It’s really that simple. Since you have to go to school anyway,
why not decide that you might as well be active and learn as much as
possible instead of wallowing in misery? The difference between a
C and an A or B for many students is, I firmly believe, merely a mat-
ter of wanting to do better. When you graduate, you’ll quickly
discover that all anyone cares about is what you know and what
you can do. Grades won’t count anymore; neither will tests. So you
can learn it all now or regret it later.
You will also inevitably decide that one or more courses couldn’t
possibly be of any use later in life. “I don’t have a clue why I’m bust-
ing my hump to learn calculus (algebra, physics, chemistry, European
history, fill in the blank)!” you lament. “I will neverneed it.”
Trust me: You have no idea what you may or may not need, use, or
remember next week, let alone in a decade. I have found in my own
life that a surprising amount of “useless” information and learning has
been vitally important to my career.
So learn it all. Get excited about the processof learning, and I guar-
antee you will not ever worry about what you need to know in the
future.
There Are Other Study Guides
Though I immodestly maintain that my How to Study Programis the
most helpful to the most people, there are certainly plenty of other
purported study books out there. Unfortunately, I don’t think most of
them deliver on their promises. Inevitably, these other books promote
the authors’ “system,” which usually means what theydid to get
through school. This “system,” whether basic and traditional or wildly
quirky, may or may not work for you. So what do you do if “their”
way of taking notes makes no sense to you? Or you master their high-
falutin’ “Super Student Study Symbols” and still get Cs?
xvi How to Study