The Responsible Irresponsible Method by Erika

The Responsible Irresponsible Method by Erika - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

After approximately 16 years of scholastic testing experience, I am reluctantly forced to admit that the advice that I most often received from parents, teachers and the like, that studying should not be a last-minute affair, rather a lengthy planned out process, is correct. It has taken me a while to evolve to this line of thinking, but my grades have never been better as a result. I discovered that this method of studying has a name given to it by scientists-distributed practice, and that research has shown that it is a highly effective method, trumping other popular techniques such as rereading, highlighting, and summarization. My version of this method involves a two-step process; first, careful planning followed by studying, and second, the absence of the former.
First, the boring, but necessary part. Final exams are not a mystery; everyone knows where and when they are, and most times, what is going to be on them. All these things are delineated in the syllabus handed out the first day of class. If the reader is like me, she will feel a powerful impulse to stuff the syllabus in the bottom of her bag, out of sight, out of mind. I urge her to resist that urge, and observe the dates of all her finals and literally make note of them. Fast-forward to the end of the semester, well before your professor even begins to mention the final exam, start organizing a study schedule with generous amounts of time in between study periods. This study schedule should be designed with greater amounts of time devoted to what classes are deemed most difficult, but without increasing the amount of studying as the test’s date draws near. This is because long term assimilation of the material, is the most effective means of completely understanding concepts, and cramming before a test is only going to increase stress levels, which in turn decrease test performance.
What then, should one do with the time spent in-between studying? In my experience, something completely unrelated to coursework is best. Personally, I like to take it easy; perhaps I will hang out with friends, go on hikes, binge Netflix series for entire days. All this with the added satisfaction of not having the stress of being unprepared for an impending test hanging over my head. Now, this may be a very “adult” and “responsible” philosophy, but at the end of the day, I’m also maximizing the amount of time I can spend not being strictly responsible, which is why I do it, and why I recommend it to anyone studying for finals. Good luck!