My Freshman Backpack

My Freshman Backpack Im not new to the blogs (though we do have some wicked bloggers up in the sphere nowadays), but my recent, unintended hiatus might have confused you into thinking that I am. Nope, Im just a sophomore thats going to MIT and that has been doing this bloggin business for a while. Id like you to meet someone new, though This is my gigantic freshman backpack. Made worse by the fact that I dropped five pounds from that bag, since it doesnt have my laptop in it at that pictured moment (Yes, I am a sophomore now. Yes, I havent heard that term since high school.) (Or, actually, since last week, when a friend of mine from Tufts said I had a freshman backpack.) I try to let that roll off my shoulders, burdened as they may be by a brobdingnagian  backpack. See, sometimes, whats practical isnt exactly, well, chic. Case in point: You may have seen this phrased in a different way: If it looks stupid, but it works, it aint stupid. Such is the case with my beloved backpack. I pack my life into my bag each morning, because having my Organic Chemistry textbook on me keeps the small (but significant) downtime between classes a little bit more productive. For those of you who cant conceive of inventing time travel, this might be the next best thing to help keep yourself abreast of your commitments. It seems weird to think that, for some students here, MIT gives you a sink-or-swim style remedial course on study skills. In actuality, not everyone has to study intensely through high school in order to get in. Personally, aside from mandatory homework that was assigned almost daily for my courses, I did no additional reading, no additional practice until it was the night before a big test, when I shored myself up in my room, with pages of notes strewn on my bed and my person, where I dedicated a few hours to poring over everything that I needed to know. For me, that was more than enough. If you did that in high school, and it worked, good for you. But the odds are very good that it wont work out as well any more. Many exams will be scheduled close together, sometimes on the same day. There have definitely been days when Ive had two in one day, and possibly three. Whats worse, one of those exams in your freshman year will likely be in a course you might not like or care much about, since you tend to spend most of your time knocking down GIRs prior to declaring a major. Also, theyre MIT exams, which scales up the difficulty. Of course, this will all matter so much less in your first semester (which is still pass/no record), and to a lesser degree in your second semester (A/B/C/no record), but if you elect to take early sophomore standing by semester two (or once you become a sophomore the regular way), that safety net vanishes. By then, youll have to adapt. So I guess for now, keep these hints in the back of your mind. If your high school / current coursework is particularly challenging, or even if youre currently at MIT and you want to make sure you pass your classes, this might even be of use to you right away: Spread out your studying so youre not just doing everything the night before.  It saves you a lot of stress, since you wont worry about missing a detail or a definition if you allow yourself more time to do it. Being stressed will just make you less able to remember what you are trying to commit to memory, and then youll end up doing worse because of it. Aim for a good nights sleep if theres something important the next day. If youre nodding off during an exam, youll be spending some time and effort just keeping yourself awake, and thatll be inefficient when you end up working. Ask for help! From your TAs, from your professors, from people in S^3 (if it pertains to getting good academic habits down), from your wing-mates, suite-mates and dorm-mates. Dont feel bad about asking upperclassmen, either, as Anna has said before. If you can, spread out your workload, too. This is the approach Im taking. I have some gaps that I can fill in between classes, which, as a sophomore, are bigger than they were in my freshman year. But even as a freshman, if you can spare an hour or two earlier in the day cranking out some pset problems when youre not doing anything else, thats time that you wont be spending much later at an ungodly hour of the night. To me, this also reflects another significant principle: that of working smart, and how its not always the same as working hard. Take breaks. Remember, work smart, dont just work hard. Burning out isnt fun and no amount of mocha frappuchinos can make you entirely happy again :( Be ready to revise your approach and to throw out what isnt working. This is the most important part. In fact, you could call it a corollary to that folksy wisdom that I dispensed above: If its stupid, and it isnt working, then for your purposes, at least its stupid. If what youre doing isnt paying off, try something else. If you dont know what to try, see the third hint and solicit some advice that way. I can even offer a few other pointers on some study habits you can check out my profile here on MIT Admissions to send me an email. And, on a much less serious note (but still a reasonably dang serious note), if you plan on taking 5.12 and/or 5.13 (read: if youre premed, a course 5/10 major, or you just want to learn yourself some organic chemistry), do your back a favor and invest in the e-book version. This book is heavy.