How to succeed in a cramming-based academic system?

Addressing the ADHD may help. Are you on medications for it? Have you tried it?

Unfortunately, there isn’t really a light at the end of the tunnel. PhD students learn EVEN MORE in the “cramming based” academic system - it’s just that they ALSO have to do research, which may be more hands on. But there’s an immense amount of information you have to learn just to keep up. And this time you often don’t even get lectures, you just have papers and you need to cram their contents of your own volition.

In the end, while intuitive or hands on learning is good to have when possible, realistically you need to learn too much for everything to be taught this way. If you want to continue in higher education you’ll have to get use to learning in efficient and banal ways.

I don't know how well this advice will work for you, but this is what worked for me.

Differentiate between the things you actually want to learn and the things you just need to memorize for a good grade. You will need to pursue entirely different strategies for each. It sounds like you have a good handle on the former, so the goal is to do the latter as economically as possible so that you can devote most of your time and energy to the former.

You may find that some classes weigh more heavily toward cramming and others toward real learning. Unfortunately, as a first year student of biochemistry, your cramming-to-learning class ratios are going to skew heavily toward cramming. The ratio will very likely move more toward real learning as you get further into your degree, so it's worth persisting.

The good news, however, is that having a lot of cramming-heavy classes means that (if you use the right strategy) you will have more free time than real-learning classes will leave you with. This is free time that you can put toward meeting with professors, doing internships, auditing classes you are not enrolled in, working on projects, reading books, etc. But cramming is going to take some real work (albeit condensed).

From what I can tell, the only way to effectively memorize large amounts of material is by using some variant of the flashcard method (or, in other words, through repeated quizzes). This is how I did it:

• I always went to class. Always, always, always.
• I took a notebook and a pen (not a pencil because then it's tempting to erase mistakes, and that takes too long), and I wrote down what the professor said and any diagrams the professor showed. I did not copy what they said word-for-word (that would take too long), but I wrote down any key points they hit upon, as well as any details that seemed like they could even possibly end up on a test. I learned to write very, very fast using a sort of pseudo-cursive that I could only kind of read, and I included lots of conceptual drawing to reduce how much I had to write (like circling words and drawings connections between them, drawing dark underlines under anything the professors repeated because that's usually a hint that it will be on the test, and so on).
• Many students are tempted to type their notes instead, but I would really recommend using paper and pen instead because being able to draw freely, squeeze tiny notes into the margins, etc. is super duper helpful — especially in the sciences where there are a lot of spatial concepts. And if the professor provides notes or slides for you to use, do not fall for this trick. Your professor does not use their own material to study for tests, and they will inevitably gloss over key details. Write your own notes; they will be so much more thorough and attuned to the specific gaps in your knowledge.
• Not too long after taking the class, I would go home and transcribe my rashly-scribbled notes into something future-me would be able to understand. That means using more legible handwriting, translating abstract drawings into proper diagrams with full sentences to explain them, and so on. If I needed to, I would use my textbook for reference or clarification to make sure I got the facts right if my original notes were unclear. It is ideal to do this the same day you took the class when it's still fresh in your mind; think of it as part of your daily homework.
• As the test approached, I would review the second set of notes and figure out which items were almost certainly going to be on the test, which items might be on the test, and which items stood a low but non-zero chance of being on the test. Then I would re-write these into study notes. (Yes, this means I wrote my notes three times; this sounds like a lot of work but, believe me, it takes a lot less time overall than the alternatives studying methods, especially if saves you from repeating classes.)
• There are a few different ways to make study notes. The "proper" way to do it is using flashcards: every fact, diagram, list, etc., you have to memorize gets its own flash card—with a question on the front (How do you draw the Krebs Cycle? What is the chemical structure of caffeine? etc.) and the answer on the back, and then you use them to study. However, I had basically no money and could not afford flashcards, so I made do with regular paper: I would write questions on one side of a sheet (in descending order from most important to least important), and then write the corresponding answers on the other, and then I would just flip back and forth as I was studying. If the answers were complex (e.g., drawing diagrams), I would keep some scratch paper on hand to write my attempted answers on and then compare them to the correct answer,
• Then get to quizzing yourself. At first, you will just get everything wrong and feel stupid. But all that means is you haven't crammed enough yet, and you've just got to put in your reps. I would do, say, five questions over and over; when I could get all five of them correct in row, then I would do the next five questions. When I had those down, then I would do all ten in order to make sure I still remembered the first five — and then move on down the list in this fashion. When I could answer all the questions, then I would stop for the day.
• The next day, I would repeat the whole process. Start with the first five, then do the next five, then do the five after that — and occasionally going back and testing myself on the previous questions if I hadn't done them for a little while. And I would keep doing this every evening, up to the day before the test.
• The night before the test, I would do one last round of quizzing myself, but I would absolutely not let it eat into my bedtime. In fact, I would try to go to bed early that night and do something extra relaxing (like listen to soothing music in the dark) to help me get to sleep.
• The morning before the test, I would give myself a couple hours to thoroughly quiz myself over breakfast (even if that meant waking up extra early, if the test was in the early morning). And then I would arrive about 30-45 minutes early, and continue quizzing myself directly ahead of the test while I waited in the hallway for them to let me in. By the time I finally went in to take the test, all the material was still fresh in my mind, and I usually zoomed right through the test.

