Mistakes Were Made

[osprey_archer]

I’ve been reading the blog Study Hacks recently, religiously, going back through old posts.

I’m not sure why, as I think a rather large proportion of the advice is silly. I think the note-taking and test-studying skills are way too time-consuming. While I’m theoretically in favor of schedules in the end actual time-blocking stresses me out. Even the entries I find useful, like this one about adventure studying (a.k.a. getting yourself the heck out of the library to study) are hardly earth-shattering.

But I think the appeal here is the illusion it offers of safety: if you do this, this, and this your college career will go well, you will not take useless classes, and you will not realize at the end of your sophomore that you cannot in fact double major in history and Russian because of university course requirements which somehow never before now penetrated your thick skull.

By you I of course mean “me.” I don’t know where or why, but somewhere I clearly picked up the idea that mistakes are UNACCEPTABLE, and having made some – even mistakes this minor in the cosmic scheme of things – I’m rather at a loss.

The thing no one says about the liberal arts education (probably because students wouldn’t believe it, or wouldn’t come if they did) – all of this faffing around, trying on courses like new clothes, means that you’re going to make mistakes. Not every random course you take will open new vistas. Some will just suck up space and time and twist your future schedule out of true.

I am sure this is character building. I’m sure it’s good for all of us obsessive over-achievers to get it beaten through our thick skulls that mistakes are inevitable. But dammit, I liked my illusions.

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(In case you were wondering: I’m majoring in Russian. You can study history extracurricularly, but languages not so much. Besides, I have this great idea for a Russian honors project.)

Comments

[troublems03.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that you can't do the double major that you want to do - I'm sure it's really disappointing. However, it sounds like you're really into Russian, so it sounds like a good choice.

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I just spent a fair while on the site you mentioned, Study Hacks, and I'm inclined to agree with you - much of the advice offered is rather trivial and in practice, not hugely applicable. For example, there was an article about only taking one really hard class a semester. In my course, that is impossible. But adventure studying sounds kind of interesting, though I already do that to a certain extent.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I get the impression that he doesn't really understand about engineering majors, who seem to be lucky if they get one easy class a semester.

Now that I am over the "THE WORLD IS IMPINGING ON MY DESIRES WOE" stage it's okay; there were going to be ugly scheduling difficulties with the double major, so this is really just as well.

[girl-called-sun.livejournal.com]

Everyone always has their own studying tricks. I had a friend who was obsessed with the colour coding of her notes, and another that wrote essays in continuous 48 hour blocks under the influence of Red Bull (do not try this at home). I think you just have to find what works for you. I understand the superstition, almost, of study rituals - do this and you will pass - the way people can latch onto them for reassurance, when so much can depend on it.

You always give the impression that you are hugely enthusiastic about the Russian, so I wish you the best of luck.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

COLOR CODING. I've always wished I had the patience for color coding, but alas, I barely have the patience for notes.