Hi there! This is where I keep some of my more "unconventional" advice for students — things that might shift how you think about college as an institution. Just let it bounce off you if it's not helpful. But you might find it useful to know that getting "good at school" is its own distinct skillset, and a learnable one.
How to get good at "school tasks"
- How to read a syllabus strategically: On decoding assignment weights and late penalties as the rules to a game where you're trying to get a high schore.
- Half-assing it with everything you've got: On deciding how much you actually want to invest into assignments.
- Guessing the Teacher's Password: On making a distinction between passing a class and learning something. (Take this guy with a grain of salt, but I find this post useful.)
It is also worth looking at one of Cal Newport's books, based on interviews with straight-A students, for ideas about how to approach college strategically. As with any self-help-y book, get a free copy (e.g., from the library) and remember to skim all the anecdotes.
Dealing with motivation / procrastination
- "Structured Procrastination": A short piece about working with your procrastination rather than against it.
- Why Procrastinators Procrastinate: This is a start of a series that can be very helpful in taking out the moral judgments associated with procrastination, and building new habits.
- Crash Course Fast Guide to Electives and Majors: Sometimes it's hard to be motivated by schoolwork because actually you're trying to study the wrong thing. These videos give quick overviews of what kinds of skills and interests are involved in different majors. My advice is to look for a field where you find the work fast and the information easy to remember. That's where you're likely to advance the farthest and build really interesting skills.
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