So the other question, then, is how do you actually make yourself sit down and do the cramming? That will depend a lot on what works for you personally, but some general advice (trite as it is) is to make sure that you are getting enough sleep and that you are eating healthy food that does not leave you feeling ill or drowsy later on. The more tired or crappy you feel, the more distractable you are, and the harder it will be to practice willpower.

Another thing that can help enormously is the Pomodoro technique. This works extremely well for seemingly endless, boring tasks like cramming.

I, personally, found it helpful to take power naps partway through my study sessions. When I was studying for final exams and cramming a ton of material for a bunch of different classes all day long, I would get mentally exhausted and sometimes have several naps a day! Naps are a really fantastic way to give yourself a break because they not only rest your weary brain, but sleep also helps you commit what you are studying to memory.

This all sounds like a huge time sink, and it is — for a short time. It will suck away your leisure time for a good week or two leading up to tests. But then the rest of your time (aside from rewriting notes into a legible format) is yours, and that's when you can really sink your teeth into this incredible learning opportunity in front of you, where numerous experts are available to you at no extra cost and eager to engage your curiosity.

I will kill my curiousity, which I don't want to do because it's the thing that's allowed me to get this far with practically no effort

I think you're gonna find out you're got to put in the effort...

Alternatively, what kind of professions seek my method of inquisitively deep-diving into stuff, as I described?

This is how I got into software engineering, but I put a lot of time into it as a hobby. People who didn't, had to do a lot more cramming.

What you're describing is learning by doing, but studying is also a form of doing..

This may be too different to what you are seeking, but I just recently listened to an interview that Andrew Huberman did with Cal Newport and they agreed that possibly the most efficient method of learning they know is to immediately try to explain what you're reading as if you're teaching new students. It forces you to actually understand it and that somehow writes it into your memory immediately.

The downside being that it's hard and it takes a lot of mental effort. But it's a different kind of mental effort than just reading shit, so it may work better for you.

Also don't forget spaced repetition, that's just a boring addition to whatever you're doing, but there seems to be enough evidence that it just works. And it may not just be memory cards (which are useful) but also finding a different source for what you're learning (aside from your lectures) - like finding a free lecture on the topic on youtube or somewhere (some universities publish their lectures for free) or reading an introductory book on that topic. You then get nearly the same data from different sources, which is often less boring and may give you more understanding.

Sometimes it also helps to do this before the lecture so that during the lecture you already sort of understand what the lecturer is talking about and you can use it to deepen/strengthen your knowledge and to ask questions on things you don't understand (it that's an option, some lecturers like answering questions here and there during, some answer after the lecture).

Also, consider exercises that may help you slightly rewire your brain, like regular mindfulness meditation. It's not a cure for ADHD, but it's a helpful compensation mechanism that normally makes concentrating on things easier.

I finished University with untreated ADHD and had similar issues that you seem to be having. I also learn better once I can "put the pieces together" and see how the information will flow into a new topic or be used in other classes.

After graduation, I went into an unrelated apprenticeship program for a while, but I do not recommend that. Apprenticeships teach you lots of practical knowledge and rules of thumb, but often times skip teaching you why something is done a certain way. I think that a biochemistry degree would most likely lead to more mentally stimulating careers where your curiosity is an asset.

First, go to your student health center and get assessed for ADHD. Medication will make your life so much easier. Don't make your life difficult for no reason, nobody will commend you for it. I was also a "smart kid" that had trouble once being smart couldn't make up for procrastination or poor study habits.

