Click on the bubble or question below to discover tips from other McGill students about motivation, environment, and other techniques to support your learning!

 

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How do I choose a study space?

I find focusing is a lot easier when I am in a different environment. Putting myself in a room that is not my own like the living room or the kitchen, or sometimes at a friend's house helps me to feel in a better mental state since I am getting out of the house.
Arts — Undergrad

Something I have found works for me is to set up my station in a way where I won't need to get up for anything. Have a snack, headphones, books, etc. all ready for when you need to sit down. I also set up my station in a way that will make me feel comfortable and more engaged. For example, I light a candle, have inspirational photos on the wall, etc. With the candle specifically, I find if you continuously study to one scent for one topic it helps you get in the mindset for it.

Law — Undergrad

Setting up my workspace so that it has everything I need for a focused study session before jumping in: tea, snacks, clean and clear surface, notebooks, pens, agenda, etc.. Making sure I've got my background music ready to go as well and sharing with the people I live with that I'm going to be concentrating for the next hour (sticking "Please do not disturb sign" on my door; sharing my Google calendar with them beforehand so they know the times that I've blocked off in my calendar, etc.).

Arts — Undergrad

I find I study best in coffee shops! My room is not conducive to productive work, especially since I struggle with tiredness, getting started on schoolwork, and staying focused. Going to a coffee shop gets me moving and once I'm settled with a warm drink in hand, I like to put on an indie playlist (with or without lyrics) to block out other sounds and help me focus on a reading.

Arts — Undergrad

Keep changing your study environment. Sometimes when we spend a long time at a place studying, we get bored and lose attention easily. Changing to a new place or even a new corner, if you are in library, will give you fresh perspective

Engineering — Doctoral

Studying near a window works very well for me. Every time I get tired, the open landscape always cheers me up and motivates me to continue my work. When the weather is great, having a bit of sunshine is also great to increase productivity and helps me absorb knowledge better.

Science — Undergrad

Wake up early on a day that you don’t have morning classes (or a weekend), grab your favorite drink, and go to the library with a to-do list of what you want to accomplish. Make plans with a friend for when you’re done so you have something to look forward to!

Arts — Undergrad

How do I stay motivated while studying?

I like to use the app "Forest" to soft-lock my phone and track my time on various tasks. This works for me because my phone is my biggest weakness when it comes to staying focused. The Forest app lets you set a timer for how long you want to work without looking at your phone. During that time, a little picture of a tree grows. If you leave the app, your tree dies. The more you use it, the more trees you get in your forest. This is just cute enough to be very motivating for me. Also, you can tag your trees with different labels so you know how long you spent focused on each tag.

Education — Doctorate

For writing, I set a five-minute timer where I can write about anything and everything, just to warm up and get in the writing headspace. It's effective because it kick starts the writing process without having to worry about writer's block.

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies —Master’s

I find that I am much more likely to pay attention in class and spend more time studying if I change my mindset through repetition to become interested in the subject. For example, I was not very excited to take a class in economics this semester, so for the summer months leading up to it, I wrote down this statement every day: "I am genuinely interested in economics." After 3 months, I usually find that I've learned a lot more and/or feel much more excited about a subject I had previously thought was dry.

Arts — Undergrad

One study strategy that I stand by is listening to a calm, instrumental music playlist as I study, and if the teacher permits, listen to the same playlist while doing my test! Even if the teacher doesn't allow headphones, while I study for the test, the music puts me in focus mode and every time I hear the songs in the playlist it reminds me of studying. By relating specific songs to studying, it helps me focus and retain information better.

Education — Undergrad

It may seem a bit weird to do, but even if you don't feel ready you should say the words "I am ready. I can do this." out loud. If you say it with enough confidence you can trick your brain into believing it and feel a bit more steady.

Arts — Undergrad

Scented candles have really helped by ability to focus.

Anonymous

To keep motivation up, try making a "done" list. When I'm stuck at home and feel like I'm getting nowhere, making a list of all that I've done in a day helps to remind me that I'm still accomplishing tasks, even when it might not feel like it.

Anonymous

What tools can I use to summarize notes and consolidate information?

I immediately write a one-page summary of my readings right after I read them. This strategy really helps me remember the general idea of very long readings without having to read all the text again.

Arts — Undergrad

My go-to study strategy is making a table! It helps me compare and contrast different concepts, as well as forcing me to focus on key points. Even though I can have it open next to me while writing an open-note test, most of the time I find just writing everything out has put those concepts into my memory.

Science — Undergrad

Creating visual mind maps or flow charts is my favourite way to study! Not only is it fun and therefore keeps me interested and on task, but it also is a great way to solidify concepts and understand how different elements of the same topic are connected.

Medicine and Health Sciences — Undergrad

I make condensed study sheets and mind maps and then try to explain them from memory to my dog. If he gets it then I know I'm well prepared.

