Helping Kids in College Budgeting

This fall thousands of students will be off to college. Their dreams of participating in stimulating debates, strolling through a lush campus steeped in academic tradition, and, let’s face it, partying without their parents’ supervision are about to come true.
For many, this will be the first time that they live on their own. It is also likely to be the first time that they have ever had to be solely responsible for their spending. Sending a child away with a lump sum of cash in the bank and no guidance is a recipe for disaster. Is your son or daughter ready to meet academic payment deadlines, pay for groceries and books, and make his or her money last for the whole year? Here are a few ways to ensure that your child starts their financial independence on sound footing.
Sources of Funds
Self-control is the key to making money last. The amount of control that your child must demonstrate will, in part, depend on where the funds are coming from. If you are funding your child's schooling, then it is easy for you to help them control their spending by limiting the amount that you deposit into their account. A debit card is all they will need to access funds for tuition, rent, books, food, and fun. Alternatively, if you are concerned about depositing larger amounts such as those that are needed to cover tuition installments or rent, you can continue to pay these directly and thereby minimize the amount for which the child is responsible.
If you have co-signed a loan or if the child has received financial assistance or a scholarship, it is likely that they will receive a lump sum that they can access freely. To help monitor the funds, it is recommended that the money be deposited into a jointly-registered bank account so you can check on the transactions periodically. Otherwise, you may find that your son or daughter’s tuition money has been spent inappropriately, which is a very costly mistake to make.
Budget
This time is an opportunity to teach your child about the value of money as well as the value of an education. The best time to discuss the funds that are available and what they are expected to cover is before your teen even sets foot on campus. Also, many colleges have special counselors that your child can meet with to help them prepare a budget.
Naturally, your child will want to have fun during these years as well. Help them understand how to quantify how much fun money they can spend on a weekly basis. If you are unable or unwilling to replenish their account, make sure they understand that it will be their responsibility to earn any additional money that they want to spend.
Prepare to face temptations
Students face numerous temptations on campus including offers of low-interest credit cards. Speak with them before they sign on the dotted line and before they create a life-long relationship with credit. Explain that the credit card is a great way to establish a credit rating but that this responsibility is significant and comes with a price. Credit balances must be repaid, and the interest charges can range from 10 to 18 percent on a generic card. Furthermore, the debt they accumulate can last for many years after schooling is finished and can affect their ability to borrow in the future.
Over time, your child will also learn about the banking industry as well as key skills like how to apply for a loan and watching for fees charged on transactions. They should be advised to withdraw funds from their bank’s ATM machines only to avoid the costly transaction fees associated with banking at other machines. Furthermore, have them explore the type of account that suits them best based on the number of transactions that they anticipate and their aptitude to paying bills online.
Letting Go
Be prepared for the fact that your child may make financial mistakes along the way. Take this opportunity to help your child understand the responsibilities of managing money. This is a prime time for them to learn the pride that comes with balancing a budget and starting a path towards accumulating wealth.
Use any missteps in these early days as an opportunity to allow them to become independent financially. In other words, do not bail them out. As parents we are responsible for providing opportunities for our children to fly, while also giving them a soft place to land if they fall, but do not confuse responsibility with being a financial doormat. If you continually fix your children’s financial mistakes you risk having financial dependents for the rest of your life.
Getting your children prepared for independence is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Giving them the tools to be financially responsible will allow them to enjoy the other benefits of campus – and after-campus – life.

Results baccalaureate 2011. What grade you got on the baccalaureate exam

On July 3, will display the baccalaureate exam results 2011 to avizerele school and on the Internet. On July 8, 2011, after complaints will display the final results. On this page you find the results obtained in the baccalaureate exam 2011
http://www.ebacalaureat.ro/rezultate

Making Your Holidays Cheerful

The holiday season is an amazing time of the year.  It’s a time that’s meant to be filled with love, joy, and happiness as there is so much to feel blessed about and so many things to feel grateful for.  The gift of life alone is miraculous, leaving one in a state of wonder and awe when deeply considered.  However, such realizations and feelings are generally far from what most of us experience this time of year.  Instead of experiencing joy, most of the season is spent pushing ourselves physically, emotionally, and even chemically, as we rush to get everything done.  With ever growing to-do lists, pressure at work, travel, changes in diet, and everything else associated with the holidays, we tend to experience more stress and overwhelm than in any other time of the year.  That hardly leaves any time for reflection, resulting in the missed opportunity to experience all the wonderful things life has to offer.

