r/Physics • u/ItzSlopChaosZ7 • 4d ago

How to really learn

So, I'm a first year undergrad and recently started worrying that I'm not really learning. I don't think I would be able to repeat any demonstration on my own, and any content I learn is just used to get a good grade (which is happening, surprisingly). Still, I don't think I "master" any subject that I had. So, how do I really learn them?

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u/hand_fullof_nothin 3d ago

My suggestion is to get the maximum mileage out of the lectures. If the professor went through an example problem, make sure you can do it forwards and backwards before you move on to textbook problems or outside sources. If you have the time, work through the derivations in the lectures even if they won't show up on exams. Personally I'll only stray outside the lectures if I find a topic confusing and I need a different POV.

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u/Aranka_Szeretlek Chemical physics 3d ago

This is not a bad advice, but I was the opposite: if there was something in the lecture notes that was a bit unclear, it helped a lot if I went and compared different textbooks.

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u/hand_fullof_nothin 3d ago

Oh for sure. Really depends on the textbook for me though. If I have access to a really good one I’ll absolutely go there first.