Learning Out Loud by Megan

Learning Out Loud by Megan - September 2026 Scholarship Essay

I have learned that the more involved I am in studying, the more likely I am to remember what I learn. When I prepare for an exam, there is usually a notebook in front of me, a pen in my hand, and the sound of me repeating information to myself. Simply reading a textbook or looking over notes has never been enough for me. I can read the same page several times and still realize afterward that I was looking at the words without actually processing them. Over time, I discovered that physically writing information while saying it aloud is the study strategy that works best for me.

When I study, I take important concepts and rewrite them in my own words while explaining them aloud to myself. Writing forces me to slow down. I have to pay attention to what I am putting on the page instead of quickly reading over information and assuming I understand it. Saying the information aloud adds another layer to the process. If I can read a definition but cannot explain it without looking at my notes, that tells me I have memorized the words rather than actually learned the concept. I continue writing, repeating, and explaining it until I can talk through it naturally.

I have found this strategy especially helpful in my science courses. Subjects such as chemistry and microbiology require me to learn large amounts of terminology, processes, and concepts that often build on one another. Memorizing one definition may help me answer a simple question, but it does not always help when I have to apply that information later. Writing concepts out and explaining them aloud helps me connect new information to material I have already learned. Sometimes I even imagine that I am teaching the topic to someone else. If I cannot explain it simply, I know there is still something I need to review.

Another important part of my strategy is studying in small amounts over several days instead of trying to learn everything at once. I used to think that a long study session meant I was being productive. I could spend hours reviewing material the night before an exam and feel like I had accomplished a lot because the information was fresh in my mind. The problem was that being able to recognize something immediately after studying it did not necessarily mean I would remember it later.

Now, I try to divide material into smaller sections and work with it every day. One day I may focus on a group of terms, and the next day I will review those terms before adding new information. When I return to something after time has passed, I can quickly see what I truly remember and what only felt familiar during the previous study session. Anything I struggle to recall goes back into my writing and speaking routine. This gives me multiple opportunities to encounter the same information instead of depending on one exhausting study session.

Studying this way has also made large exams feel less overwhelming. Looking at several chapters of material at once can make it difficult to know where to begin. Breaking the information into smaller goals makes studying feel manageable. Instead of telling myself that I need to learn an entire unit in one night, I can focus on mastering a specific section that day. Those smaller accomplishments eventually add up to understanding the entire unit.

This strategy has taught me something important about myself as a student; I do not need to understand everything immediately to be capable of learning it. Some concepts take me longer than others. I may need to fill several notebook pages, say something aloud ten times, or return to the same topic for several days before it finally clicks. I no longer see that repetition as a sign that I am struggling. I see it as part of how I learn.

My notebooks may end up covered in repeated definitions, arrows, explanations, and rewritten concepts, and anyone nearby may wonder why I am talking to myself, but there is a purpose behind all of it. Writing, speaking, and returning to information in small amounts each day have changed studying from something I simply complete before an exam into an active process of figuring out what I truly know. More than anything, this method has taught me that academic success is not about finding the fastest way to study. It is about understanding how I learn and being disciplined enough to keep using the methods that help that knowledge stay with me long after the exam is over.