January 21, 2008
- Daydream about those parts of the class that hold your interest before you have to read the book, write the paper, or study for the exam. What this does is whet the appetite, strengthening that which is anticipated into a desire sufficient enough to “pull” you forward through the difficult times of the class. A food, which you are indifferent to, when continually imagined will eventually manifest itself as a desire to eat that food! Same principle, different area.
- Ask questions in class and be active. Any positive feedback from the teacher will encourage you, whether you acknowledge this or not. Also, subconsciously the teacher will be more likely to favor a borderline test/paper/etc to your benefit if you have established a consistent ethic and curiosity.
- Bring food to school. Saves time for obvious reasons, and saves energy for two: one is that energy is wasted seeking food, either on campus or driving around, the second is that you are more likely to buy fastfood- food which will help your body crash when you are up late studying or just worn down.
- Just as you cannot make money without spending, you cannot gain energy without first putting it out. This is difficult, I understand, but having tried several times to live life, especially academic life, without exercise, is suicidal. When you exercise and get your body to a comfort level where it feels “naturally at equilibrium”, in other words you feel comfortable in your own skin, you will have more energy and a more alert mind. Make this a priority.
- Refusing to get a bad grade. I can’t tell you how invaluable this attitude is. More than once I have faced the grave forecast of my own fears at a prospective test the next day, and through a downright ornery disposition to keep on studying no matter what, I pulled out an A, where I was previously separated but 12 hours ago by ignorance and loathing. This past quarter in fact, due to no procrastination, rather to what I call academic triage, I alloted no time whatsoever to my chemistry midterm, and had only 1.5 hours before the test to supersaturate my mind with all the short-term minutiae I could cram in. I resolutely insisted on doing good, and while it may not always work, I pulled off an 86%.
- Caffeine. Unbelievable, if deployed correctly.
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You know….#2 is definitely true. That is how I passed almost every class but I suppose I found a dead end with that idea by trying to use it to my benefit with a stoic, haggard, bitter and uninterested microeconomics professor. That was my last day of college.
This is a very good list. Most of this also can apply to work in the corporate world when enormous projects are due in a very short time.
“Ask questions in class and be active.” Indispensible! For the reasons you suggest, yes, but also because if you speak up, you feel a responsibility to be seen as bright – if you’re hiding, nobody cares what you’re hiding.