“lessons” from my first week of college.(it’s literally the first week these mean nothing)
Patience is peace, maturing in my studying by being patient and allowing myself to fully dive into the text and the knowledge of what I am needing to learn is fully rewarding. In the past I would dive into something and attempt to learn as much as fast as I could, and I am continuing to do such a thing; but in the times before(in high school most especially), I would find myself letting off the gas once I knew the most I could on the first day. And that was damaging, as I’ve learned. It didn’t allow me to fully understand certain concepts, and certain ideas - but in college, at least for the first week and a half of classes I’ve learned to be more patient. Because it brings peace, and often - more knowledge. [this is especially apparent in my greek class, being one of the only freshmen in the class is interesting, and yet I am now pushing myself in a way I haven’t really studied something in the past, and it’s been entirely peaceful while doing so.]
I have so much free time. And because I don’t want to feel like a waste of space, reading and studying and writing seems to just be the thing that opens up my mind and allows me to not feel as if I am failing. So, maybe it's a good thing.
My schedule is the most important part of my week. Making sure I know what each day is going to hold before the week starts has essentially allowed myself to be fully aware of what I need to accomplish, and when I do accomplish it, it’s very rewarding.
I should have learned these things in high school, but I coasted, and part of me wishes I hadn’t, but the other part of me is like, well - I still set myself up to be able to accomplish all of these things now. Odd how that has played out.
The space you study can be the space you sleep, as long as the setting itself changes between the two. For me, that just means a physical act of shutting off the lights and lamps I have that illuminate my room. The moment I turn off my lights is the moment I will climb into bed, but if I am going to write, or study, or listen to something regarding my class work, the lights must be on, and I must be at my desk. So even though most people say that you need to change the physical location, for me at least, and in this first week, having the space have a different feeling as I accomplish different tasks, sleep and school, has seemingly done the job for me.
Coursework that I am passionate about lets me create something outside of class in a way I haven’t felt since the summer of last year. Free flowing ideas crashing out of the waves of my brain onto the page. It’s incredible how that happens isn’t it? Learning is only helpful when I am bought into what I am learning. So rather than taking classes that might “help” me in the long run, taking classes that fully engage every aspect of my being is the most conducive way of learning. And at least for me, that is the goal of college. To learn as much as possible, and in a way that I can write as much as possible.
Bring books. Lots of books. I’ve found my nights are best spent with a book in my hands while I listen to music, and edison bulbs and string bulbs light up the space. And tea. Make sure you have tea, with a kettle. The act of getting up, filling my kettle with water, while pulling the tea leaves together, dripping honey into the cup, is one of the most resetting acts I could have ever dreamed. If I am ever at a standstill in my work, it becomes a meditation of sorts. The walk to the water fountain is beautiful in a manner of speaking, because it causes me to pause. And rest. Just for a moment. Which, in this hectic life I am leading now seems to be very helpful.
Small notebooks lead me to creating the best “notes” and I am way more attentive in class because of it. Rather than hauling around full page notebooks that are wide ruled, a simply blank page in a leather bound notebook, where I have space to make maps of my mind in the class, but not enough to write out full statements makes me pay attention 10x more, and in doing so, latch onto the important things in a way I would have simply written and moved on from in the past. Or, not taking notes at all. [Being able to carry that, my phone, and my wallet in one hand is key. It lets my mind be at work, and gives me something much more interesting than my phone in the same hand.]
8 lessons, or ideas I guess from the first week of school. There’s bound to be more wisdom in the walls of this school I’ll unpack over the rest of the semester.
i was bored and thinking about how i’ve become decent at studying now for some reason - after not really studying at all in high school. odd.