With so much consuming us, how do cut through the madness and experience some of the blessing that constantly pervades us?  How do we obtain the joy and happiness meant to come from this time of the year?  While many things factor into our overall happiness, there are three things you can do that will absolutely transform your holidays, allowing you to experience not only the joy and happiness of the season, but a deeper sense of fulfillment and blessing.

Focus on the Now

For many of us, we spend a significant amount of time not living not in the present moment, but in the past or future.  If we are not worried about something that may occur in the future, we are holding on to something that happened to us in the past.  The result of this becomes a state of survival in the body, leading to an overall sense of anxiety. Not only is this state not conducive to happiness, it makes it nearly impossible to experience.  Anxiety and overwhelm create more tension in the body, which leads to an even greater state of survival, resulting in a cycle that can be hard to break. Because of this, most of us do not take the time to count our blessings when we are in survival mode. The key to breaking this cycle is the breath. Practicing meditation, yoga, or some form of prayer, is great. However, simply becoming aware of your breathing can have a significant effect on your overall being. When you first become mindful of your breath, you will probably find that it is rapid, shallow, non-rhythmic, and often times, you’re holding it altogether. By bringing your awareness to your breath, it will immediately slows and becomes much deeper. This shift, resonates through your entire physiology, as your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops, and blood is shunted from your muscles back to your vital organs bringing oxygen and nourishment with it. Just as importantly, a space opens for you to move into the present moment, and experience a greater sense of ease. It is from this space that blessings can be counted and just as importantly experienced.

Make Gratitude a Priority

Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor at University of California, has shown in his groundbreaking work that people who practice gratitude, for instance keeping a gratitude journal on a weekly basis, are healthier and more optimistic.  Further, these same people are more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals, which further increases overall happiness. The reality is that stress is not real. Stress results from how we perceive and experience the world around us. By taking time everyday to keep a gratitude journal, making a list every night before bed and reviewing it each morning upon awaking, we can significantly shift the perception of our life’s events. With this, we can begin to see the blessing even in events that seem less that ideal, including times of crisis and tragedy. With a change in perception, our very physiology shifts from one of survival to one of ease, allowing greater depth, meaning, and fulfillment to flow into our lives.  From this state, the true meaning of the holidays can be experienced.

Practice Kindness

While many things factor into one’s happiness, research has shown that nothing has as positive an effect on one’s overall level of happiness than helping others achieve happiness. Altruism of any sort, whether it be helping a friend, volunteering time, donating used items or money, listening to others, sharing kind words, or even a smile, all contribute to a greater state of peace and happiness in oneself.  Further, the health benefits associated with helping others has been shown to rival, and even exceed those, resulting from exercise or quitting smoking. In short, the most powerful way to achieve joy and happiness is to help others achieve the same.

The holiday season can be a very stressful time of the year, and it is easy to lose the meaning associated with it. However, it can also be a time of great blessing and fulfillment.  This year, make it a point bring live in the present moment, look for the blessing in all things, and send some love and kindness into the world.  You will find that the more peace and joy you give, the more you will receive, allowing you to enter the new year feeling more blessing and fulfillment that ever before. 

