DeFrancesco & Adler Methods: Study Approaches

The Tide was very interested in interviewing valedictorian, Troy DeFranceso, and salutatorian, Sam Adler. We know how difficult it can be to find efficient studying tools that work, especially while balancing extracurriculars and personal commitments. Here you will find tips from our most dedicated students, who also have tight schedules!

Q1: How do you start your studying sessions?

A(Troy): I like to think about all the topics that are going to be on my next test and all the resources my teachers gave me -- whether it is notes or a textbook. The next step is prioritizing information. If there are certain topics that I understand better, I’m not going to study them as much. I’m still going to review them to make sure I cover everything. I ask myself what I need to know for this test to be successful. Then I make sure that I have the tools and the skills, not necessarily the memorization. As you go throughout your high school career, you’ll realize that fewer tests are memorization and more are about applying what you learned in class to problem-solving questions. Math and science usually involve more complex problem-solving skills. Although, in every history paper, you will need to know a lot of evidence. You need to be able to make those connections; those are writing skills. However, English tests are more about memorization, which is a different way of studying. Overall, there are different studying methods for subjects.

A(Sam): I just jump in! If I’m doing bio, I just look back at the Google Slides the teacher gave us or Bio Ninja. I mention bio because it is so study-heavy and homework-heavy. I also like referring to books. Memorization can be used more when approaching social studies or classes like bio. Here, I’m getting things for my brain to fish out on the day of the test. As Dr. T[ornabene] once said, the bio fairy only comes to those who study. I was taking this quiz and I was struggling; I couldn’t figure out where this thing happened. Then, the bio fairy came because I was looking at the diagrams the day before! Diagrams are key. I was very happy with this. If it is something in the math realm, I jump into practice. Practice a lot! If you are practicing you are understanding what is going to be on the test; that is the big thing. For English, I also look into the memorization strategy. However, there are different skills involved. Here you are not able to find tests similar to what you might have, which is what I do for math and science.

Q2: How about your homework sessions?

A(Troy): Depends on the homework. I prioritize it based on difficulty: how much thinking is going to be required and how much time is going to take. The biggest thing for me is probably the thinking component of it. Some homework, such as math homework, is based on repetition. That skill is great and this builds knowledge. If I have to write an essay, that is going to be thinking. If it is research that is also going to be thinking, that isn't something that I can just do and get done. English questions, if I only have to read a book and respond to the evidence-based prompts, require less thinking. Other things such as big projects require a lot of thinking: here you have to plan it. So it depends on when you do homework based on your momentum, in my opinion. You can start by building momentum if you start with those assignments that are easier for you and less thought-provoking, and then you could feel ready to take on those heavier ones. You feel like you already accomplished something before you start. For example, if I were to sit down and write an essay for one hour, and I have no words done on that page, I feel like I haven’t accomplished things. But if I spend an hour and I can bang out both my math homework and my science homework, then I know when I start my essay the next day that those things are done. That thinking is done, so now I can sit down and think about that essay.

But some people might need the other way around; they need to start with the essay because, by the time they finish that math and science homework, they are going to be exhausted. Everybody has a small amount of time in their day; people do a lot of different things right. Some have to work, some people do sports and then there is homework. So it depends; you have to prioritize when you are going to put your best thinking. Thinking is an exercise, just like you are lifting weights, running on a treadmill, or you are playing sports. You need to have that brainpower.

Procrastination is bad for everyone. You feel the need to get quick pleasure by scrolling through your phone, but you feel guilty afterward because you should have been doing something else. You might as well save up free time for after you finish all your assignments. You could push your mind to anything if you believe. If you don't want to do homework, just sit down and try to write words on a page; if you have to write an essay, start with a fun free-write to start thinking; if you have to do those math problems just get them done.

I believe in balance: it is the most important thing. When weekends come, you have to take time to do things you love, or you are not going to get anything done. Sometimes I take my whole Saturday off, then I will work on my homework Sunday. That could be viewed as procrastination, but it can be viewed as giving my mind a rest from the exercise of thinking. You need to have that refreshed start.

