Cognitive Enhancement: Help me kick some midterm ass.

Alright this question is for anyone with significant experience taking university level midterm exams. I have an O-chem midterm this evening that I need to ACE. I mean I really need to stomp it. If I had prepared I would have done the whole adderall routine (yeah it really does work if you plan it right) but it's too late for that. SO

What, if anything, has anyone had good results with in terms of a cognitive supplement? There's caffeine, food items, vitamins, 5-hour-energy.... I tested 5-hour-energy and it made me super jittery for the first 10 minutes. Perhaps if I sip it? I'm worried I'll be in some accelerated state and THINK I'm kicking ass, and then freak out halfway through. If you strongly endorse taking it clean and sober I'm open to hearing that too, unless you're some ethics freak. Shut up in that case. This is O-chem, ass.

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by bohemiandonut [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

What, if anything, has anyone had good results with in terms of a cognitive supplement?

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Have no clue about Organic..,

But a well-kept little secret of mine.., 1-2 hours before an exam.., is two hard-boiled eggs.., blueberries.., vitamin B6 & B12.., and water (not too much though.., nervous + excess water in your body means going to the bathroom a lot during the exam.. one glass is fine)

Also.., make a list.., on 1 or 2 pages.., of the topics you are expected to know for the exam.., structures.., different groups.. so on and so forth.., just make a list with a rough reminder of what each one is.., why it's important.. and how it works.., Then.., the last hour before the exam is really the most important.., You can access this list.. and with your eyes.. skim down through it.., as you pass through each topic.., think to see if you have a good & strong general framework of what is going on.. if you do.. check it off in your mind.. and move on to something else.. if you don't.. spend some more time on it until you check it off and move on to everything else.., In the end.., you should have the entire list checked off in your mind.. when you look at the entire list and see that you have a good.., solid.. and strong framework for how everything generally works.., you'll notice how you're no longer nervous.., that's because there's no reason to be.. now.. everything that can possibly be on your exam is on your list.. and the whole list checks off.. there is no sense of doubt in your mind.., you are going in.., knowing everything you need to know.., an automatic confidence in your answers will follow.., and you'll come out of the room knowing quite well how your roughly did.. none of that.. "damn! that test was hard! he never went over that.., I have no idea how I did.. I hope I did good".., it'll be more like.. "If not 100.., then no lower than a 93.. i'd give myself a very conservative 7 point margin of error"

One of my exes told be about the eggs & blueberries.., but my father told me about the list.., and during the exam.., you can almost see the list in your mind.., what was under ____.., it's a mental image you can come back to.. but more importantly.., knowing that you have the general framework down.. and not doubting yourself.., This really works.., I believe it's quite possibly the only way to get past some Taxation exams.., and a major reason I get past them.. (You can try flash cards or a more detailed review sheet.., but a short and simple list is easy to remember.. especially when associated with the general framework of a particular concept or topic).. Good luck on your midterm!

Best,

GrkScorp

That, GrkScorp, is a simple but brilliant idea that is bound to help. Thanks so much! I was leaning toward b-vites already but I may as well pull the trigger on that too. I think I'm crossing caffeine off my list. Maybe a quick jog would be in order.

Water to keep you hydrated (dehydration = fatigue) and no fast carbs. Stay cool, you know what you know.

And never give an answer smarter than the person marking it, BD. Don't assume your prof will be marking all the questions if its more than 20 ppl in your class (which it is for OC), its TAs w/an answer key. Good luck.

I guess I'm too late for this but for the future...

On an average day I'll have 3 shots of espresso or an energy drink when I wake up, and then after my first class I drink about 4 - 6 glasses of Mountain Dew. When I have exams I spread out the Mountain Dew consumption a little more throughout the day. I also like to watch some porn or videos of sexy girls a little before hand just to feel better before

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by bohemiandonut [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

This is O-chem, ass.

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No, organic chemistry rocks teh sox!

I think you should stop studying at a reasonable hour and get a good night's sleep.

DM - if I drank all that caffeine, I woudn't be able to sit all the way through an exam. My bladder would explode.

Well I'm back. God this has been the most mentally exhausting 2 weeks of my life. I went for a jog and ate some eggs and made a list. I was rocking the bitch for about an hour, thinking about how cool I was. And then I turned the page and all hell broke loose. There's nothing worse than thinking "I'll never have time to finish this!" while people make their way out the door. I may have leaped over the average by a problem or so if I'm lucky, which would be the best I have ever done on any science midterm at Berkeley. But I probably just got average.

F*ing asians.

P.S. - I hate my roommates.

edit: Okay I don't hate my roommates. I just hate paying their bills.

haha i took e- chem... yes, a dumb f*ck like me. well to be honest. i took one of my midterms after night of partying and that didn't really go to well... a fat ass C grade was given to me.

however, if you are trying to cram for o-chem.. you'll need more luck that i did because o-chem is like a mathematical science... you have to understand the equations and the outcomes.

raverboy

what the hell is e-chem? chemical engineering? that's way harder than o-chem man, which is really more like drawing little pictures that show what the thermodynamic sinks and transitions look like. there is probably math in there somewhere i guess. dancing in the legs of a carbohydrate chair structure.

