Study strategies, CV and statement
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| active recall | 主动回忆 | zhǔ dòng huí yì |
| spaced practice | 间隔复习 | jiàn gé fù xí |
| Cornell method | 康奈尔笔记法 | kāng nài ěr bǐ jì fǎ |
Studying that feels hard is usually the studying that works
- Active recall 主动回忆 means closing the book and retrieving the answer.
- It feels worse than re-reading, and it produces far more durable memory. The discomfort is the mechanism.
- Spaced practice 间隔复习 spreads the same hours over days, and beats the same hours in one evening.
Which activity builds the most durable memory?
Retrieval while it is still difficult is the mechanism. The other three feel productive and are not.
Notes are selection, not transcription
- The Cornell method 康奈尔笔记法 splits the page: notes on the right, cues on the left, a summary at the bottom written afterwards in your own words.
- The summary is the part that does the learning, and it is the part students skip.
- ⚠ A page that reproduces the lecture is a photocopy you made slowly.
In the Cornell method, which part does most of the learning?
Rewriting it in your own words is where understanding is tested — and it is the part students skip.
Test yourself before you feel ready. Retrieval while it is still difficult is what builds the memory; retrieval when it is easy only confirms what you already had.
The CV
- A CV lists education, experience, skills and achievements, in reverse date order, on one page.
- No photograph unless one is asked for, no date of birth, no marital status. Western conventions differ from Chinese ones here.
- Every line should earn its place: what you did, and what came of it.
Which belong on a CV for a western university? Choose all that apply.
A photograph is standard in some countries and not in this one. Omit it unless it is asked for.
The personal statement
- A personal statement argues for a course: why this subject, what you have already done about it, what you will do with it.
- Evidence beats adjectives. Replace every I have always been passionate about with the thing that made you passionate.
- End with direction, not with a summary of what you already said.
Two openings.
Weak: "Since I was a child I have loved computers very much. Computers are very important in modern society."
Strong: "The first program I wrote sorted my music library by play count. It worked, and it also taught me why the sort was slow, which is what sent me to look up complexity."
The second proves the interest instead of asserting it, and it shows a mind that noticed a problem. Every strong statement does that in its first two sentences.
Which personal statement opening is stronger?
It proves the interest with evidence and shows a mind that noticed a problem. The others assert or quote.
Write the first sentence of a personal statement, using one concrete thing you have actually done.
Evidence beats adjectives: the thing you did says more about your interest than any claim about it.
Do not open a personal statement with a quotation from a famous person. Admissions readers see hundreds, it uses your best sentence on someone else's words, and it says nothing about you.