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This is not a usual question on this site, but I think it is appropriate nevertheless since I believe that members of this forum have vast experience on studying and all things that affect studying.

I am a student and I have a "problem" that's basically this: when I start studying something I feel unpleasant and restless if I am not completely sure that I understand the content being studied. This sometimes leads me to spend "too much time" on a particular subject and one might argue that it is a waste of time. My personal opinion is that this is the only way to study, I don't go to the next topic unless I have completely understood everything that's presented and unless I've come up at least with one question that I have to resolve in order to proceed. Sometimes the number of questions increases and usually that's what prolongs the studying of that particular subject.

However, many of my fellow students seem to be satisfied with just a basic understanding of the topic, and the questions that are keeping me from continuing, often don't bother them at all.

What is the better approach to studying in your opinion and why would that be? Am I being too perfectionistic or am I just trying to have a complete understanding of the topic?

MikeP
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bonehead
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    This is going to be flagged as not the appropriate place for this question, because undergrad questions aren't relevant to this SE. However I'll give what worked for me in a comment.

    It depends on your subject, so take this with a grain of salt. My topic was physics. In physics, if you think you understand some topics, chances are you probably don't understand it very well. Having a fundamental understanding of a topic is important, but it's just as important to practice with a variety of problems.

     – la femme cosmique Sep 29 '16 at 17:34
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    Wanting to spend time to learn a concept is GOOD, because it shows a desire to learn and understand. What I noticed when I was an undergrad was that I could not actually spend all the time I needed to in order to learn a subject, because of time restrictions (coursework AND exams). Myself and most of my cohort were really rushing to be able to answer courseworks and to be able to answer exams. This isn't good, but there wasn't much to work with.

    Keep doing what you're doing, BUT schedule your time on each subject with respect to other topics you need to learn and also coursework/exams.

     – la femme cosmique Sep 29 '16 at 17:36
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    @lafemmecosmique, You are likely correct that it will get flagged as off-topic. However, this site is very confusing, as the first statement about what is “on-topic” is, “This site is for academics of all levels—from aspiring graduate and professional students to senior researchers—as well as anyone in or interested in research-related or research-adjacent fields.” Then, further down states “do not ask questions about… undergraduate-specific issues”. These two statements clearly contradict each other. – MikeP Sep 29 '16 at 17:42
  • Agree it will be flagged but no matter how we can argue about what "academics of all levels" are the answer must necessarily be primarily opinion-based. Not saying that's right or wrong just saying that's just "Off-Topic 101." – Raydot Sep 29 '16 at 18:17
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    @DaveKaye It seems to me that many questions that are posted on this site are primarily opinion-based since the sole nature of most questions posted here are questions that ask for advice. – bonehead Sep 29 '16 at 19:00
  • @ahra People have called me on making such a comment before. I pointed out above that I don't necessarily agree or disagree whether or not that should be allowed but that's what it says in the rules. It's also given as one of the primary reasons to "flag" an entry. I did not write these rules or guidelines. My suggestion is that if you wish to change this policy that you raise the issue in Meta. – Raydot Sep 29 '16 at 20:34
  • @MikeP and others There is already a meta discussion on the undergrad problem: http://meta.academia.stackexchange.com/q/3300/20058 – Massimo Ortolano Sep 29 '16 at 22:33

1 Answers1

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It is good if you can understand something completely and thoroughly. However, there comes a point where most of us must leave gaps and accept that the gaps will fill with extended experience and exposure, over time (technical term: "by osmosis"). Failure to accept that gaps need sometimes to be tolerated can lead to collapse of careers.

What you need to judge is how fast you are moving - if you do not trail back too much with respect to what's required in your duties, I would not worry too much. Good understanding is a worthy cause and will pay dividends later on. However, when you fall back or fail to address important aspects of your studies (or repeatedly fail, through perfectionism, to submit reports/works/papers on time), then you should consider ways to get a coarser, higher-level view of what you need to learn and start to leave gaps.

Hopefully these criteria will help you to judge at which level you may want to operate and to switch between levels when required.

Captain Emacs
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