Studying The Old-Fashioned Way by Madison

Studying The Old-Fashioned Way by Madison - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

When it comes to studying, there are a vast amount of different recommended study methods. The “Study Guide” sections in libraries and book stores often rival the fiction section because so many people yearn to know how to study better, and really, more accurately and effectively, in a shorter amount of time. In the “new age” of technology, however, I’ve discovered that fewer “new” and “modern” techniques best old-school studying, which has allowed me to thrive academically and improve my SAT scores.

During my first years of high school, I often became overwhelmed with the information and skill-level required in my classes, which was often reliant on my study habits. After trying a variety of different means from note-cards, to visual aids, to reading aloud, I realized one specific method proved true: sitting down with a book, reading the book, and writing whatever I felt important. In my science, for example, I often took notes from my textbook and then went back to re-read the textbook as I prepared for a test. This resulted in a year long A-average, including on quarterly exams that were intensive. As I currently study my fourth year of science, my grade is nearly a hundred because of this same study method that I use.

Academically, a student faces many forms of tests that are often arduous and intimidating. I have learned, however, that no matter the kind of test, it can be mastered through this same basic study habit. For example, before I began studying for my SAT, I pondered how to study for this unique test effectively. I chose to study as I would under normal test circumstances: I took an hour every day to sit down with my SAT book, read it, and write down whatever I felt important. Unlike many “modern” SAT books with “newer, improved” strategies, I still chose a basic, ginormous SAT book and worked through it slowly, page by page. This caused my SAT score to go up over one hundred points.

Not only does this study habit provide high performance on varying tests, but also allows for high retention of material as well. For example, my last SAT test was in December but I still recall the “strategies of fast elimination,” starting at answer choice C in the math section, and every five minutes transporting answers from the test booklet to the answer sheet. Each of these strategies I wrote down in my SAT notebook, which I used as I read the chapters. Having been four years since my last biology course, I can still remember the difference between meiosis and mitosis, the function of different organelles in a cell, and multiple forms of mutualistic symbiosis. This would not be possible if it weren’t for the single study habit of reading, writing, and re-reading that I used.

Although many books these days declare to posses better strategies than old, “mundane” studying methods, I find that the same old-fashioned study habits allow me to achieve high marks. I have taken numerous tests that have required a sizable amount of studying for varying subjects from math, to science, to government, to standardized tests such as the SAT. Because of my basic, consistent studying method of reading and then note-taking, I have been able to flourish in my tests and still recall information from each subject I study after I move on to new subjects. Without this study skill, I would not be doing well in my schoolwork, no matter what kind.