They say successful students study smarter and not harder. The common sight of a nursing student with an upcoming exam is a desk with multiple post-it notes, jumbled notes and books, a coffee mug that has been refilled too many times, and prayer beads for that extra spiritual guidance for the exam. As a senior nursing student, it took me a while to have a stable and slightly consistent study routine. As per the look of my grades, I’d say I fare pretty well when it comes to academics on top of managing my college organization responsibilities. What fascinates me though are students who are constantly achieving the highest marks, and how different their study habits are from mine. Thus, I interviewed one of the Dean Jesus Bacala awardees I know, who happens to be one of the editorial board members of The Nursing Journal, our Layout Head Editor, Chelsea Nicole Pineda of 4NUR-6.
The Dean Jesus Bacala award is granted by the College to the student who obtains the highest rating in each year level. Chelsea has been a consistent Dean’s Lister and recipient of many awards for her academic excellence namely; Dean Bacala Awardee 2019, 1st Prize Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Undergraduate Student Poster Award 2020, and Benavides Outstanding Achievement Award 2020. Apart from these impressive achievements, she is also serving as the Layout Head Editor of The Nursing Journal for two consecutive academic years. Besides her obvious intelligence and talent, friends and colleagues would remember her fondly as a cheerful and helpful person. Overall, an amazing kind of person with whom I had the privilege of working with. Thus begging the question, how can Chelsea do all of it? Specifically, how can she achieve so many things academically despite the challenges of being a nursing student?
Before the study session
Chelsea tells The Nursing Journal that before, she studied at night, but when senior year came, has now transitioned into an early bird when it came to studying. “Usually, I want to eat first before mag-aral so I start my day with breakfast and an episode of something I like to watch. Parang I tend to reward myself muna before ako mag-aral because it’s very early in the morning so nakakatamad naman if sisimulan ko na agad to study,” Pineda said.
She adds that she limits every task to an hour, especially in the morning in order to feel more productive prior to going to classes or duty. She also makes iced coffee before studying, which I’m sure many nursing students relate to. When drowsiness comes, washing the face is her intervention. She claims that she does not nap because that will make her more tired rather than energized, so she rests after studying. Emphasis on waking up early was given by our Dean Jesus Bacala Awardee to again review the things she had not given focus the night before. Finally, she says that she does not have a strict schedule per se when it comes to studying as it all comes down to starting early, prioritizing and planning what to study, rewarding yourself, and resting after studying.
During the study session
“ Ang maximum ko per subject or topic is 2 hrs lang talaga and it is allotted for difficult subjects,” Pineda shares. Quite a shock for students who spend a whole night studying one subject, medical-surgical nursing is waving.
Chelsea further adds that she reads on a topic intermittently, doesn’t spend a long time fixated on one thing, and says she reads the book or her notes about 3-5 times before the quiz or the exam. The Pomodoro technique is also not used by Chelsea, which is a common concentration technique used by students. Instead, she sometimes reads the material out loud, listens to music, or turns her phone off, because like many of us, she is easily distracted. However, she highlights that students should do what works best for them in terms of improving their concentration and focus as these are the “keys to studying fast and effectively”.
After studying
For assessing how well you have absorbed the information, Pineda advocates testing yourself using self-made tests. “After studying, it really helps to test yourself whether na retain nga ba yung information or hindi,” she says. She also notes the importance of rewarding yourself after you study.
“Then afterward, the most important thing to do after studying is to reward yourself. Dati, ang pag-reward ko sa sarili ko noon is after ng exams pa talaga. But I learned to reward myself even after studying one topic lang para hindi ako mawalan ng morale to continue studying. In short, the way I study starts and ends with a good note dapat. I reward myself before and after I study para I have something to look forward to every time I have to study.” she adds.
For a more efficient study habit, Chelsea gives us five tips; (1) Do not cram study, (2) Make sure to read or know something at least 1 thing a day, (3) For difficult to understand topics, search for videos, (4) Give time for sleep and rest, and (5) Do other things for yourself.
Pineda emphasizes that an excellent student is not someone who is always studying. “The key to this is balance to prevent feelings of burnout and lack of motivation,” she tells The Nursing Journal.
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