This is BrainLog, a blog by Dan Sanderson. Older entries, from October 1999 through September 2010, are preserved for posterity, but are no longer maintained. See the front page and newer entries.

July 4, 2010

What happened to studying?

The first thing I did when I got to college was get a job. It took time away from studying, which I barely knew how to do anyway, and eventually it disqualified me from student loans—thereby requiring that I keep a job to stay in school. That wasn't my only problem, but my grades were terrible and I had to drop out to pay the rent. I fantasize about going back to my high school and writing on the blackboard my #1 piece of advice for students entering college: DO NOT GET A JOB.

Colleges need to offer "how to study" classes to college freshpeople, incorporate explicit "study skills" education components in 100-level classes ("we're only going to tell you this once, but here's what to do when your prof tells you to read 400 pages in a week..."), and offer additional coaching and counseling. I never took advantage of undergraduate advising so I didn't and still don't know what they do; maybe they cover some of this. But you sure as hell don't learn any of this in high school.

There should probably be a health component in there, too: kids don't know how to get enough sleep, or why.