getting information

Today an intern of myself (from work) told me something interesting: she was doing a semester/term of her studies in a foreign country. The lectures have been in the language of that country but the literature was in English* and the exams were in English as well so that she could take part.

But the problem was that she did not know on what parts of the literature she had to focus because she could not take part in the lectures. And this was the same situation for me when I was studying. I could not take part in the lectures because they were loud and crowded so if I hadn't had to take part** I didn't because I didn't gain any knowledge from the lectures anyways. So I had just the literature - lots of literature, with no idea on what I had to focus and where to start learning.

The problem was enhanced by the fact that we hadn't regular tests but just very big exams in the middle and at the end of the studies. So I just learned twice, ever. And though I would get crazzy while trying to do you, because all this information where just too much.

Luckly this is done now. But unfortunatly the problem that I don't know on what I have to focus to get the information I need still exists. I don't know where to get my information. And because I don't know I'm really unmotivated to (try to) learn what I actually would want to learn under other circumstances. (There are some other problems though).

*wish is a second language to us, but we are used to it in the studies in our country as well because a lot of the literature here is also in English.
 ** Of course there have been some lectures where I had to take part because it was forced. But I didn't learn from it.