6 Basic Characteristics of Learning

Characteristics of Learning
Let us now examine an everyday learning situation in order to see what happens when we learn. Consider the case of a person le2rning to drive an automobile.' Despite his desire to drive, he does not have the necessary skill, so he sets out to change his behavior. At first his efforts are only partially successful. He starts wi~h a violent jerk or stalls the engine. Once he is under way, steering becomes a problem as he cuts the corners too sharply or is unable to stay on the right side of the road. Abrupt stopping may occur because of inappropriate braking action. The driver displays many responses, some right and some wrong. Those which he perceives as wrong are gradually eliminated in favor of the responses which are right in that they lead him toward the goal of driving the car in the proper way. He repeats the right responses over and over again and they become smoother. more precise, and better timed. Eventually, driving an automobile is added to his repertoire of behavior. And in one way, at least, the individual is a different person from his former self. He is now an automobile driver, whereas before he was not.
The Learning Goal 
Certain elements common to most learning situations are present in the driving task. In the first place there is a goal. This meclnS that the learner wants something. He has a need or desire to learn. If such an urge is not present, he will never get under way. Before a man can be taught to operate a lathe, he must want to learn to be a lathe operator. You won't learn about psychology or tennis or calculus or typing unless you want to acquire this knowledge or learn these skills. Why a person would want to drive an automobile is perhaps obvious, but in this analysis the reason is of no consequence. The point to be remembered is that he did have the desire.
Often we fail to appreciate the importance of the learner's goal in teaching or training because the goal as the teacher perceives it may be different from the learner's perception of the goal. If the eacher's goal is to get the student to learn as much as possible about the subject matter in the available length of time, he may be disap­pointed when the student's performance falls far below the teacher's expectations. The reason for the mediocre peIiormance may lie in the student's goal. Perhaps his goal wa$ to learn just enough to get by or 'ust enough to make a C grade. There will be a difference in what is earned in an industrial training program if the trainer's goal is to get 'he employee to learn to produce the maximum number of units of a given quality in a given time and the employee's goal is to produce just enough to keep the foreman off his back and the time-study man from tting his rate.
Responses Are Necessary 
After the individual has a desire or need to learn, so that there is a :lear-cut goal in his own mind, wha.t else is necessary if learning is to :ake place? The old adage that "we learn by doing" provides the answer. Thus, the second factor common to all learning is some kind activity, or response. The learner himself must do something­-ake responses. This activity may be overt, e.g., arm, leg, or hand activity in playing tennis, or it may be internal, as when he manipulates ideas in solving a problem. Trying to teach a person anything by giving him a verbal description of what you want him to do, or ::emonstrating to him how the task should be done, or showing him by -eans of a film the nature of the skilled performance, is of little use unless it leads to active doing by the learner himself. The person who earned to drive the automobile not only had the desire to learn but he ::id something about it by resorting to many responses-arm, leg, ~ger, reading, judging responses-all of which were a part of his natural equipment.
Of course, the necessary responses for attaining a goal must be Potentially available to the would-be learner. A feebleminded person annot get through school because the intellectual responses necessary for schoolwork are not available to him. The very young child not learn to write until his nervous and muscular system are efficiently developed to enable him to make the fine coordinations necessary for handwriting. The responses necessary for learning a new task may also be limited by previous learning. Learning may be or impossible in an advanced course in mathematics if a prequisite is a basic course in algebra and the learner has never taken such a course. In the automobile driving situation the necessary responses are available to most people. In some cases, however, poor coordination, slow reaction speed, faulty vision, or some physical or mental defect may make it impossible to learn to drive.
Reinforcement 
How now do we account for the fact that tbe learner with a goal, and making many responses, selects certain of these responses-the right ones-and eliminates the wrong ones? This question brings us to the third basic characteristic of learning: reinforcement. The learner selects from all the responses he is making those that are reinforced. The responses that are not reinforce:! are eliminated or not learned.
You can easily understand the nature of reinforcement if you keep in mind that the person trying to -learn is, in a sense, out or balance with his environment. He sets out to restore himself to a balanced state by learning some adjustive act. The consequences of any act-reduction of pain, avoidance of- distress or punishment, recognition, success, reward, pleasure-which lead the rearner to­ward his goal are reinforcing. The satisfaction which accompanies a successful outcome reinforces the success-getting response, so the learner tends to repeat such responses. The unreinforced responses, since they are not successful in leading to the goal, are weakened. Our automobile driver -resorted JO many responses, some of which he eventually discovered were successful; others were unsuccessful. The former were repeated over and over again, each time receiving added reinforcement; the latter were not repeated because of lack of reinforcement, and hence were not learned.