A(Sam): Time to give a lesson on time management. So I’m the kind of person that will get homework done on the weekends. But what I will say with that is get it done as soon as you get it, or complete as much as you can while you have it. So when you are done with everything before its deadline, you have time to do other stuff. But don’t sacrifice sleep; I never sacrifice it. Past 9 o’clock, I’m not doing it. Maybe, or all the time, I will put on videos about what I’m learning, but it is less mind thinking. With that being said, it is important to manage your activities. I do sports, so there is little time that I have to do the work. If I have a meet, coach always says, “Go home, do your homework.” But you have to figure out when you have time. Let’s say you are procrastinating, you are probably not doing anything productive. If you get done everything you can, then you’ll finally have time to do things like college essays.

Q3: What has been your biggest mistake while trying out different methods?

A(Troy): I think what I did in previous years was not as effective as what I'm doing now. Last year, I thought I had to get high grades because it was important. College applications were coming the following year. I thought that I had to get 100 on everything, which means that when a test came at me, I had to be prepared for everything that could be thrown at me. So I over-studied for every test. I was studying material that I already knew for example, as well as doing excessive amounts of practice problems. That was a flaw, but it was successful because I was able to get that 100. But if I got a bad grade on a test, I wouldn’t care, because I knew I prepared the best I could with the resources I was given. This year, if I know in my head and my heart that I completely understand and that I can be given any challenge and solve it -- then I’m not going to study, or I’m going to study the perfect amount that I need. Try to do your best in your learning, and this will reflect strongly in your grades. If you put a positive mindset and lots of effort into learning, not trying to get a high grade specifically, you’ll be better off. I had to get into the cycle of doing school for a grade until I finally came out of it, and realized the true purpose of school. This is my experimentation year before going into college: I still have to figure it out, I’m re-doing all my methods this year.

A(Sam): Staying up late and dealing with teachers who assigned work Monday and made it due Friday. I didn’t have time for it during the week. But this year, I have more free time; I have lunch every day and study hall every other day. Free period now, get it done!

Q4: What tools help you the most for studying?

A(Troy): Pencil, paper, textbooks. Read those textbooks. Redoing practice problems you did in class, especially the tricky ones, and looking online to look for the trickiest problems you can find. If you have a physics test, look up [for example] super challenging questions on forces. If you can handle those, you can handle the easier ones.

A(Sam): Quizlet was great until they started charging you. I would do one quizlet and master Spanish, but now I ask myself “What was the word again?” Spanish is great with Quizlet. But another great resource that you must use, if you are doing any AP, is the free response question bank. Every single one, from who knows when is up in AP Classroom. Every single time, I'm there. I used this back when I self-taught myself AP Calculus last year; that is how you get the 5. Use the videos if you are not understanding something. Khan Academy I love. I used it to pre-learn Stats, Calc and Pre-Calc. They have so many good resources. I love their exercises. And Youtube! Do you want an explanation for something? Look it up. There is so much online. Practice questions, they all have those.

Q5: What are your recommendations when approaching the ACT and/or SAT?

A(Troy): Depends on your PSAT score. I knew exactly how I could get a high score on the SAT, given my PSAT score. I knew I was going to have the skills. I sat down every night for a week and did a practice Reading Section. I started by having 12 questions wrong. What I did with those questions was analyze every single one and think about why [I answered them incorrectly], re-read, and find the answer. This made me realize that there are certain types of patterns. I went from 12 questions wrong to 6, to 3 to 2. I got two questions wrong on my SAT because I trained every day and built those skills and confidence. The next SAT section I needed to train for was Writing. I read a whole book on grammar rules, learned them, and then did well on my writing. For Math, I always had the skills, but I needed to remember some stuff from Algebra 2 and Geometry, and then I was able to do well on that. Knowing grammar and mathematical rules will certainly help you get questions right. Certain math problems are hard and require problem-solving, while others involve just knowing how to take the test. Reading also involves some questions about simply knowing how to take the test. I guarantee you can get a 1300, just by mastering how to take the test. From there, you can work on finding details, annotating, and developing close-writing skills, as well as your math problem-solving and science skills: reading graphs [ACT], the stuff that gets more complex that separates the dogs from the wolves. But there is a lot of the SAT that is just knowing how to take the test, learning the rules, memorizing and drilling them. The rest is building your skills. This is where specialized tutoring and deeply analyzing your studying can help.

