I get it. The basis of college is to learn. However, I would prefer to be able to retain the information from lectures without spending hours of my day rereading the same words over and over again. It's just plain annoying. Once you think you've got it, suddenly the words seem to just leave your brain and you have to start all over again.
If I had to describe studying with one word it would be: frustrating. At first you think ok, this time I've got this. But then soon you are stuck in a spiral of words and pages, and buried so deep in your notes you can't dig yourself out. It's like running up a slippery hill. Once you think you start making progress, suddenly you are tumbling down the hill and can't seem to regain your footing.Maybe it's just me, but there has never been a time that I thought "wow, this study session went perfect."
I believe there are multiple steps of studying. First there is the "I got this" phase, where you feel like you've got a grip. Then there is a "slight malfunction" stage where you realize maybe this is going to be harder than you thought. Next is the "spiral into oblivion" step where suddenly you loose all sense of control and can't get a grip of where you should start and end. Lastly is the "I give up" phase. In this stage you simply accept fate and decide that you have either studied enough or meet your ultimate doom. Now these steps may only apply to me, but I believe everyone has some type of routine they go through when studying.
Now I've tried all sorts of methods. I've found a few that helped my studying sessions such as listening to music, giving myself goals, and working with a friend. But even so I have yet to help combat my procrastination. It doesn't matter if I have the tools to study, if I don't allot myself the time to do it. This comes down to fear. I simply am scared that I will go through my stages of studying every time and I will come away with nothing. I know I'm not the only one that feels this.
However, there is always a silver lining. Even though studying is a pain, you can feel proud that you are in fact learning. It may not be the most effective way, but you are in a way being productive. Plus, think about the feeling when you do well on an exam. This may make the next study session less daunting.
So, all in all, studying is frustrating. It may never be fully graspable but it can be achieved through trail and error, and a lot of panic. In the end however, even though studying is needed, everything would be a lot more easier if we just had photographic memory.
