From Stressed to Success: The Study System That Worked for Me
Have you ever faced a mountain of information to memorize for an exam? If you're a student, chances are you know exactly what I mean. That sinking feeling of "too much to learn, too little time" is something many of us experience—myself included. Back in my biology undergrad, I felt overwhelmed more times than I can count. And let me tell you, biology isn’t just about understanding concepts (though there are plenty of those). It’s also about retaining a huge amount of information to actually apply those concepts later.
And honestly? At my university, a lot of exam questions focused more on regurgitating information than on solving problems creatively. So, figuring out how to retain all that information became my number-one priority. Let me share how I handled it.
My Starting Point: Lost and Overwhelmed
In school, I got by without much effort. I focused on subjects I loved (hello, biology!) and still managed decent grades. But here’s the thing—what worked in school didn’t work in university. Suddenly, the amount of material I had to learn was massive, and I realized I’d never really learned how to learn.
When I started my first semester, I felt completely lost. If you’ve ever felt the same way, trust me—you’re not alone. The jump from school to university is overwhelming for so many of us. Even those who seem like they’ve got it all together are likely struggling too (despite what they say).
The Paper Flashcard Phase
At first, I went with what I knew: writing things down. I’ve always memorized better when I use pen and paper, so I decided to make flashcards by hand. Spoiler alert: this didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped.
Here’s what went wrong:
Time. Writing hundreds of flashcards by hand took forever. By the time I was done, I barely had time to actually use them before the exam.
Visuals. Biology often involves diagrams and pictures, but I didn’t have a printer. If I wanted visuals, I had to draw them myself—which took even more time.
The result? My grades were okay, but they weren’t what I wanted. I knew I needed a better system.
Enter the Digital Era
By my second or third semester, I switched to using online tools for flashcards. Suddenly, things got a lot faster. I could whip up flashcards in no time, add pictures easily, and start reviewing them right away. My grades improved a little, but something still felt off.
Here’s the thing: just typing (or copy-pasting) information into a flashcard didn’t help me retain it. And when it came to studying, I was mostly just staring at the cards, trying to recall things in my head. That wasn’t very effective.
Plus, this was during the COVID lockdowns. Collaborating with classmates wasn’t an option, and I wasn’t great at staying connected online with people I barely knew. I needed to tweak my approach again.
The Game-Changer: Writing It Out
By my fourth semester, I found a system that finally worked for me. I kept using online flashcards because they were fast to make and offered spaced repetition, which is amazing. But I added something new: writing while I studied.
I got a whiteboard and started this process:
I’d look at a flashcard and write down everything I could remember on the whiteboard.
Then, I’d flip the card and check my answer.
I’d correct my mistakes in a different color and add anything I missed in yet another color.
This approach was a game-changer. Writing everything down multiple times helped the information stick in my memory. And because it was on a whiteboard, I didn’t worry about making it “pretty” or perfect—speed was the priority.
After a few rounds of reviewing, I’d only write down the parts I couldn’t remember, which saved me even more time.
The Results
This system took me from okay grades (Bs) to straight As. Studying became less stressful and, dare I say it, even fun. It felt great to see my hard work pay off.
Of course, this method might not be for everyone. But if you’re the kind of person who learns best by writing things down, I think it’s worth a try. Just keep in mind: this approach works best when you already understand the concepts you’re learning—it’s about memorization, not comprehension.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a fresh way to tackle studying, grab a whiteboard and give it a shot. Who knows? It might just make all the difference.