Science — Undergrad

I like to have a scrap notebook on the side when I'm studying so I can write down any keywords, equations, or thoughts while I'm reviewing for my courses. I treat this notebook as a recollection of all the notes, lectures, and slides I've gone through. Before exams, I look back and flip through my notebook and see all the scribbled down items and work I've compiled over the course of the semester which adds to my confidence and acts as a reassurance that I'm ready to go.

Science — Master’s

After reviewing course material, put away any notes and make a mind map on paper with whatever you can remember. Branch smaller topics from larger ones and develop a network of ideas covering as much material as you can. Presenting the information in this free-form visual way can help add a new level of meaning that will assist in recall. It's also a more powerful approach to contextualizing information and reinforcing connections than simply reviewing notes or preparing flash cards.

Science — Master’s

After having taken the notes from a class and studied the review material, I write a one page (often double-sided) "review page" (aka cheat sheet) to use for studying and memorization purposes. I make sure the information is extremely clear and laid out in a comprehensible way such that I can try to remember concepts off the sheet when I am in the exam or test. For types of problem solving that I have difficulties with, I write down each step on this sheet so I can practice how it feels to solve a problem of that manner. Using this method, I practice the material when creating the review sheet, then I am able to study it afterwards.

Agriculture and Environmental Sciences — Undergrad

I use post-its and a whiteboard (it is actually my window because I don't have a whiteboard big enough) to create visual mind-maps. I associate a colour to the type of information I have to remember (e.g., green for definitions, blue for secondary concepts, yellow for equations, etc.) and I organize the post-its so that it becomes a visual mind map.

Arts — Undergrad

The night before an exam, read through all your notes and condense them into one paper study sheet. It will force you to create overarching themes between lectures and pick up the most important information. Go to bed with the everything still in mind and review your sheet the next morning, day of the exam. This strategy helps organize your thoughts on the most important material and solidifies it in your head over night!

Science — Undergrad

What are some other techniques McGill students are using to study?

When I can't explain or don't understand something, I write it down on paper until I can.

Arts — Undergrad

Q cards are effective for me when it comes to memorizing dates, events, and concepts (especially for history, religion, and geography courses). I do a few at a time until I've mastered them, and then slowly add in more.

Education — Undergrad

I think rewriting my notes and looking at different resources (textbook, videos, etc.) really helps me solidify my concepts. I think this is because I can look at the same concept from many points of view. Of course, one of the methods that works best for me is using a practical example; actually doing the problems and working out the different solutions, then trying to understand every single step. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the complicated theory and it is hard to really conceptualize what is going on, but practice problems help with this.

Science — Undergrad

Creating Quizlet study sets forces me to properly read through and review my notes and then also allows me to quiz myself once all the review is over.

Arts — Undergrad

I recommend a two agenda technique that will improve your organizational skills. The first agenda is long-term: for goals, assignments, projects (from one week to one month away). You will review it once every week or so. The second agenda is short-term (one to two days). In this one, you will write down the tasks you need to accomplish for that day, no more than four tasks per day, so you don't get overwhelmed. You can move tasks from one day to another, but the same task cannot be moved twice. You will use your long-term agenda to continuously guide your short-term agenda.

Education — Master’s

One of the best learning strategies is to link the content of the material to something that I enjoy. Creating a link to your own interests or hobbies definitely helps for long-term retention. The adult learning theory also taught me to link new knowledge to previous experience to help reinforce it.

Medicine and Health Sciences — Master’s

After I read something, I put it away and then try to write it out without looking. If I'm somewhere where it won't look crazy, I'll say it out loud. When I can explain the topic back to myself, I know I've got it. If I find I can't properly verbalize something, I know where my gaps are and can go back. I feel that engaging that recall shortly after learning something helps reinforce it in my memory. I've been doing this since I was in second grade, and it has never let me down.

Medicine and Health Sciences — Doctoral

I like to prepare power point presentations (or cue cards) as if I am about to give an actual presentation to someone else to force myself to re-formulate in my own words. Since I am also bilingual, I also find it very helpful to think about the topic or discuss it in another language. It's a helpful way to check that I actually understand the concepts rather than being too entangled in specific terms and simply repeating by heart.

Law — Master’s

Read and watch YouTube videos all about the topic! Sometimes, seeing the topic being approached under different angles might make more sense to you and might help you remember something more easily.

Arts — Undergrad

After I've reviewed about a page or so of notes, I close my notebook and try to talk myself through the concepts contained on that page, in order to gauge what I've retained and what I still need to practice. Doing a funny voice can help here.

Science — Undergrad

My go-to study strategy is focused on spaced repetition, in which you quiz yourself with flashcards at spaced intervals in order to repeat the concepts you study multiple times. Examples of programs that incorporate this strategy are Anki, Quizlet, and Brainscape. You can create your own cards and even add images of your lectures, but there may also be some pre-set decks from the internet or from your friends!

Dentistry — Undergrad

Incorporate something you love into what you're studying. If you love singing, sing through your material. If you love art, try drawing out something related to what you're studying. If you're a fan of a certain type of movie or tv show, find examples of what you're learning within those movies or tv shows.

Arts — Undergrad