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Sounds to me like you are studying a fuckton, and that work ethic is not your problem. There are lots of hacks, like the pomodoro technique, or studying in a public place, or making schedules, etc, if you're having trouble with motivation or focus, but if you're studying as much as you say you are, I don't think that's the problem.

You don't need to study more, you need to study smarter.

"Studying" encompasses a lot of things. Reading. Re-reading. Looking over notes. Highlighting. Flash cards. Doing exercises. Etc. Not all studying is created equal. Not even close. As a general heuristic, you want to study in ways that are Active and Challenging as much as possible. If you aren't frequently getting things wrong, you're not doing it right. If you're reading or looking over notes, then you can't be wrong because "being wrong" doesn't even apply to that situation. Those are passive activities. You need to be putting yourself out there, taking a stab, and then checking if it's right. And you want to always be working at the edge of your abilities. If you aren't failing, you aren't learning. If you're getting everything right, move to something harder. De-stigmatize failure. Provided that you find out why/how you were wrong, and work to improve it and do better next time, failure is good. Fail often. Fail fast. Fail as fast as possible.

Think of it like physical exercise. You don't get strong by hanging around a gym. Or by reading about lifting. Or watching. Or thinking. You have to do work. And the work has to be hard. If you aren't struggling, you aren't building muscle. Being unable to do the last rep and needing a spot is a good thing. It means you are working at your limit. The brain is not a muscle, but it works an awful lot like one.

And on the topic of physical exercise, are you getting enough? A healthy/active body goes a long way towards a healthy/active mind.

Feynman Technique:
Basically, if you can't teach it, you don't know it. You need to be able to explain what you are doing from the ground up. Pretend you are talking to someone who has no familiarity with what you are doing, and you have to make them understand it completely. Or don't pretend, get a friend in a different major and take turns helping each other out. You'll uncover a lot of holes in your thinking that you didn't realize were there until you thought about how to communicate it to someone else. (this technique it's well known and there's a million articles/videos about it so look it up if you want more)

Also, why are you asking here? I mean, good for you , you're asking, you are actively seeking help, you are doing the right thing. But with the world wide web full of information at your fingertips, did you really think the people the best study tips were going to happen to attend your university? Sorry, I feel like I sound mean. I'm trying to help you, this is important. If you're trying to learn something, do so in the most effective way possible. Right now you are trying to learn how to learn. Seeking the advice of locals on reddit is not the best way to do that. There are probably subreddits dedicated to this topic that are repositories of years worth of accumulated advice from thousands of people. There are experts who have written books. Etc. It's not bad that you asked here. You just failed. Which is good. Next time you'll know there are probably more effective ways to find knowledge.


Further reading:

A Mind for Numbers- Barbara Oakley
Excellent book on how to learn. I've read a lot of books on this/related topics and this is the one I recommend the most. It focuses on how to learn Math/Science, but the knowledge is definitely applicable to any subject. I have a digital copy, if you have an eReader(or just want to read it on your computer screen I guess). Let me know if you want me to send it to you. .epub or .mobi. Also there are hard copies available from the Long Beach Public Library system.

Thomas Frank- youtuber
He has a million videos on study tips. Lots of really good advice. But be careful not to fall into watching hours of his videos instead of actually studying. Not that I've ever done that...
Here's a relevant few to start with:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f-qkGJBPts
https://youtu.be/5ad6grll-ak?t=50s
https://youtu.be/23Xqu0jXlfs?t=38s

If you have a disposable Starbucks type cup w/plastic lid that has a hole in it or a soda w/a flimsy lid from a fast food joint, yeah, he's going to nail you every time. Whether you think it's legitimate or not, the concern is over spills on equipment. Even some of the ECS rooms with no computers have had ant problems in the past because students spill their sugary drinks and it attract drones of ants. Plus, too many people don't clean up after themselves. You sound responsible (using a paper towel to prevent condensation getting on the tables or wiping it up is a good thing), but you've gotta remember not everyone else is. The responsible folks pay for those who aren't and the school isn't exactly bursting at the seams with money to take on the additional maintenance costs or the cost of replacing damaged computers, etc.

I empathize with your situation, but there are ways around the rule. Get a reusable cup that you can completely seal with a cap or airtight lid. Hydroflasks work wonders as well. He won't bitch at you if you have one of those types of cups. Just make sure you keep it sealed in between sips.

In case you're not sure what kind of cups I'm talking about, here's a few links:

https://www.amazon.com/Contigo-SNAPSEAL-Stainless-Travel-Gunmetal/dp/B00IR77HFE/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=coffee+cup&qid=1568521340&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Jura-Tumbler-Double-Stainless-Installation/dp/B07MJR3P1H/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=coffee+cup&qid=1568521340&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Modern-Summit-Water-Bottle/dp/B07HYDC6BP/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1CB8K0P1JWZCN&keywords=hydro+flask&qid=1568521803&sprefix=hydro%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTDk5Tk9XUTJMWk1DJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTM3OTEwMzJNVUhEN1hON1lHQyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE3NTYzM0gwWlRZMTVNTTlVNSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

As a biochem grad student that teaches these kinds of labs, you shouldn't get the goggles at the bookstore or home depot. Try something like this: Uvex Stealth Safety Goggles with Uvextreme Anti-Fog Coating (S39610C) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQUTQS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xjwyDb3X917H0. MUCH safer to use and less pain in the ass. And if you're any type of science major, you should DEFINITELY get them. They are relatively cheap and safe. You can even replace the lens if you need.

I use these 882E/green scantron knock offs for tests. They do work and is $8.05 per 100 forms.

The scantron displayed on Amazon is not what it looks like. It looks like this and this

Knock off scantron that was scored and returned to me.

yep, got me one of these. thanks for the heads up.

https://www.amazon.com/Bristol-Novelty-AC570-Costume-Unisex-Adult/dp/B000QAXJ66/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=62129961329&gclid=CjwKCAjwnMTqBRAzEiwAEF3ndmkTBWhYmXIyOORTg0aDAeQUP4mV_V4XzpUYw6_x7K-AC73N5ml4MhoCiRMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=295667133104&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9031259&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=17843540246320653920&hvtargid=aud-646675773986%3Akwd-302547340944&hydadcr=9875_9624913&keywords=adult+bubble+suit&qid=1565632615&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Here you go. Now you can be protected from the world

http://www.amazon.com/Digilent-GK1398517-MDE-8051-Trainer/dp/B005GA5YLE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453584902&sr=8-2&keywords=8051+microcontroller

It's not the LabPro, but I believe it has the same 8051 chip and is used in other courses where the LabPro is required but requires having your own board for wiring. I would check with the professor if he or she would allow it.

Just so anyone else here knows, if you’re in a room with no lock, use someone’s belt around the door closer and that’ll help make the door harder to open.

I had this book: Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry, Books a la Carte Edition (12th Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321933338/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-yYqDbCP1E093

But any edition close to the newest one would work. I also have the old slides on a Google folder if you want to familiarize yourself with the material before school starts https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1wYM-HLVdN75AulmTCFCamRn0IFA39Wk1

https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Through-Void-Eduardo-Reyes/dp/1073572625/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=journey+through+the+void&qid=1562262031&s=gateway&sprefix=journey+through+the+void&sr=8-1

Casio fx-260 solar