I never studied in high-school. I’d review for finals, but that was about it. Just going to class and keeping up with the work was enough for me. This strategy may or may not have worked for my peers, but I got by with A’s by doing the bare minimum. “That will change in college,� I was told a million times. Eyeroll. “I know, I know.�

Well, surprise surprise: they were all right. I find myself wanting to study just so I feel comfortable with the material in my classes. The fact that classes only meet a few times a week makes all the difference. In high school, I had the same classes every day, meaning a constant reminder/ review of whatever we were learning. Not the case in college. The other biggest difference is amount of classwork/ homework assigned. I have literally zero class work here. Class consists of sitting and taking notes or watching my TA do practice problems on the board. Even in recitation/ discussion, little is discussed, besides maybe the most recent football victory, or excitement about Keith Urban coming to campus. The only graded homework I ever have is a few math problems a night and a once-a-week listening journal for my music class. So one would think that I have boatloads of free time, right?

Wrong. Just keeping up on the readings for poli. sci., following the mountains of material in music, and trucking through my math assignments can take up hours of my week. We’re not even talking about studying for midterms. However, since less time is spent in class, I can spend more time studying. My favorite study spot is the Science and Engineering Library. It’s open 24/7, it’s in between two of my classes twice a week, and it has the textbooks I need. It’s quiet. There’s plenty of space to spread out. And it’s honestly the only place I can get real work done; my room is too distracting. The next best spot is the study room in the basement by the laundry room in my dorm. As much as I hate doing laundry, it provides built in, no-excuses study time.

And what’s the coolest about all this is that I don’t even feel like a nerd for studying so much. Everyone else is doing it, and so far it’s paid off. I just hope I can be this motivated for the next 4 plus years…

GO BUCKS!