Here comes a new school year again, STEM Warriors!
We interviewed some college students taking up a STEM course in college so that they can share some of their amazing study tips with you all. We hope that this will help you too.
Tiffany So
BS in Information Systems
1. Look for a specific field in tech you’re interested in
Within tech, there are a lot of specializations, and it would be impossible to study them all in detail, especially as tech continues to grow at a fast pace. By choosing a specific field, you would be able to really focus on it and someday become a master in that field, which is also what most companies look for. Having a specific interest can also help you in choosing a thesis topic because you already know what you’re interested in. They do say that studying something that you’re interested in doesn’t really feel like studying, so there’s absolutely nothing to lose in choosing a field you’re interested in early on!
2. Don’t be afraid to try
When learning a new programming language, it’s common to be overwhelmed by the things you don’t know so you just stare at your screen trying to understand lines of code. But in reality, it doesn’t work that way. Most of the time, you won’t understand lines of code just by staring at it, but you understand when you code it yourself and see the outcome. This becomes even more true when you’re dealing with complex stuff while following a video that just covers the basic part of it. You might be scared that you’ll break your program, but breaking the program is part of learning, and that’s why you always keep a backup of your latest working version so that you can always revert it back easily.
3. Don’t let failures get in your way, just keep trying
Another tip is related to coding. While coding, you’ll definitely hit a wall at some point. Maybe it’s a bug you can’t find or not finding the few lines of code you need to make something work. It will definitely happen at some point, but don’t let it make you think you’re not suited for this field. If you keep trying, you’ll find the answers you need because your best friend Google has all the answers, sometimes you just have to twist and turn the answer given to you so that it fits your need. And I promise the feeling you get after figuring out the answer to a problem that’s been bugging you for a week is absolute bliss.
Dona Marabe
BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering
1. Meticulously keep a tracker for all your responsibilities to ultimately be able to manage your time well.
Make use of productivity tools and study methods that are effective for you, but always leave time for rest. It doesn’t help to study on an empty stomach or without enough sleep, so self-care should still always be part of the equation aside from all the necessary academic work.
2. Don’t underestimate your math practice problems.
Practicing computation and problem solving can help you gauge your professors’ teaching styles or usual quiz and question types, and can ideally help you understand the lesson more. It also helps with getting you used to certain processes, which may help when it comes to tests with time pressure.
3. Take lectures and class discussions seriously, jot down notes, and don’t be shy to ask questions.
There are many things you can get to learn outside your typical readings and course materials, so try your best to actually pay attention to the additional information your professors or classmates have to say. Asking questions also lead to a deeper knowledge in certain areas, as well as possibly correcting perceived misconceptions.
Chinah Marpa
Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics
1. Establish a realistic connection to the topics by seeing their applications or reading more about how it is being utilized by specialists.
2. Practice the methods and the key concepts as much as possible until you've achieved mastery of the subject content.
3. Study like you will be teaching the lesson.
Eunice Tung
Pre-Med: BS in Nursing
1. Keep focusing and avoid procrastinating.
Eto talaga yung nagpapatalo kasi nasasayang ang oras and ang tendency ay magc-cram ka. Ive learned it the hard way kasi mas mahirap na magcram especially if nasa pre-med/med school ka kasi andami mong need i-balance from paperworks, quizzes to face to face duty (which may other responsibilities ka pa doon).
2. Active recall.
This really helped me a lot especially since andaming concepts na need i-memorize at tandaan. What I usually do is I read my notes then quini-quiz ko self ko after so to assess yung mga learnings ko and for me to know mga concepts na need ko pang mas aralin para mas ma-master ko pa sila.
3. Take breaks.
We have to know our limits and give ourselves time for leisure para maiwasan maburn out. Kasi pag nakaranasa ka na ng burn out pwede mag decrease ang productivity and efficiency levels. Pwede natin gawin is mag set tayo ng time for studying/assignments then set 15 minutes break or more in between. We can use apps like Forest.
We hope that these tips will help you this school year, STEM Warriors! We hope that this will help you get in the groove for the year ahead!