Conclusion

There is a similarity between acts of learning and acts of sex: We all naturally manage to figure out ways to do them pretty much on our own but most of us could benefit from some advice in how we might do better. Many people are too proud, too bashful, or too obstinate to admit that they are less-than-perfect in such things. It is not so much that we really need help as that we can use new information.

Laboratory research with animals and humans has shown that we not only learn the tasks we are assigned but that, while we are doing so, we also learn some-thing about how to learn that type of task. As one example, if you are asked to memorize a poem, you know how to do it because you have presumably memorized many poems before. But do you know how best to do it? Should you try to learn it all at once or should you break it up into parts? How should you divide up your time between reading and trying to recite? Is it better to read and/or recite silently or out loud? These are some of the how-to-learn questions that you can try to answer from your own past experiences, but about which you might benefit from some expert advice.

Indeed, expert advice is sometimes surprising. For example, did you know that you can "overlearn" something? If you repeatedly practice something the same way over and over, you learn it so well that way that you lose the ability to do it any other way. Just stop reading for a moment and try to spell your full name backwards. You've done it so many times forward that it's very hard to change! Similarly, if you study college material too much the same way, you may not be able to recognize it when it's presented in a different way on an exam.

The critical phrase in the preceding paragraph is "in the same way." You can't overlearn material if you vary the way you study it. Knowing a variety of learning tactics can insure that your study time is spent profitably.

I believe that one's attitude toward a task is even more important than one's technique--even poor techniques eventually work. For this reason, this first chapter has described three of the key characteritics of successful college students. These are:

1.

Be a professional student. Work to complete assignments and play when they are done. If you have several jobs to do, always start with the one you find least attractive (or most difficult) and always take a break after finishing a job. (I urge you now to study Appendix A.)

2.

Be an optimistic student. Be happy to display how much you do know rather than being unhappy about how much you don't know. (I urge you now to study Appendix B.)

3.

Be a committed student. Make a public pledge that requires you to do your best job as a student balanced against your other commitments. (I urge you now to study Appendix C.)

These attitudes do not guarantee success in college. You may not have an adequate preparation, and find that you need remedial work. You may even discover that college is not right for you, at least at this juncture in your life. But if you can be a professional, optimistic, and committed student, you can realize your full academic potential.