The effect of knowing how one is doing-whether his reponses are right or wrong-provides the clearest and simplest illustration of reinforcement as a learning principle. In learning situations like playing tennis, bowling, casting for trout, or typewriting, the correct or successful response is usually apparent to the learner. When one makes a strike in bowling, the visual cues from the falling pins tell him immediately that the way he rolled the ball was the right way, and the ensuing reinforcement causes him to try to rall the ball the same way the next time. But suppose the learner has no way of knowing whether his response is correct. In a situation like this, reinforcement cannot occur, or is minimized, and hence learning should at least be retarded.
Lack of Reinforcement 
A striking illustration of how the lack of reinforcement impedes learning progress is a wartime study in which men were being trained to track airplanes with a tracking apparatus. Two groups of equal tracking ability, as determined by previous performance, were ob­s·erved. One group was given knowledge of results in the form of a buzzer which was sounded by the trainer whenever the trainee was off the ttacking point by more than 2 miles. In other words, reinforce­ment was present in the form of feedback to the learner as to the correct and, incorrect tracking responses. The other training group received no information at all and hence no reinforcement. After only sixty-eight minutes of practice, the group trained with the buzzer was found to be off target only 32 percent of the time, whereas the group trained without the buzzer was off 58 percent of the time. Reinforce­ment really works!
Classes of Reinforcers 
Because of earlier discussions of perceptual principles you should not be surprised to know that the effect of reinforcement will depend on the pe1'ception of the individual who is learning. An outcome that is reinforcing to one person may not be reinforcing to another. \\'hat one person re'gards as a rewarding experience may be regarded as a neutral or even as a punishing experience by another. However, in general, one can count on an allnost universal acceptance of certain classes of reinforcers such as money, food, status recognition, and companionship.
Reinforcement often occurs automatically, without the learner's being aware of the effect at the moment. Suppose that you have been playing mediocre golf for a couple of years and decide to improve your game with the help of a professional instructor. The instructor watches you play and criticizes your habit of gripping the club like a baseball bat. He says, "That is no way to hold a golf club. How on earth did you pick up that habit? You will probably reply that when you first took up golf, you simply picked up the club and tried to hit the ball. But why did you learn to grip the club in the wrong way? The wrong way must have been reinforced, otherwise it would not have been learned. The important point is that you did not perceive it to be the wrong way. Very likely you gave little thought to the grip, but concentrated on hitting the ball. The reinforcement that was respon­sible for your bad habit was probably the natural or comfortable feel of the baseball grip. You failed to grip the club the proper way because, to the novice, this way feels awkw.ard and strained. Much human learning occurs and persists under conditions of reinforce­ment which were never specifically identL'. 3d by the learnE., or if once identified, were later forgotten. Since so much of our learning comes about through association, let us look briefly at this process, which we call "conditioning."
Conditioning 
Day-by-day we run into many ways of associating things, For exam· pIe, the normal stimulus to start a flow of saliva is the taste of food. But how often our mouth waters at the mere sight of some favorite food. This happens because the sight of food has been associated in the past with its actual taste. This involves what we call con­ditioning: a given response (salivating) comes to be evoked br a previously neutral stimulus (sight) when this stimulus is combined several times with the stimulus which naturally elicits the response. In this Jilustration the flow of saliva is an unlearned response; that is, an unconditional response is a conditioned response. Thus sight has been substituted for tq.ste in eliciting the response of mouth watering.
The more nearly alike a new stimulus is to the original stimulus, the better it will.substitute for it. Sometimes we become conditioned to avoid things. A very unpleasant tasting medicine may be taken in a solution of orange juice. Weeks later the mere sight of an orange may make us shudder.
Through conditioning we often learn to attach value to things that have no intrinsic value. Let us illustrate by a study. In one experiment, secondary rewards ("poker chips") of certain colors were given to chimpanzees. Primary reward values (food, water, and play privileges) were assigned to different chips. The animals were placed in different cages that contained food and water vending machines, and a work apparatus requiring them to lift weights ir! order to get chips that would "buy" food, water, and play privileges. The chimps readily learned to operate the work apparatus, but they would not work for chips that would not buy them anything. They learned not only to manipulate the chip!i iri obtaining rewards but to discriminate between chips (by color) that wduld buy food, water, or activity. And they learned to weed out working for chips that would not buy anything. If the animals had a large number of chips, they would not work very ha~d to secure additional ones. Some the animals even learned to trade "food chips" for '''play chips."
Sometimes the "chimp-o-mat," as the vending machine was caIled, did not work. Yes, you guessed it-the animals banged it on the side! Both animals and humans behave in accord with many ways we have been conditioned. Here is where motivation becomes so im­portant to us in our learning.

