*Updated on 3/9/22
Have you heard that studying in a variety of places is actually the way to go? It’s true! Don’t think that just because you are in a new environment or because there are a few distractions around you can’t learn effectively. It’s actually just the opposite!
When you experience an event, all the information is funneled to the hippocampus and converted into a neural code that can be stored and accessed, first as working (short-term) memory and later as distributed long-term memory… this process is called encoding. Your episodic memory contains all relevant information of the event, the “who, what, when, why, and where,” the emotions, the sensations, and the personal importance of that event.
Encoding improves when studying in varying surroundings and with mild distractions. Remember the first time you went to a foreign country, or the first time you camped out in the mountains? The point is, unique experiences stand out and help you remember better.
Use your Pediatrics Flashcards from these 21 creative spots (or wherever you study best!)
@bcmpedssa's @the_smiths_and_wesson’s "Brews and Reviews" night with Flashcards, pizza, and brews!
Take BCM Pediatric Residency SA's idea and start doing "Brews and Review" night! This is a residency activity where they get together at a local brewery and review MedStudy Pediatrics Flashcards.
@beingdrb on Instagram shares her #FlashcardFriday post while enjoying her morning coffee
Who doesn’t love fueling up with caffeine before a big study session? The customers in line, barista taking orders, and the espresso machine whirring are all sure to help you encode the information you are studying. Not to mention, that large iced americano with french vanilla and oat milk is sure to keep you satisfied while studying.
Weird study locations help you remember better!
This one might sounds funny... But, ski and snowboard season is upon us! And, you have to get some studying in while on vacation, sometimes!
So, while you’re packing your wool socks, warm gloves, and winter boots for your next trip to the mountains, make sure you throw in a stack of flashcards in your puffy ski coat pocket. While you’re on the lift you can get in a few minutes of review!
Plus, the unique study environment is sure to make you remember the information you're studying. The beautiful mountains and snow are visual cues that will help you remember what you are studying. Visual cues can be powerful when it comes to learning, providing your brain with what learning researcher Robert A. Bjork calls “neural scaffolding.”
Taking flashcards to the gym? Now that’s dedication. #StudySTRONG
Is hitting up group fitness classes a part of your weekly routine? If so, take a stack of flashcards with you—or, if the wifi is good at the gym, use the Pediatrics Flashcards digitally!
Exercise helps you build long-term memories, and aerobic exercise not only improves short-term memory but also increases the size of the hippocampus. So get some flashcards, lock into your spin bike, and beef up your brain!
Get some fresh air while you get some studying in
Headed to the park with your kids (or furbabies)? You’ll hear birds singing, people walking their pets, dogs barking, as long as you’re able to focus in the study location you choose, variety works in your favor.
When you think about studying, is the first place to pop into your head the library? Your local, city, or hospital/office stacks are ideal locales to plop down and get some serious study time in, since that is the primary purpose of the spot!
Flashcards and cheesecake... name a more iconic duo. We’ll wait.
While you get a sugar rush from the yummy treats at the bakery, you’ll start to link clinical findings with diagnoses while people chat and order around you. Plus, tons of local bakeries now have free wifi, so take your laptop with you and study your online flashcards.
Keep your flashcard box in your locker at work to use them during break times. Take them outside and find a bench or table for lunch—weather permitting, of course. Get some fresh air and study! Dig up EVERYTHING you possibly can about the topic in your head before looking at the answer.
Much like the library, at a bookstore you’re in an environment where reading and learning naturally take place. Find a cozy couch or chair and flip through some flashcards. When you’ve accomplished your study goal, treat yourself to a novel. Whatever you like! Action and adventure, fantasy, crime, thriller, suspense, romance, paranormal, mystery…
Brunch = Brainfood! What perfect Saturday or Sunday doesn’t start with brunch? Bring some flashcards and chow down while you identify areas that you already know well, plus ones you need to brush up on.
Get in some studying while doing laundry
This might sound like an odd one, but taking flashcards to the laundromat or studying while doing laundry at home will make you feel twice as productive! Plus, studying in an out-of-the-ordinary place will help you create richer, more detailed memories of your study material.
Use the Pediatrics Flashcards for a group study sesh
Study groups can encourage you to actively deepen and clarify your own understanding of subject material. Through lively discussion and friendly head-butting, study partners/teams acquire a richer understanding of topic areas.
If you’re an outdoorsy kind of person, try to squeeze in study time while enjoying your favorite things: the great outdoors and some fresh air.
Taking your review outside is a great way to mix it up. Think about it... studying day-after-day in the same spot with no distractions adds no importance to the memories generated there; it decreases encoding strength because you’re bored to death with the place! It’s hard to have location boredom if you’re on a trail and find a good boulder to settle down on for a while!
They don’t take up too much room in your bag!
Going to on holiday? Taking a stack of flashcards in your carry-on can help you pass the time.
While packing, remember that mixing concepts forces you to compare and contrast similar information in different topics, helping your brain build connections between concepts, and develop a more robust understanding of the content. You don’t get this benefit from studying one topic at a time, so bring a few from each topic!
Speaking of travel, if you’re staying in a hotel, try checking out the lobby as a study space. There will be more activity than if you close yourself in your room to study.
If you live in a city where you ride the subway, train, or bus to work every day, this is the perfect time to get some valuable studying in! There are sure to be tons of distractions—stops being announced over the PA, people getting on and off, the conversations of other passengers—but all of these distractions can help you remember better!
During your commute study sessions, focus solely on the study material. You will find that the differences in the environment and the mild distractions are perfectly ignorable.
#StudyStrong at your desk to your favorite playlist
Instrumental classical music helps people learn faster and retain more information than studying in silence or listening to any other style of music. Need a study playlist? Flip through a few flashcards while enjoying this playlist.
Bonus points if your break room has a view
Our flashcards describe scenarios frequently tested in exams or seen in practice, so break up your day by doing some flashcards in the breakroom.
The answers on the back of the flashcards encourage meaningful learning. You can study right from the cafeteria at work. So, grab some lunch to fuel your body, and power your studying at the same time.
Join us for a Review Course and use your flashcards during lunch breaks and after hours to really dive deep!
@kid.doctor on Instagram tagged us in a post of her go-to study spot while using the Pediatrics Print Flashcards, Q&As and Pediatrics Core
If you must study at home, you can still change it up by rotating where you sit and in which direction you face. Your brain will pick up on these subtle changes during encoding and enrich your memory with additional retrieval cue.
@mostlyprimalpammy on Instagram shows off her cozy nook complete with coffee and a view
Both! MedStudy Flashcards can be purchased as a digital or print set.
Our Flashcards work best when you review over days and weeks... spaced repetition equals stronger recall. So, the more unique study breaks you take, the better your recall will be on exam day.
Where do you love to study? Join the thousands of physicians that use our Pediatrics Flashcards to #StudySTRONG. Tag us on Instagram @medstudystrong with your very own creative study spots. We can’t wait to see where you study next!