Work Smarter, Not Harder

            

                Entering the university and adapting to the university system and culture is always a difficult task for the 1st year batches in all the faculties despite the degree they are following. During A/L times our school teachers, tuition class teachers provided us with almost everything we needed for us to excel in our exams. But in the university education system we are only provided with guideline to follow and the most part of the learning should be done by us. 

            So as a first-year student who struggled a lot in adapting myself to the university education system, I thought of sharing the things I know, things I was taught, and the things I discovered with you as they might help you to ease your upcoming academic years.  If you know the way you can work smart and much more efficiently. If the exams are a war, this is preparing to the battle time. So ready your weapons, practice sword skills, bow skills. Get ready for what’s to come.

Lectures

                I know some people may think that why should we attend a lecture, we can just get the lecture slides and take a printout. Not only the lecture slides but also the things that the lecturer says and the things he stresses on, those things we can’t get from the slides. And they are the ones who create questions for the exam. By attending the lecture we can get an idea about from this part what are the possible questions we can get in the exam.  So never hesitate to ask questions and never miss an opportunity to ask a question. we should mainly focus to the lecture content. Why? Because we are not being prepared for an exam. We are getting prepared for a job. To be a professional and to do a job. So, what the lecturer is giving is the most essential things that we should be aware of when we are doing our job.

Practical

            In university level, practicals are  a huge part in the examinations. So never miss a practical session. As we keep a note collection for our lectures, keep a note collection for the practicals too. For an example to histology, make your own power point presentation which include an ideal microscopic slide of it and the structures of it, how to identify it, where can we find it as those are the things which will be asked in the exam. And label the equipments you find in your practicals. Identify the different components and their functions.

Assignments, Tutorials and Quiz 

            Facing tutorials and assignments are like getting the exam questions before the exams. So, whenever you are writing a tutorial or an assignment , write down a perfect answer for that and keep those with you as when its near  the exams, you can just read them. Not only the assignments and the tutorials, any question material which is given by the lecturer, write a complete answer and keep it with you. 

Past Papers

 

                 I wish I knew how I can emphasis the importance of past papers in some other way. Even though in the new syllabus they tend to ask new type of questions they'll still be focusing on the theory parts which they have asked in the past papers. So, after a lecture, check out past papers related to it. And keep a question - Answer past paper book with you. When it’s near to the exam you can just study that book.

Note Making

            Your Note is the one that will help you to keep what’s important in your memory. Keep your note as short as possible. Don’t add a word if that’s not important for the exams. When its near to the exam if you are unable to read all the notes before the exams then your notes are a failure.

      We are fundamentally more focused on what we see than what we listen, feel, taste or anything. So, make notes as you can get a photographic memory out of them. Add pictures, diagrams, illustrations, flow charts, tables and more.  

          These are two of my favorite YouTube channels which are Armando Hasudujan and Medicos perfectionists. The reason I like them is because of their teaching pattern and also their illustrations. They make you want to see them. Isn’t that what a note should be. Something that make you want to read them. So, make your notes like that.

         These are called mind maps. As you can see rather than all these details are in point order its much easy to remember this kind of thing and also recall it whenever you need them. 

Reference Books 

                  If you want to buy reference books, which in my field, the medical books, you can always order them online.  

        But I know that it’s your money and your book,but the government becomes debt in millions to another country to provide us these books. And also, even if you are financially okay to purchase them, there are some students that it’s only a dream. So, if you can donate your books to a library, from that book thousands more students can get benefits from it. So, I kindly request you to use books as in another person can also use this after you. 

International and Regional Editions of Books

          These books are origin from the developed countries like US or UK the price in those countries are too much for lots of countries. So, the publishers issue regional editions for books like south Asian Editions. These books are low in price but also lack some of content and the book’s quality is low.

           They also issue an international edition which is in affordable price to most of the global countries. These international editions are expensive than our south Asian Editions. Also the International editions’ content is almost equal to the US/UK editions. So, if you can when you are about to buy a book, if its affordable to you always purchase the international editions.  

            But keep in mind that not all the publishers issue their international editions to the South Asia. For example, Wolters Kluwer, who publish the Grant’s atlas, Langman’s medical embryology, Snell’s clinical neuroanatomy, Moore’s clinical anatomy and so, don’t sell the international edition in south Asia. They only issue the South Asian Editions to this region.

University Main Library

             Peradeniya university library network is considered as the oldest and the largest university library networks in Sri Lanka. It consists more than 300, 000 books. An amount of book which unable to finish reading within a life time. Though I don’t believe in the concept of knowledge is power, knowledge can be a pathway into wisdom. Which is the true power.  After passing out as graduated we won’t get a chance to use this majestic resource. So, while we are here, take advantage of these resources we are inherited to. 

Medical and Dental Libraries

            Combining the medical and dental faculty libraries, average of 22 000 books are  included and almost every single book we need are available. 

Amazing Amazon

            If you want to know the latest editions of a certain book you can search in Amazon.com and if the search item isn’t the latest edition when you scrolled down you can see as it the picture it says " View newer edition ". 

             And if you are thinking about importing a certain book through a bookshop you can calculate the price of that book in the Amazon and adding Rs: 2000 – 3000 to it. It’s nearly the price you have to pay minus the deliver cost.        

 

Z - Library

                 This is the most important site to a university student in a poor country as you can get almost every eBook you need very easily. But whenever you  are to download a book always check the page number. As in the image, if it’s like a number/ number( in this image its1180/1234) don’t download it as its format is deformed. Try an alternative.

Learning or studying?

                Don’t stop from just making a note. Studying it. Learn it. Have a vast understanding about it? Always have that knowledge and understanding in your mind. Then you’ll see what we learn as preschool things. That’s learning. But when it’s near to the exam don’t try to learn. Then it’s time for studying. But if you have done the learning part before it. It'll be much easier for you. 

 

Concentration

                    When you are reading this there might be other sounds around you. But did you get a thought about them? No. And if somebody asked you about the sound that were there on that time do you have a memory about it. Nope! And why? Because you weren’t focused on it at that time. So, concentration is the main thing for memory. Whenever you are studying keep your concentration at it. 

 

Meditation                    

            Even though you study in the most perfect environment in wouldn’t matter if your mind is not there. We are what we practice us to be. So, train your mind to stand still. Don’t let your mind to ruminate around. Always be mindful. Always be aware of what you do, say and think. 

    The best way to practice our mind to be still is meditating because it itself the goal is training our mind to stay still.

Examination

                           The examiner usually tries to put a phrase that seems like right in the 1st MCQ question phrase. So, if we read it and decide that it’s correct, we are goanna see all the other phrases as false. So, start from the last or a middle one. It’s much safer. 

                        In SAQs never keep the paper empty. Even write a lie to fill them. Write something. Why? when the examiner takes the paper if an empty paper is what he sees he s goanna check the paper with a negative mind. But if you have written something he may change your 49 /100 to 50/100 as he’s checking your paper with a positive mind and also you have written something so he can pick some marks somehow.

Naveen Gamage

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