A small note about how I study

When I'm about to study I always need to settle down with some nice music. I usually like listening to rather hectic stuff so it's really nice to relax with some good old jazz, bossanova or classical music.
My headphones pretty much blocks everything else out and I can tune the volume so that it's just there, not too loud so it's bothering but not too low either - you need to find that decibel that is the perfect balance between distraction and harmony.
So before you read on, you might want to have a look below at my youtube playlist for studying and just hit play and listen to the sweet notes while carrying on. I can recommend Yo-Yo Ma's version of Bach's Cello Suit no. 1.

Follow this link for a complete list with 100 tracks (the one below only contains 48 for some stupid reason...)


I've been trying to study in many different ways; reading, listening, talking and lately, as you've seen, also drawing.
As I've mentioned before I believe that working with all parts of the brain enhance memorizing as well as understanding and I also think that listening to classical music (or music that makes you relax and focused at the same time) also increase your performance.
It's also stated that repetition is the only key to learning.
We're all different and this is just how I like to do it when I'm about to learn something from scratch: I take everything I mentioned above and put it into a nice equation.

When I need to learn, regardless if it is something I have touched or haven't even seen before, I need to sort out and update my basic knowledge as well as to get orientated in the subject.
The first step at this University is that you'll get the orientation and basic knowledge update during lectures and practicals (because you most probably wont be one step ahead before the lecture due to the lack of time, and if you are - that's one step out of the way).
I'm not much of a listener and I know that some of my colleagues tend to take voice recordings of lectures - which might be a splendid idea - but honestly, do you ever have time to listen to them?
Neither am I very good at taking notes, but complementary notes of things the tutor just briefly mentions, not part of their presentations, are crucial because they might be very important in the end.

Next step for me is reading at home in order to get deeper knowledge.
There's usually a bunch of different books for the same subject so try to get different sources if time allows because it will help you understand the big picture.
If we're talking anatomy, which roughly takes up 70% of my time, I usually draw as I progress in reading.
I find drawing very relaxing and by getting the knowledge out in my fingertips makes me remember the material in yet another dimension (and it's also a good practice since drawing is an important part of anatomy).
When I've acquired enough knowledge by reading I try to make my own notes (or drawings). That way I progress the information once more and remember that repetition is the key. This is also good since I don't prefer reading as repetition.

When I feel somewhat confident in the material I have to discuss it with a colleague. Discussion of a subject with notes as backup (you don't want to repeat thing that are wrong) is essential to me because I find that to be the best way of repetition as well as a way of correcting any mistakes in notes and learned knowledge.
During a discussion you will have to form your own sentences in order to answer a question or to phrase one - quizzing or getting quizzed really doesn't matter to me, either way is a great way for repetition - and most important to me is that I don't read off a sheet of paper, I actually read and search the archive I created in my brain.

This way I process the information in all possible ways: listening, reading, visualization and imagination, drawing and through oral discussion. For every step there's repetition as well as another relaxing and inspiring instrumental track in the playlist you've just listened halfway through (well, that depends on your reading speed).

I hope you enjoyed the playlist, at least it works for me.
My eyes are tired but my soul is not, but I need to get a couple of hours anyway.
More revision awaits me tomorrow - It never ends, and for that I'm grateful...