to 2, 2 leads to 3, and so on.)
All in all, this study structure was designed for one who is a visual and interactive learner. I see the information and interact with it by making my own patterns. This method will obviously not work for all but for the ones who relate to this learning style, this method will lead them to success. If you make study different and a little exciting you will succeed in any exam no matter how crazy or odd your method is.