Priorities by Jordan

Priorities by Jordan - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

Having just recently finished my first year of college, I can confidently say I’ve learn a thing or two about study habits. In high school, I never had to study much and got comfortable with that. However, in college I very quickly found that this would not fly. In my experience so far, it doesn't matter how much you have or haven’t gotten in the habit of studying; it’s absolutely essential in college.
The most important thing I can think to tell anybody about studying, no matter what their method is, would be to start early. We’ve all heard the stories about cramming fifteen minutes before the big test and how it never helps or how getting good sleep the night before a final exam is more important than staying up all night studying for it. I’ve got news: they aren’t just stories. The faster you try to learn the contents of the test, the slower your brain is going to take it in. And trust me, I know it’s going to feel like you won’t remember all of the things you went over out of class three weeks ago at the beginning of the lesson, but the simple act of repetition is enough for your brain to think, “Hey, this is probably important”, and store it away for later recognition.
This brings me to my next point: repetition, repetition, repetition. Nothing will make you remember something like seeing it three hundred times in the past thirty minutes will. Flash cards are your best friend. Go through them, make a pile for the terms you know right off the bat, a pile for the ones you don’t, and start there. If you know it, don’t waste time studying it. Take the ones you don’t know and repeat, repeat, repeat. Get a friend to quiz you, put it to the tune of “Old McDonald” if you have to, whatever makes it stick.
Above all, remember that your health is your number one priority and it is so important that you remember that. It’s incredibly easy to forget, and you’ll have many nights where those notes will drag you by the hand yelling, “This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this!” And every day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, “No. This is what’s important.” And remember that everything will work out just how it’s supposed to in the end, even if at the time it’s not exactly how you want it to work out. Trust yourself enough to be able to accept that.