So after 10 years away, at the tender age of 40, I returned to university in the fall of ‘11. I took two courses in Psychology. I struggled.
I was very good in grade school. It was soooo easy for me. I remember being tested in grade 2 for reading and my results had me at university level comprehension. So I became a pretty lazy student. When I hit post secondary, it caught up to me, and my grades suffered.
I was still in university, and owning my business when my first son was born. It all became too much and I dropped out.
Always had the intention of going back, someday. Well with changes in my industry, my future looks grey, so that day came sooner than planned.
So now I find myself with the labels ‘single father of 3,’ ‘employer of 10,’ ‘only child of aging parents,’ and ‘student,’ among others.
It was tough to add school into the mix and I didn’t juggle as well as I hoped.
So what have I learned about going to school?:
Time allocation – I need to balance my studying out better. I started off very well with this but soon fell behind for some external reasons. So next semester I will treat school as a higher priority and dedicate at least a full day a week to it, and nothing but it.
Note taking – my memory, while still pretty exceptional, is defiantly showing the signs of aging and not what it once was. I must take notes. Print off the lecture notes and actively (add to notes) follow along. Also comprehensive cue card production while reading and after class based on notes. Learn the names and dates of researchers.
Review and study – learn the cue cards, both sides. Make 3 piles (know for sure, almost know and still need to learn) focus on the almost knows until they are ‘know for sures.’ Then go over the ‘need to learns’ until they are understood. Then go through again to be sure several times. Flip over and repeat.
Need a plan – I don’t know my end game with education. I need to talk to counsellors, advisors and sit on a hill for a while and figure this out. Also make use of office hours and networking with the professors.
Also, research study ideas, and memory tips.
Lastly, need to make some study buddies.