Organic chem is all about the synthesis! Like playing with legos

Are you at Berkeley, donut? God, what a gorgeous campus!

Would you mind telling me what your GPA and SAT scores looked like? Also, are you a white boy? (I've got a kid going who is planning his college strategy.)

Would I mind reliving my longlost years at the holy top of the dogpile before I entered this absurd ratrace? Are you kidding?

SAT: 1400
GPA: 4.0 unweighted baby!
RACE: Whiter n' hell.

Such a high gpa is not entirely necessary. I had basically no extracurriculars besides working in the retard classroom for a semester - that's where I developed my worldly sensitivity. Okay it was actually quite a profound experience and I wrote about it. The backbone of my application essay was how my spritual evolution from naive cynicism to porous awareness affected my intellectual tendencies - it kicked major ass. I got rejected by all the privates though. (Reed and the Ivies (laugh)). I'd love to help with any questions. Berkeley is great.

Also, may I recommend against the carefree attitude most white people have toward college? Advise the kid to take things seriously from day one. This isn't some reward for doing well in high school. It's an investment.

Also, an easy high school sched helped my gpa (no hard science AP's), but it is a good idea to do as much as you can in high school if you're even CONSIDERING science. Delve into calculus, bio, chem, whatever and you can test out of that shizz at uni. AP english earns major credits and those requirements are a major pain in the ass for most people here.

God I'm such an expert on what I could have done.

I

Was that SAT score based on the old (1600) system? It must have been. Either that, or your essay must have kicked some serious ass. Yeah - he's taking lots of APs. He's always been a serious student, and yes - he wants to be a science major (probably biochem). GPA is no problem (4.47 weighted, 4.0 non-weighted), but his SAT scores are considered a bit weak at 1850/2400. And of course, he is a white boy, which doesn't help.

I tried to encourage him to run for president of the gay club, but he won't because it will ruin his dating life (unless he wants to date homosexuals). But really, who cares? It's not like he has time to date now anyway, and I think it could help his application look more interesting. What do you think? :D

He's actually hoping to get to UC San Diego, BTW.

Haha for the UC system that would probably work. Probably not necessary though. Yes my SAT was based on old system. I don't think he'll have any problems getting into a good UC with that gpa and good AP scores. I don't know enough about the new SAT system to comment really. On a side note, perhaps he doesn't realize that being president of the gay club would probably kick his dating life into overdrive. Gay guys get all the hotties - and their straight friends get the pick of the litter.

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Originally Posted by DoesntMatter [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

I guess I'm too late for this but for the future...

On an average day I'll have 3 shots of espresso or an energy drink when I wake up, and then after my first class I drink about 4 - 6 glasses of Mountain Dew. When I have exams I spread out the Mountain Dew consumption a little more throughout the day. I also like to watch some porn or videos of sexy girls a little before hand just to feel better before

Good luck!

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So this post has actually been on my mind since yesterday... Can we confirm that DM is joking here? If so, man, that is the funniest thing I've read in a while. I just didn't know his shtick was so deadpan. But somehow I feel it couldn't be without a few cans of truth backing it up.

lol no I'm not kidding. Why would I be?

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Originally Posted by vashti [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

Are you at Berkeley, donut?

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Boehemian part gave it away... only more Crunchie school in Cali is UC Santa Cruz, lol.

FWIW, BD (DM also), we found the 'big fish in small pond' effect very useful. Both went to a Name School in Boston (as graduate students, fyi) then used it to get good jobs back in Canada.

Your terminal degree counts most, FYI. So going to Berkeley for undergrad is awesome but will have less impact if you do you grad/professional school someplace less known. On the other hand, a small state school undergrad followed by, say, MIT/Harvard PhD will set you up pretty well if that makes sense.

Just something to think about.

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Originally Posted by IndiReloaded [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

Boehemian part gave it away... only more Crunchie school in Cali is UC Santa Cruz, lol.

FWIW, BD (DM also), we found the 'big fish in small pond' effect very useful. Both went to a Name School in Boston (as graduate students, fyi) then used it to get good jobs back in Canada.

Your terminal degree counts most, FYI. So going to Berkeley for undergrad is awesome but will have less impact if you do you grad/professional school someplace less known. On the other hand, a small state school undergrad followed by, say, MIT/Harvard PhD will set you up pretty well if that makes sense.

Just something to think about.

