189. All good stuff for college students.

It’s a two thumbs-up for StevePavlina! I should share a little of what I have learnt from his article and to my surprise, some of the stuff he said I have already experienced or is currently experiencing but only to realise these when I stumble across his article.

I don’t want to repeat what he’s saying already in his article but below is an outline and well, the gist of it.

Most of us have no idea why we are in college besides the usual remark “trying to get better pay in the future” or really… “that’s what’s everybody’s up to”. I guess these remarks are truer than not. Add on to this are other underlying stressful (whether realised or not) questions of whether we are taking the right course, whether we are on the right path, etc. So yes, the first tip he gives is crucial: “Why am I in college?” Once there is an answer to this, the rest pretty much fall into place. However, to nurture college experience, I guess we ought to ask, HOW we want our college experience to be like? For most people, college is the best place and time where you get to meet alot of new people; people who share similar interests or different viewpoints, etc. But that’s not just it.  The big part of it is that once you know why you are in college, allow that to lead you into how exactly or how ideal you want your college experience to be. It involves enjoying challenges, challenging the challenge, and really “bec[o]me a co-creator of my experience instead of a passive victim of it.”

The next tip he gives is rather a challenge itself: “Take at least one extra class each semester.” Where I study though, there is a limited number of units we can take per semester. If I’m not mistaken, we are advised to take no less than 15units? But for most of the people I know (including myself), we take no less than 17units. haha. For some though, there’s no escape but are made to take all 20units. Perhaps this tip is not as applicable but the next ones is:“Set clear goals for each class.” This is simply scoring real good for your major subjects, the subjects that you are keen on. Steve uses some examples that are spot on but I’ll state just one simple one he uses; so say there’s an assignment (an essay) that costs 10% but it requires you to work hours and hours over cups and cups of coffee for an A but only a few hours for a B. Would you go for an A? It all comes down to weighing whether this essay is worth your time. If not, get a B for this essay and spend the remaining time on something more valuable to you.So, I guess this goes hand in hand with the next tip he gives: “Triage ruthlessly”.

Besides these, what time you get up and how you manage your time are of utmost importance too. Starting early would mean you could get a lot more done. That includes exercise, work, meals and rest in between. I believe we are diurnal – so working at night is not “healthy”. Managing time here include knowing which lecture to attend, which to… *whispers* skip. haha.

Moving on is what I think is one of the most important: “Learn material the very first time it’s presented.” This strictly means understanding what you’re taught and right after you’re taught. If you don’t understand, seek for assistance! Weak foundation means utterly poor grades as we advance. It’s like saying, don’t know 1 2 3, don’t expect to do sums.

Seriously, I really think these tips are handy! haha.

Don’t you think so?

~ by floweret on July 9, 2009.