Mnemonics

In most cases, understanding and becoming familiar with a subject area is the best way to learn; however, sometimes we just need to memorize (i.e., what are the 6 types of veins?). Mnemonics are strategies that you can use to memorize difficult to remember lists, systems, and facts. Some examples of mnemonics are acronyms (HOME = Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie; MADD = Mother's Against Drunk Driving), first letter mnemonics (PIRATES = Pulmonary disease, Ischemia, Rheumatic heart disease, Anemia, Thyrotoxicosis, Ethanol, and Sepsis), or verses (Thirty days hath September,April, June, and November: All the rest have thirty-one, Except for February). You can make up your own mnemonics (you just have to make sure you remember what they mean!) or use mnemonics others have already created (like the examples above).

The wikipedia entry linked above (just click on "mnemonic") lists a number of different mnemonic techniques. I've also listed a number of other sites below that you might find useful.

Amanda's Mnemonic Page
University of Victoria's Mnemonics Page
Mnemonic Techniques provided by Inteligen
Mnemonics

Miriam

Two useful sites

I love to-do lists; they keep easily distracted me on task. They also allow me to get rid of "brain clutter" and put all those little items that tend to cause me anxiety down on paper where I can see them - tasks just seem so much more manageable when they are put down in on a piece of paper. However, those little pieces of paper often get lost in the larger clutter of my desk. If you are a student, even the luxury of a desk space to lose to-do lists on is rare; most of the time you're going from cafeteria, to hallway, to library, to class (and so on) and those lists are easier to lose (or forget). Ta-da an on-line list program is a possible solution to this problem. You need to subscribe (so it will remember your lists), but it's free and really, really easy to use. I've set ta-da as my home page, so that I can see my lists as soon I pull up Firefox. And, best of all, you can't lose the lists!

Another on-line service that upper level students, particularly graduate students, might find useful is the newly launched on-line Chicago Manual of Style. There is a cost associated with this subscription ($30 per year), but if you use this style manual regularly and are tired of hauling it around (for those of you who aren't familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style - it's big!) the cost of an annual subscription might be worth it.

Miriam