Second, you are only a first year in your major. The first two years are always somewhat boring and seem like pointless cramming. Right now, you are learning all the prerequisite knowledge that you need to take the upper division courses where everything will start to make sense. Just trust me on this one. Tough it out for another year or two and you will be very happy you put this work in.

I read the post title and thought “sounds like ADHD”. I read the first paragraph, and it lines up with my learning experience almost perfectly. As others mentioned, do what you can for your ADHD. If you aren’t medicated, find some medication. If medication doesn’t really work for you, I don’t have any direct advice.

As for the academic side, I’m not really the best person to take advice from. I have been going to a “2 year college” for about 9 years now. If any of this is useful to you, great! If not, I hope you find something that forks for you. Here is what I have learned about myself. I needed to find something that I was interested in. If I am not interested in a class, it’s a non-starter. It isn’t even worth going to any future meetings. I had to give myself permission to drop these classes if they couldn’t hold my interest. Also subjects that I enjoy in my personal life do not necessarily line up with subjects I enjoy in my educational life. The best example for me is programming. I would say I am a decently experienced programmer now, but I could not make it through my programming college classes. I tried another one this semester and it seemed to suck all the fun out of programming. I won’t be seeking more CS classes, at least not at my current school. I had to find an entirely different subject that I found interesting at school. In my case it is winemaking. This subject was interesting enough to allow me to stick through the program. I am hoping to get my associates degree in a few months. I also found it futile to try and fit my study habits into the neurotypical mold. I don’t even try to cram study now. I am sure this doesn’t work for all teachers, but I have been moderately successful with this. I am naturally a very good test taker, and that has been helpful.

I hope you find something that works for you. You are awesome! You deserve to be successful!

I'm just gonna share what worked for me - as a fellow "smart kid" who struggled tremendously in my first years of university. My strategy is really, really simple.

Sit up and pay attention.

Simple doesn't mean easy, of course - especially with ADHD brain. It might not be the answer you're looking for, but my performance in school went way up when I decided to stop taking notes, leave my laptop in my bag, and just listen intently to whatever the teacher is saying. If I felt confused, I would ask a question or just wait for the prof to elaborate more. Every time you want to check your phone or your laptop to look up an answer on the internet - don't. Just leave it. If the question is important, you'll be able to remember it later.

The teacher is telling you everything you need to know for the test. Every moment you spend not listening to them (even if it's by stopping to jot something down) is a moment you may miss something valuable. If it's a bad prof, it sucks - and it's still the best strategy. Spending your lecture hours learning rather than distracting yourself with technology will put you head and shoulders above the rest of your class.

As for studying, read lecture notes and copy them down on paper in your own words. This was pretty much all I needed to go from a 70% average in first year to something like 90% in fourth year.

I think everyone else has given good advice. I just want to add that on some level, to truly get a foundation in the subject, sometimes it is necessary to "buckle down", read the textbook, and try to build a mental model so that what you're reading makes sense. What I mean is that while your method of learning can be good in certain (and potentially many) instances, it is simply not feasible to learn by re-deriving everything that has come before, or by running every experiment. You mentioned that up until now you've been able to learn this way effortlessly. Part of what you're feeling might be explained by the fact that you are now at a level where you need to put in effort to keep up. While it may seem like your classmates are naturally more inclined to lecture based learning, it's also possible that they had to learn to put in the effort earlier than you, so that now it seems effortless on their part. Learning like this is a skill, just like anything else, and the sooner you start to practice it the sooner you will be good at it!

I don't think anyone learns that way naturally. It's just that when you have that much info to relay, it becomes efficient. If you're having trouble focusing, I'd recommend taping the lectures so that you can listen to them over and over. I would also recommend reducing the number of classes you take until you find a system that works for you.

As far as complicated trades go, look into electrician or HVAC. You'll always have a job, get paid well, and mostly learn by doing.

Looking into trade occupations was also the first thing that came to my mind. But addressing ADHD and learning new ways to study also shouldn't be ignored. If you can tackle that, then you would probably be in a better position to ask yourself whether lecture-based academia is right for you. Maybe it's the major or the coursework, not the whole education system. The hard sciences were an alien language to me. I spent 6 hours per week deciphering math homework and finally realized that I needed to pivot after multiple final exam failures (curved to "barely passing") in general Chemistry. 🥴 I had a much better time in the humanities, although it wasn't easier. There were many sleepless nights under the dining room table and tears of RAGE! However, I felt like my hard work was paying off which was not the case before changing my major.