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I agree that where you finish is ultimately more important than where you start, however it doesn't hurt to start high and finish higher. ;)

Yeah definitely go to a good undergrad school if money isn't an issue. It's harder to get into a good undergrad school than a good grad school from what I hear. Besides, some undergrad schools will much better prepare you for grad school than others. Research opportunities at undergrad is also something to give good consideration

BTW your son is interested in pursuing a nice degree :D

He's a smartypants, allright... just like you. ;)

Jewish people seem to usually be pretty smart. Like last night I was sitting around at 2am with 3 of my friends and they were all Jewish lol. One of them turned down Princeton to come here for engineering. Not many Jewish people in Rochester thats for sure

There is a lot of pressure in the Jewish community to excel academically, similar to Asians, actually. I didn't grow up this way. It was rather shocking at first.

Yeah I'm aware of that, it seems like a good pressure though. My residence advisor person is a professor of Chinese and I eat dinner with her sometimes. It's pretty cool because she and her husband introduce me to all these researchers and professors at the frontier of their fields and I get to eat dinner and talk with them in the dining hall. But anyways she was telling me about how bad it is for a lot of Asian kids, because if they don't get As their parents will be like "What!? You got a B-!?!? Are you slacking or something, what's your problem!??" This thought just pisses me off because that means their parents are too fuccking stupid to realize that A+ to A- grades are only given out to about 15% of the kids in any given class in the sciences or engineering here. It's called a curve. More than 15% of the kids here are Asian, so it would be literally impossible for all of them to get an A!

Makes me so glad my parents aren't like that

Yup. My son's close friend is a Chinese boy - he says if he can't get into Stanford (like his cousin) his mother will be humiliated. He tells me he's known kids who killed themselves when they didn't get into the right school.

Affirmative action actually hurts Asians the most (their test scores are shifted down 50 points relative to whites) because they are typically over-represented on college campuses

Really? I hadn't heard that. That sucks.

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Originally Posted by DoesntMatter [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

Affirmative action actually hurts Asians the most (their test scores are shifted down 50 points relative to whites) because they are typically over-represented on college campuses

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I doubt this is true, however, regardless of whether affirmative action is recognized as official policy on a campus, the board is always trying to round out their student body. Haha, get it? "Round out?" :oriental:

Anyway this leads us right back to our friend Watson. About Jews, it's definitely not the families that are the main cause, they are simply more intelligent in general. 'Specially those damn Ahskenazis. Look it up if you don't believe me.

Indi: Whenever I hear this kind of thing I get all sorts of peeved. I just cannot accept that someone going to a junior college would be given the same candidacy for graduate acceptance as I would. Granted, there could be some real driven kids there, and they could prove themselves with MCATs and whatnot, but their grades could not be given the same weight as mine, could they? ::Shudder::

By the way... bohemiandonut is a creation from my freshman year in highschool - my first and only screen name. But I guess that just means I was destined for this hipster mecca from the beginning.

DM - Where are you going to school again?

Well I imagine a lot of Asians work really hard and study hard to get good SAT score, so more of them have slightly higher scores on average than white kids. Like in my high school, all the Asian kids tried really hard and most white kids didn't give a shit

I go to Cornell donut. East coast :D

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Originally Posted by bohemiandonut [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

Anyway this leads us right back to our friend Watson. About Jews, it's definitely not the families that are the main cause, they are simply more intelligent in general. 'Specially those damn Ahskenazis. Look it up if you don't believe me.

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I've read about this, actually. The way I heard it is that the brightest of the bright were the ones that (in many cases) were removed from Europe during WWII, so their offspring had a biological advantage. Combine this with the cutural emphasis on education, and there you go.

And I agree with DM about the Asians working hard. When I study at the bookstore or library, the Asians make up the majority of other students studying.

I don't really understand your grading system but if you need to pass some exams, maybe this can help you:

+ Focus on the big picture: remember they teach you something as part of a course program.
+ Make summaries by hand. When you write by hand you subvocalize (repeat what you are writing in your head while you do it) and that's like writing it twice.
+ Study the summaries.

EDIT: Maybe your exam is over now, sure you can use these tips next time.

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Originally Posted by Tedel [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

+ Make summaries by hand. When you write by hand you subvocalize (repeat what you are writing in your head while you do it) and that's like writing it twice.
+ Study the summaries.

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+1

Interesting. I did this also. I used to take shorthand notes in lecture which I recopied & expanded w/in a day into a spiral notebook for each subject. I would review these notes before an exam along w/any problem sets we did.

But I remember things visually (I close my eyes & see words). I think it depends on one's learning style.

Do you students know what your learning style is? Most, especially males, are visual but if you are auditory you need to know so you can do things like record your lectures for auditory review (those mp3 recording devices work well, I'm told).

[url]http://agelesslearner.com/assess/learningstyle.html[/url]
[url]http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/stylest.html[/url]

Which makes me think. Teachers are expected to address the different learning styles in our courses, its covered in our instructional skills workshops. But we don't formally get students to determine *their* learning style & how they can best study. I suppose thats something that could easily be done in a first year undergrad curriculum. Tell your profs, you guys, if they aren;t doing this. Demand your education.

interesting observations, i wonder if they practice what they preach?

Wonder if who practicses what, Imsome?