All About Reading and Readers - Psychology of Reading as a Complex Behaivor

All that has been said about efficient study is based on the assumption that the student has normal reading, writing, and arithmetical skills. However, many studies, surveys, and reports from those who counsel students show that high school and college students have deficiencies in these basic skills. Probably the most common deficiency is in reading ability. Some college students read no better than seventh ­grade pupils, and at least one-third of college freshmen read too slowly to do their most effective work.
Reading Is Complex Behavior 
It is not surprising that reading deficiencies are so common because the reading act is complex. This complexity creates many opportuni­ties for error to occur. Examining the behavior of the eyes during reading makes one wonder how reading is possible at all. If we stand directly behind a reader and carefully observe onti of his eyeballs by reflection in a small mirror held just below it, we see that the eye moves from left to right, not with a steady sweep but with jerks and pauses. Then it swings back from the extreme right to the extreme left to start the next line. Experimental studies have shown that during the movement of the eyes, perception of letters and words is impos­sible. How, then, can one ever learn to read? We now know that the eye as a receiver of information from the printed page works during the stops or fixation pauses.
During fixation pauses the reader attends to the stimulus mater ial not in a piecemeal fashion but as a pattern or whole. He does this because he nas learned that it is not necessary to perceive every letter and every word in o!der to obtain the essential information. All languages contain letters and sounds that are redundant, and the languages themselves are redundant, i.e., they contain more words than are necessary for conveying information. When you perceive the letter q, you know it will be followed by u. When you see informati, you know it will be followed by on. When you see ps ch l y, you fill in the missing letters easily. When you see
The land the free home brave
you fill in the missing words without difficulty. In reading, certain cue letters or words are all that is necessary for ordinary comprehension.
Slow and Fast Readers 
What, then, is the difference between slow and fast readers? Both, of course,.take advantage of redundancy in language, but the fast reader s so to a greater extent. He pauses just often enou'gh to get the sense of what he reads and thereby reduces the number of glances per se. The poor reader spends toq much time looking at words that arry irrelevant or repeated information. To improve his reading peed, he should therefore decrease the number of pauses per line. And to accomplish this it is necessary to expand the number of words perceived in a single glance, The trick is to force oneself to take in more territory during the information-gathering process when the eyes are at rest.
Another common fault of poor readers is to make regressive eye movements. Such movements are back tracks, or returns, to a word or phrase which did not clearly register. These movements usually defeat the reader's purpose, which is to gather information from the material before him. Regressive movements may impede the in­formation-gathering pr-ocess by interfering with the train of thought, so that ideas become jumbled and unrelated. If you are a backtrack­ing reader, make every effort to break the habit.
Don't vocalize as you read. You have no doubt seen children whisper to themselves when they are beginning to read. As they gain reading skill, the whispering becomes inaudible, but their lips, tongue, and throat muscles still move as if they were talking. Some college students have not progressed beyond this stage. This kind of vocalizing lowers the rate of reading and acts as a distraction, preventing you from grasping the full significance of what is read. The purpose of reading is to perceive not words, in themselves, but significant cues, which are the raw material or vehicles of ideas:
Phrases and sentences are the units which convey the ideas on the printed page, alld they are the units which must be comprehended. Reading without vocal activity allows one to grasp the phrases, and hence the thought, quickly, in a minimum of time.
