"Idiot, Pass Me Another Tequilla" by Claudia

"Idiot, Pass Me Another Tequilla" by Claudia - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

"Idiot, Pass Me Another Tequilla" was what I scribbled down onto my test. The answer was C: Interphase, in other words: Idiot. At that point I knew that I was going to ace this biology test, all thanks to a simple trick I learned in psychology: mnemonic devices.

Throughout all of high school I have struggled with memorization, especially complex math and physics formulas. My junior year I took a psychology class in which I learned how the human mind works to break down facts and process information more efficiently. Humans subconsciously categorize everything into groups, orders and structures-this is where mnemonic devices come into play. A mnemonic device can be an acronym, a symbol, rhyme or verse that represents something that must be remembered. My personal favorite mnemonic devices are acronyms because they are straightforward and can be altered many ways. I always seem to remember the funny, outrageous and inappropriate acronyms but hey, they work!

When I sit down to study before a test, I pull out a sheet of paper and jot down the most important things I'll need to know for the test. Then, I pair up the words I need to know with ones that will make sense in my head; for example, Idiot Pass Me Another Tequilla - which has nothing to do with one's drinking habits but rather the five stages of a cell's life cycle. Memorizing formulas however, is a bit more challenging because it is kind of impossible to pair up words with strange Latin symbols. But, I have to thank my physics teacher for helping me remember over two hundred formulas by making me sing each one out loud. Yes, there were moments in class where I would sing about velocity under my breath but those tunes helped me pass the hardest course offered at my school.

Because of mnemonic devices, I have been able to break down complicated facts into simpler terms and ultimately excel on tests in school. This is a study habit that has proven to be very successful for myself and I will continue to use it throughout the remainder of high school and college.