A(Sam): Everyone takes the PSAT 10, which is a great resource. Get a feeling from that. Don’t study for it, but once you have that score you can start; that is your baseline, so look into what was good and what was bad. The summer before junior year is when you start studying. Especially if you are going for a high level of national merit. How I did it: I started going to Khan Academy’s SAT prep. This is probably outdated now because the SAT is going digital, but I think they will still allow it for the ACT. For Math, you just have to learn the concepts and practice, practice, practice. Grammar, learn the rules; they are not that bad. The Reading Section, and practicing for it too, is the hardest section. Try to engage with the text. I would always get to the science section and tell myself “What is the fun thing I’m going to learn… OMG, whales have GPS brains.” Figure out what test works best for you; this tip is not outdated. These tests are different in many ways. ACT has science, their reading is quicker and much more objective -- this ended up being better for me, but I still studied for the SAT because of the national merit. You will also have to know some Pre-Calc for the math, which is the self-study section. If you are a math and science person I recommend the ACT; if you are a more social studies and English person I would go for the SAT.

Q6: Lastly, how do you approach AP, IB, and Regents testing?

A(Troy): Study well throughout the year; study less on your final exams. You might have to do a little studying at the end as a recap. If you study well throughout the year on every unit, then your recap is just going to be recap; you will not need to learn new things. Then, you will be able to take that test and already know everything. If you make sure to prioritize studying throughout the year, then you give yourself the gift of studying less for these finals. Learning new formats and types of questions they ask and how to approach them helps too. Such as AP questions, which are like SAT questions. Simple stuff like that. Know what you are going to be taking and the format of the test and you will do well.

A(Sam): Depending on the person, I would say regents are nothing to worry about, especially if you are taking the AP exams. Practice, practice, practice. There is a website where if you look up past exams you will find them all. Make sure they are the same as the one you will have, or as similar as possible. If you go to a third-party source and look for something like AP Stats questions, you might get to the AP and see that those are not the same! You need to take it from the primary sources if you can. Now, with APs and IBs, you can also find tons of past papers. Practice, practice, practice. Some others like AP World don't have resources to practice writing or grading your FRQs. Good luck to anyone taking that!

Lastly, here are some final words of reflection from Troy:

“The biggest thing in my studying for school is balance. You have to have fun. Learning is supposed to be fun. School is not supposed to be competitive, that is not its focus -- that is a very low focus. You should be going to school trying to learn. I know that not all classes are fun, studying is not fun sometimes, and homework can not be fun. But teachers give them for a reason. They are trying to build those skills that make you smarter. They are not just trying to occupy your time, because that would just be counterproductive. You don't want to get burnt out, and the way to avoid burnout is to prioritize the things you love. You want to help people. I don’t study in study groups, but people call me up and I help them out because I want to make that learning fun and collaborative. You want everyone to do well. You hope that the person sitting next to you taking the test gets a high score, just like you are going for. Try to become passionate about things; the more passionate you are about it, the more you have fun. Make those SAT passages fun; read them in funny voices and be creative. Be funny, and write funny [but appropriate] things in your essays because teachers don’t want to read plain essays either; they want to see personality. School is not easy for everyone. School is hard. We are all here. It is what you make of it. You have to keep going, keep pushing, and keep seeing the positives, keep seeing the light about school. You don’t have to always enjoy it, but you have to get through it. Enjoy learning.”

As you can see, Troy and Sam are perfect examples that demonstrate how much you should invest into finding what works for you. This interview was intended to collect methods of studying, but through it, as a writer and student, I realized that you can find one hundred methods of studying that promote anti-memorization mechanics, and not a single one could work for you. The approach to education is more complex than we could imagine. As you go on with your career, whether you are pursuing a B.S. or a Doctorate, you will need to keep on testing and tweaking your methods. Make the best of them, and if something is not working -- keep on moving. That is what our Valedictorian and Salutatorian’s “approaches of study” have in common: they discard what does not work.

*Some responses were lightly edited for clarity