Efficient reading is, of course, impeded by a deficient vocabula­ry. You should not attempt to read with speed at all costs. Some students do this by skipping over new words, hoping to get their meaning from some later sentence or paragraph. Occasionally these deduced meanings are correct, but frequently they are not. The safe procedure is to get into the habit of checking definitions of all unfamiliar words. Underline new words when they are first en­countered and look up their meaning in a good dictionary before leaving the assignment. After a dictionary has been consulted, return to the context in which the word was seen and reread it so that you can see how it fits into the total setting. This adds meaning to what you are reading with help to establish the meaning of the word for future use
What about speed readirig courses? Studies have heen inconcludsive as to the value of speed reading programs. On the positive side (besides those who have commercial interest in speed reading pro grams, along with some of their custormers), there are those who say that reading speed can be increased to between 1,000 and 2,000 word per minute. These proponents include some independent research who believe that comprehension at these levels is adequate for so types of material. On the negative side, there are those who say that high reading speed cuts down comprehension. Let us relate one study un the controversy.
College students who er,rolled in a university speed-readinq program were tested for immediate and basic comprehension. Fou different types of literature was used. These included "heavy fiction" (Doctor Zhivago), "light nonficticn" (Playboy), "light fiction" (Redbook), and "heavy nonfiction" ( textbook in experimental psycholo­gy). the selections were about equally long, They were presented in the same format, double-paced typing.
Each student read two kinds of literature and was immediately tested for comprehension. Weeks later. each student was tested again. Other tests were conducted, with the usual experimelltal and control groups involved. Three genelalizations emerged. First, it is believed that the average speed reader can.not triple his reading speed (as often claimed), or even double it. without missing large chunks of the message, Second. there is some evidence of better comprehension at faster speeds. This suggests that some speed reading techniques can be valuable for some people and for certain purposes. For example, to skim literatlure intelligently may be a very useful skill. Most of us, after all. have only a limited amount of time for general reading. Third. the claim that mos, of us. must of the time can increase our reading speed dramatically without loss of comprehension remains yet to be proven. Each of us should ask: What do I wish to get from what I read?) How much time and effort will it take for me'?"
Individual rcadiag habits have greatly, In general. those peopl who read widely-the subject matter ranging from newspapers and magazines to technical material and pleasure reading-read well. A vailabilit y of reading material is important, and so is convenience. Most people will not go out of their way to read a conventional bulietin board. but they may habitually read single daily items placed in the elevator or short items handed out at the plant gate.

Reading as a Complex Behavior

Reading Is Complex Behavior 

It is not surprising that reading deficiencies are so common because the reading act is complex. This complexity creates many opportuni­ties for error to occur. Examining the behavior of the eyes during reading makes one wonder how reading is possible at all. If we stand directly behind a reader and carefully observe one of his eyeballs by reflection in a small mirror held just below it, we see that the eye moves from left to right, not with a steady sweep but with jerks and pauses. Then it swings back from the extreme right to the extreme left to start the next line. Experimental studies have shown that during the movement of the eyes, perception of letters and words is impos­sible. How, then, can one ever learn to read? We now know that the eye as a receiver of information from the printed page works during the stops or fixation pauses. 

