Tips for Being a Better Student

Now that my students (and many, many others) are beginning realize how much work university involves, here are some tips from Execupundit, whose experiences as a student and teacher must have been pretty similar to mine. If I had followed this advice as an undergrad, I might very well have done a whole lot better (and avoided those Ds and Fs). My additional comments are in brackets.

1. Less memorization and more translation. If you cannot explain a concept in plain language, you probably don't know it. [EE: throw away your highlighters and write in the margins of your books! Argue and discuss with the authors.]
   


2. Less procrastination. Work in increments and then review. Don't permit masses of work to accumulate. ... [EE: procrastination is worse than blowing off homework to have fun. But if you're in university, there's not really a good excuse for blowing off your homework.]
   


3. More engagement. It is a rare professor who does not appreciate a serious student. Don't make a habit of darting out at the end of class. Stay and ask questions if clarification is needed. [EE: I always learned more if I swallowed my pride and asked profs for help. I also found that seeing a prof  about a question after a course had ended was usually a valuable experience.]
   


4. Less resistance. Learning can be like swimming. You can panic at the sense of being overwhelmed or you can relax, comprehend the surroundings, and eventually move forward. [EE: sometimes a concept that seems incomprehensible becomes clear after you work with it for awhile; unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't]
   


5. Clear vision. Knowing the subject is not the same as getting a high grade. Understand what is needed for the grade and don't confuse that with a deeper knowledge of the subject. Try to achieve both. [EE: but if you want to get into bizskool or whatever, at least make sure you figure out how to get good grades. I failed miserably even at that as an undergrad.]
   


6. Act like a great student. What do the best students do? They don't spend a lot of time groaning about how tough the class is. They seek help and create a system for absorbing the information.


7. Know your barriers. What sort of learner are you? Does your impatience cause you to rush through analysis? Are you too analytical? Are you trying to fit the square subject in a round hole? Which parts of learning do you enjoy and which do you dislike? Is your ego causing you to try to bend the subject to your viewpoint rather than accepting the reality of the subject?

Comments

[Jeff H]

Those are some great points, I like the idea of putting a concept into your own words.

[Phil]

My undergraduate English professor used to say that if you know what you mean but you can't express it, then you don't know what you mean.

[scoop]

I also learned that talking to professors in the office was a great idea. They would assign an essay, and offer five or six topics. I'd go chat, suggest an angle, and end up with them telling me where to look for information. Half the work was done for me!