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Hello mates! So much has happened during June, and now July! I have two topics I want to talk about today.
First off, HOLY MOLY I JUST GOT MY FIRST MAX GRADE (A) ON A MATH COURSE AT KTH! đđđđ I was expecting at most B, and at least D. I woke up in the morning and randomly checked for my results while lying in bed, bored, after just having had my breakfast. And I could not believe my eyes at the result I was seeing in front of me on the screen đ ! I had to double-triple check and even showed my wife. She got ecstatic while I was still in a state of shock! All of my hard work had paid off! I did this without any bonus points, without having attended any lectures, and by home-schooling myself (essentially).
So how did I do it? Looots of examination-based questions from previous years at Kollin, which is a third-party study platform for our courses at KTH. I also read all the theory found on Kollin by following their theory section, and bought access to their intensive study plan. The course was 2 months long. In the first month, I learned all the theory, however deep or shallow I could extend my knowledge. Then, in the following 2 weeks, I brushed up on my skills to guarantee a C, re-read the things I could not understand in the first month, and it all clicked in place one by one. The week after that, I spent trying to understand A-level questions and tried building a foundation around definitions such as Stokesâ theorem, Gauss divergence theorem , and Greenâs formula, as well as watching TĂąmâs (a former TA) crash course videos. The last week before the test, I went through Kollinâs intensive study plan to be absolutely sure I had not forgotten anything. By learning everything in the first month, then re-reading the material and my own notes to further deepen my understanding during the second month was very helpful. It made it so that the material became unforgettable/solidified to me. And when Kollin was not enough, I looked through TĂąmâs exercise videos. About having no bonus points: I skipped those. While I donât really recommend people skipping them in general, my own learning style makes it so that I donât learn a whole lot during bonus point lectures. I managed to do 276 out of approx 541 questions (51%) on Kollinâs page with my learning style, for those wondering. Also, for those interested, hereâs the study plan if you feel like emulating me (donât skip the bonus points though đ):
- First month: Theory reading on Kollin and doing related exercise questions. Follow one chapter at a time, as outlined in Kollin. It doesnât matter if everything doesnât stick the first time around, as long as you gave it a try.
- Second month, first 2 weeks: Brush up on the parts you did not understand during the first month or things you have forgotten. Itâs normal to forget a few things about the first chapters at this point. Chances are, youâll more likely understand things you did not before, and deepen your knowledge in areas you already have a good grasp of. Keep doing exercises on Kollin!
- Second month, 3rd week: Follow TĂąmâs crash course videos. Confused about the finer details on something? In that case, check out TĂąmâs exercise videos as well. Keep doing exercises at Kollin.
- Second month, last week: Do the intensive study plan at Kollin.
- Day before examination: Check that you have a good grasp of the defintions of the theorems. Greenâs formula, Stokesâ theorem, and Gauss divergence theorem are all good to know like the back of your hand if youâre aiming for C-A. Repeat your notes. AndâŠhave a rest! Your brain needs the rest if youâre going to perform optimally.
Tips:
- Take lots of notes! I practice spaced repetition, which means I review my notes in spaced intervals of: 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days and 1 month (after having noted something down). This helps me greatly, at least.
- Donât forget to take breaks inbetween study days as well.
- Teach what you have learned to classmates, friends, family or to anyone you know. Just by teaching someone, or talking about it (even if they do not grasp what youâre saying), you actively work with the material and force yourself to be accurate. This was my greatest trick for learning the material properly.
Now to the second part of the blog post: it is admissions day! My wife and I woke up early and waited patiently for the admissions results.. aaand as expected, once the results were out, we got into a 40k queue on the admissions website, which lasted 50 minutes đ Once in, it took us an additional 20 minutes to log in! I kid you not, the serversâ were super overloaded! But once we got past all of that, we saw that we both got into the programme we wanted! Programme swap complete for me! And hello to university life for her! The shrieks of happiness echoed in the room, and Iâm pretty sure everyone within a 50-metre perimeter could hear us đč I mailed all the relevant people to get my swap in place so that it goes through without a hitch đ Canât wait to start! Weâre going to her family today to announce the results, and weâll do the same to mine on Saturday.
So, whatâs next? Enjoy summer break, do some fun activities, shriek a few more times, and then start! Iâll keep blogging about my studies, so if I inspired you, why not leave a comment? đ See you next time!
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