Guest blog by Dr_Michael_A_Pilon

From the relative controlled confines of School to the free as a bird  College  environment.

OK  a stretch ;   many scholars yield to the liberties that  Varsity  permits.  For one, there’s actually no regular check as to whether one is keeping up.  Unhappily  I have experienced many scholars with potential fall into the pitfalls of this “freedom”.  In highschool one of my great teachers gave us one or two pieces of smart guidance.  One was that time off and fun is more pleasurable and more improving if it is not each night.  The idea being that if one takes some weekend time as a reward then it implies  more.  My “big night off” was  Fri.  night.  After a heavy week of lectures, laboratories and hospital time ( I am definitely a dentist ) I was prepared for the socially  ‘unredeeming ‘ life that a local bar had to give.  And college towns had and still has some great places to take pleasure in this part of life. Not really the stuff Nobel prizes are made from, or perhaps it is.  I adored the break from the routine and the social repartee was welcome. I have a tendency to be an enjoyable loving guy and this came out in those days.  I had a Jewish classmate who noted the Sabbath beginning at Sun Down on Fridays.  I remarked, kiddingly, that I too had deep non secular practices.  “I never studied on Fridays.” Mind you I infrequently awoke at the crack of midday the subsequent morning but I spent many hours studying on  Sat.  and  Sun.    My point was that I took the information of that teacher, I anticipated those  Fri.  evenings and I suspect it broke the ice in stress release.  Another good piece of guidance I received from a fellow, who was 1 or 2 years in front of me, was to hit the library as quickly as college started.  I once read that a habit takes twenty-one days to form and the concept of going to the library, from the beginning of college, established a pattern that was a firm foundation for a steady trend.  I wasn’t stressed at  School  as I was always before the game, as far as cramming was concerned.  I loved it when I could retire to bed early the evening before examinations, having made sure I was prepared.  The time leading in to examinations was a significant part of my organisation programme. I’d divide subjects into one or two sections. For instance I’d review a subject and maybe divide it into 10 parts.  The concept was to do five sections the 1st week, then the following 5 sections in the 2nd week. The 1st night I’d study section one, then the following night I’d study section 2 with an appraisal of section one. This carried on for the 5 sections.  At then end of the first week of study I might do a full review of all parts I had studied. The second week I might do the second half the course and review it all at the end of the week.  The following days, after week 2, I might review all ten parts of the course.

This was done with all courses.  None of these reviews were the 1st time I had seen any subject.

Actually it was a real review of studied materials. In summation, enjoy  College  ;   each night isn’t play night.  In my case it was Fridays for sure, and the odd  Sat.  if an event was in the planning.  Start at the start of the high-school year to spend some time in the library or another place which is conducive to the idea of studying.

As well avoid cramming by organising your review time ahead and obviously keep up as the year advances.  And most critical, have a great time. Looking backwards that was the nicest bit of my college years.  Nothing is unhappier than hearing of  ‘Christmas Graduates’. That’s the term we used to explain scholars who failed out at  Xmas  of first year  Varsity .  Of these very few weren’t capable of greatness in  School .   all appeared to once have been cajoled into a feeling of sleepiness by letting studies slide seeing as there had been nobody to control their educational work and efforts.  Many I know returned and got degrees.   it is easy to avoid this thru careful planning and execution.