a-dell

[a-dell]

im anxious because i have to take 24 credits while working

[a-dell]

Tablet and Studying

Hi! I'm Adel, a Food Technology student. Today, I'm gonna talk about how getting a tablet affected my grades and changed the way I study (completely).

So, I know that Ipads are kind of overhyped. Like, I've seen youtubers such as studyquill and fayefilms talks about overhyped study trend and Ipad is included in both videos together with things such as fancy stationary.

Coming from a childhood where I watch youtubers using fancy things such as sharpies, mildliners, and tombow brush pen (yes in my country sharpies are sooo expensive, they're very uncommon and for the price of 1 sharpie I can get like 10 regular markers) I used to think that I need those fancy things to recreate what they're making. Until I actually saved money and bought the exact same things, I still can't recreate it lmao. So I know that I don't need fancy things and I can just utilize what I already have.

A little background information, my GPA in 1st semester was hella good, it was 3.97. But then I had to take academic leave during my 2nd and 3rd semester to work full time. Coming back from 1 year of academic leave, I can say I forgot how to study :D My GPA falls to 3.56 real quick. It was drastic and I had a pretty bad mental breakdown, considering I used to have such high GPA.

The next semester, the grades were dropping again as the classes transitioned from hybrid into fully offline class + I am still working full time. I had a rough time trying to balance work and studying. My GPA was 3.33! However at this point I started to get chill about it, but I know I have to go back on track (my target is to maintain my overall GPA to be above 3.5).

During the 1st semester, I was studying at least 3 hours/day and it can go up to 12 hours/day during exam season. I utilized traditional note taking, but I do type down my notes sometimes. But mostly I use pen and paper. However, I can't continue this method of studying on my 4th semester because I am working full time. I have no time to write down my notes with hand, that's why I upgraded my laptop. I started typing all of my notes down. I also bought a pen tablet to handwrite organic chemistry answers (because handwriting on paper and digitalizing it during exam is sooo stressful, might as well get a pen tablet). But then this method isn't that useful since my grades were dropping.

So in the 5th semester I started to type out everything I hear during lecture and stopped using the pen tablet. At this time I stopped bringing pen and paper, I only bring my laptop. I only used the pen tablet once during the final exam and I don't feel the need to use it anymore, so I sold it. However this method also doesn't work for me because during class I would just open a bunch of games and started playing instead of listening to the lecture. So using laptop to study also not really helpful for me. My laptop is big and heavy so my back was hurting as well. At this point I know I won't be able to bring my laptop everyday to campus and I might need to buy a tablet. Not only for health reason, but this time I really need to find new method of studying since other digital methods are not working for me. I feel like tablet would also motivates me (but at this point I'm still not sure with this).

So, for my 20th birthday, I bought myself a Xiaomi Pad 5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. I wanted to get an Ipad so that I can use the goodnotes app, but I can't afford it. Learning from my past experience, I know I can still use alternatives to achieve the same thing (study, ofc). So I went for the cheaper version and hands down, this was the best big girl purchase I've ever made to this day. I started exploring different apps for note taking and eventually bought the stylus as well. I used to use Samsung notes on my laptop but I can't seem to install it in my tablet, so I use an app called Flexcil, which I recommend! I started writing down important notes directly on the lecture presentation. I record every lecture and started engaging in class whenever I can. At first, it was really hard because I'm not the type of person that likes "attention" in class and I don't like to raise my hand because people will look at me. I was scared of being judged. But after I started answering and asking questions to the lecturer, it became much easier for me to understand the material.

I mean I do play games sometimes during class and I don't feel like writing. In those days, I only record the lecture and highlight important points. I usually ask my friend for their notes on the day I don't feel like studying in class. I mean, there would always be good and bad days, right?

Fast forward to midterm exam, it became easier to study because all I have to do when reviewing is to read my handwritten notes. If there's anything I don't understand, I just simply replay the lecturer recording. I started asking my friend for tutoring and help. If none of my friend is able to help me, I will seek help from the lecturer. This helped me so much and my grades were going up like crazy. My GPA this semester was 3.92 (!!!).

It's really crazy considering I was going from 3.33 to 3.92, a 0.59 increase! Took me a while to find this method but I am grateful that I am able to make it work. My big girl purchase feels so worth it. Although I believe that this can be achieved by printing out the handouts and jot down notes using a pen, but a tablet definitely helped me so much since adding pictures and definitions is just one google search away.

I definitely did not expect that getting a tablet would change me so much. But yeah, it definitely gives me confidence boost and motivates me to study more. Making this type of digital note helped me focus (because I have to take down notes with stylus instead of typing) and understand the materials, making me able to engage with the lecturer during class. Being active in class helps me retain information better, resulting in better grades.

If you want to step up your studying game, you definitely have to try to engage during class because I really do think this was the biggest turning point in my studying life.

Prepare handouts before class (read if possible).

Take down notes directly during class (important points, don't forget to record the lecture to help during review)

Engage in class activities

Try to answer questions and ask if you don't understand (even if it means your lecturer has to re-explain the whole part, you can ask them outside class hours)

Get what you need to get in order to motivates you to study

Take care of yourself!! (eat good food, good sleep, drink water)

I hope my story can give you my point of view of using a tablet for studying.