Lecture Notes: Surviving Graduate School - Effective Reading and Retention Strategies

Introduction

• Presenter: Phil Sarpon
• Channel: Phil's Guide to PsyD
• Focus: Psychology, wellness, and graduate school.
• Purpose: Helping students succeed in and beyond graduate school.

The Challenge of Graduate School Reading

• Expectation: High volume of reading in graduate programs.
  • Weekly reading can range from 300-500 pages.
• Common Reaction: Overwhelming; skepticism about necessity and feasibility.
• Key Insight: Importance of extracting important ideas rather than reading every word.

Effective Reading and Retention Strategies

Active Reading

• Objective: Engage with the text actively rather than passively.
  • Read with a specific question or purpose in mind.
  • Test yourself regularly as you read.
• Techniques:
  • Summarize what you read as if teaching someone.
  • Use both verbal and written summaries.
  • Create questions and test understanding after every paragraph or section.

Space Learning

• Concept: Spread out learning over multiple days to improve retention.
  • Avoid cramming the night before an exam.
  • Example: Read 100 pages a day if you need to finish 500 pages in a week.

Applying Concepts

• Objective: Build connections between ideas.
  • Create diagrams, logic maps, and concept charts.
  • Relate current material with previous knowledge or other concepts.
• Approach:
  • Go beyond note-taking; apply notes to broader contexts.
  • Integrate new information with existing knowledge.

Memorization

• Strategy: Memorize factual details last.
  • Once conceptual frameworks are built, details are easier to remember.
  • Use memorization to reinforce frameworks.

Final Steps Before Exams

• Preparation: Review and integrate concepts.
  • Memorize small details in context of overall understanding.

Conclusion

• Engagement: Viewers are encouraged to leave comments and questions for further discussion.
• Next Steps: Stay tuned for future videos on related topics.