Mmm - I was convinced people were 'getting things' easier than I was - wait until you're there a while and you will see evidence to the contrary, not matter what it appears superficially.
A thought I do have on this, though - as I was going to ask people here, and possibly this is true of you - do you get the feeling you have to know everything right away? First day of class, I feel like I have to 'swallow everything whole' and understand it. I do have good study habits and I spend time every day doing review - but the subjective feeling that I have to assimilate and understand all the information right this minute is really strong. It is really exhausting, too. It is not realistic. Some people will understand and retain info immediately - but I don't think it is true of most. What I do, that might help you, is to break your review into time slots of anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. For me, I take notes by hand in class and then I copy them out neatly within a day or two. This seems to help me process the information because my notes are often fast, I can slow down and assimilate the salient points. I also compile a study sheet as I go - I make questions and write out an answer key right away. You will find your own methods, but please just don't worry about 'getting it' all at once. I have to tell myself that, and you will find - I think - that once you are in a rhythm of review that works for you, you will see you are taking in and understanding more than you think. The extra stress from worrying about it just makes it worse.
Oh - and you will find nooks and crannies to study and hide in. I recommend you explore. I like a 24 hour study area and I have gotten used to which hours and which days are not very busy. I also found study areas I didn't know about. I recommend you go to whatever student services are there and ask about places you may not even know exist or that you have access to. I like to nip into a tiny art gallery when I need to escape the crowd and recharge a bit. It is rare to find anyone else in there at the same time.
And parties - I am older, but from what I have seen of students - sure, a number party - but there are also a number who don't. Up to you. You don't have to - this is adult learning, and the younger students will get it out of their system in time. It's only you you have to worry about.
07 Sep 2012, 2:42 pm
