Il mio metodo di studio (con cui ho sconfitto il perfezionismo)

Summary

Aurora shares a study method she developed after her previous approach—making extensive outlines and memorizing material—became exhausting and intensified her anxiety. She describes experiencing severe stress and insomnia around studying, and says psychotherapy helped her recognize that she needed a different approach.

Her method is personal, takes effort, and is not a quick fix. She encourages students to keep what works for them and experiment only if they want to change.

Key Study Strategies

• Find out what the exam requires before studying.

  • Read the syllabus and ask students who have already taken the exam about its format and commonly tested topics.
  • If possible, observe oral exams, look for past questions, and speak with the professor.
  • Read the entire assigned program at least once, but devote more time to material that is emphasized or frequently examined. Don’t give every source equal attention if exam expectations suggest otherwise.

• Use several passes through the material.

  1. First reading: Read the material quickly but completely to understand the main ideas and overall structure. Use a pencil to mark important points, a pink highlighter for key terms, and brief margin notes to explain difficult ideas in your own words. Avoid highlighting everything.
  2. Second reading: Work through roughly 10 pages at a time. Identify key words and mentally recap the main points while keeping the book open. Focus on the overall themes rather than memorizing every sentence.
  3. Third reading: Repeat the 10-page process and use another color to mark what you still don’t remember. At the end of each chapter, mentally review the chapter as a whole.
  4. Later readings: Gradually expand the amount you review, moving from chapters or larger themes to roughly half the book at a time. Use a new color to flag remaining gaps.
  5. Review marked gaps first: Before starting another full pass, revisit the items highlighted as difficult, then continue reviewing the broader material.
  6. Final days: In the last couple of days, go through the whole book again. The day before the exam, do a quick mental scan to check that you can recall the key ideas.

• Build knowledge gradually. Aurora’s approach relies on repeated exposure rather than expecting to know everything after the first read. She says it can feel as though you know the material poorly at first, with confidence increasing over successive passes.

Well-Being and Mindset

• If a study method is making you miserable or no longer works, consider reassessing it. Recognize, though, that changing habits takes extra energy and may be easier when you feel ready.
• Don’t equate being prepared with having perfect notes or being able to repeat every detail immediately.
• A different approach may feel risky, especially if your old method produced good grades. Aurora recommends experimenting only if you genuinely want to and stresses that there is no single correct method.
• Her repeated-reading method helped her feel more comfortable and productive, but she presents it as what worked for her—not as universal advice.

Presenter and Sources Mentioned

• Presenter: Aurora Dozio.
• Resources she recommends for exam preparation: Course syllabi, students who have already taken the exam, observing exams, past-question collections or student groups (named in the subtitles as “Sud Doku” and “Doc City”), and professors.
• Support mentioned: Psychotherapy, which Aurora says helped her reflect on her study-related anxiety.