To Do Well In College: Don't Work Hard, Work Efficiently

Summary: 1. Before class; do the reading and take notes 2. During class; FOCUS and take notes on the lecture 3. After class; Spend 15mins revising your notes *Finals time: spend a couple of hours studying your notes!

I majored in engineering in college. I always wanted to be able to read the book before the lecture, but I was never able to pull that off, because I was always busy with homework from other classes. The only thing I would have had time for, I guess, was skimming the notes before class. In engineering they emphasize doing math problems over studying. Also, I took notes religiously, but I never had the time to get much out of them, and I would miss things the professor was saying because I spent too much time trying to draw whatever thing was on the board before he erased it. So in retrospect I feel that I should have focused more on trying to understand over trying to note it all down. However, I wish that I had had this advice. This video is very well done, much thanks for it.

Jeffrey Kaplan is the kind of young professor that I always wanted. So open-minded and witty with a perfect hint of sarcasm. Currently doing a summer semester, will come back at the end of the term to let you know how I did with your advice. (Already seeing some significant changes!)

That body builder story really hit for me. Because when It comes to the Gym I am VERY focused and know exactly what Im there to do and what I am not there for. But when it comes to my studies its the opposite. Its all so simple treat school like like I treat iron.

Last semester, I gave my students a not-for-credit "pretest" over material they should have learned in a prerequisite class. The results were generally horrifying. I'm convinced students prioritizing short-term memorization over long-term learning is the primary contributing factor of "imposter syndrome".

Does everyone else think this guy looks like the dude from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Especially once the board is full and it looks like the conspiracy episode? But I do seriously love these videos. Great job!

Came to learn how to pass college Now I’m a bodybuilder

I'm in my 3rd week of my first semester back in college since the late 90s. I just realized this week that reading and doing the exercises (at least the best I can) BEFORE the lecture really helps me grasp the concepts. II'm going to do the rest of these steps and see how it goes!

Watching this video nodding along earnestly and then halfway through I realise I'm not taking even taking notes on the video telling me to take notes...

My brain doesn't really work like that. I can say for a fact pre-reading does wonders for my comprehension, but the taking notes as a general rule didn't help much. In fact I typically understand less that way. Paying attention and asking questions during class works better (for me) than notes, the only thing I'd argue is notes for math problems and even then in general rule I prefer to try my best to catch the logic and then solve it on my own without parachute (and then go to office hours if I fail) then taking notes, since most of the time during the note taking process you don't really understand what you're writing.

how ironic.......I really needed this before starting my 1st sem and today was the last class day for my 2nd year anyway 2 more years to go

This is very true. I just pivoted to data analytics and had the time to study for a semester. Reading before lessons for a couple of hours each week plus taking notes during lessons plus revisiting them and applying them soon is the way to go. My problem was spending the other 15 hours customizing my editor and workflow for efficiency (Emacs) although it pays off in the long term.

I remember a few classes in college that could sink 30 hours *each week*, at some point there's no distinction between "doing this week's homework" & "cramming for the midterm" it all looks & feels the same.

Jeffrey, thank you for these videos. Your teaching style is so captivating and motivational. Glad I found your channel, it’s helped me already.

Amazing advice! Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your knowledge with us. Off to do the reading, so inspiring 👍

I do agree reading before, even if you don’t fully understand what you read, is really helpful when you get to class. Having said that, it can be tough to consistently do when you are a full time student and have 5 classes because you typically also have a ton of homework on top of that. I’ve had days where I’ve had school all day and then when I got home I still had to read and/or do hw assignments and it can be very exhausting.

This is fantastic and fun! thanks Jeff. Am not even in college anymore but use your ideas to understand new concepts or product at work.

You are just awesome! Thank you for the additional rant!

“You’re going to class anyway” a bold assumption

Thanks for the video! I'm about to start college soon and I'll use your advise.