During fixation pauses the reader attends to the stimulus mater ial not in a piecemeal fashion but as a pattern or whole. He does this because he nas learned that it is not necessary to perceive every letter and every word in o!der to obtain the essential information. All languages contain letters and sounds that are redundant, and the languages themselves are redundant, i.e., they contain more words than are necessary for conveying information. When you perceive the letter q, you know it will be followed by u. When you see informati, you know it will be followed by on. When you see ps ch l y, you fill in the missing letters easily. When you see
The land the free home brave
you fill in the missing words without difficulty. In reading, certain cue letters or words are all that is necessary for ordinary comprehension.

Are Slow Readers Successfull or Fast Readers?

Slow and Fast Readers 

What, then, is the difference between slow and fast readers? Both, of course,.take advantage of redundancy in language, but the fast reader s so to a greater extent. He pauses just often enou'gh to get the sense of what he reads and thereby reduces the number of glances per se. The poor reader spends toq much time looking at words that carry irrelevant or repeated information. To improve his reading peed, he should therefore decrease the number of pauses per line . . And to accomplish this it is necessary to expand the number of words perceived in a single glance, The trick is to force oneself to take in more territory during the information-gathering process when the eyes are at rest. 

Another common fault of poor readers is to make regressive eye movements. Such movements are back tracks, or returns, to a word or phrase which did not clearly register. These movements usually defeat the reader's purpose, which is to gather information from the material before him. Regressive movements may impede the in­formation-gathering pr-ocess by interfering with the train of thought, so that ideas become jumbled and unrelated. If you are a backtrack­ing reader, make every effort to break the habit.
Don't vocalize as you read. You have no doubt seen children whisper to themselves when they are beginning to read. As they gain reading skill, the whispering becomes inaudible, but their lips, tongue, and throat muscles still move as if they were talking. Some college students have not progressed beyond this stage. This kind of vocalizing lowers the rate of reading and acts as a distraction, preventing you from grasping the full significance of what is read. The purpose of reading is to perceive not words, in themselves, but significant cues, which are the raw material or vehicles of ideas:
Phrases and sentences are the units which convey the ideas on the printed page, alld they are the units which must be comprehended. Reading without vocal activity allows one to grasp the phrases, and hence the thought, quickly, in a minimum of time.
Efficient reading is, of course, im~eded by a deficient vocabula­ry. You should not attempt to read with speed at all costs. Some students do this by skipping over new words, hoping to get their meaning from some later sentence or paragraph. Occasionally these deduced meanings are correct, but frequently they are not. The safe procedure is to get into the habit of checking definitions of all unfamiliar words. Underline new words when they are first en­countered and look up their meaning in a good dictionary before leaving the assignment. After a dictionary has been consulted, return to the context in which the word was seen and reread it so that you can see how it fits into the total setting. This adds meaning to what you are reading with help to establish the meaning of the word for future use
What about speed readirig courses? Studies have heen inconcludsive as to the value of speed reading programs. On the positive side (besides those who have commercial interest in speed reading pro grams, along with some of their custormers), there are those who say that reading speed can be increased to between 1,000 and 2,000 word per minute. These proponents include some independent research who believe that comprehension at these levels is adequate for so types of material. On the negative side, there are those who say that high reading speed cuts down comprehension. Let us relate one study un the controversy.
College students who er,rolled in a university speed-readinq program were tested for immediate and basic comprehension. Fou different types of literature was used. These included "heavy fiction" (Doctor Zhivago), "light nonficticn" (Playboy), "light fiction" (Redbook), and "heavy nonfiction" ( textbook in experimental psycholo­gy). the selections were about equally long, They were presented in the same format, double-paced typing.
Each student read two kinds of literature and was immediately tested for comprehension. Weeks later. each student was tested again. Other tests were conducted, with the usual experimelltal and control groups involved. Three genelalizations emerged. First, it is believed that the average speed reader can.not triple his reading speed (as often claimed), or even double it. without missing large chunks of the message, Second. there is some evidence of better comprehension at faster speeds. This suggests that some speed reading techniques can be valuable for some people and for certain purposes. For example, to skim literatlure intelligently may be a very useful skill. Most of us, after all. have only a limited amount of time for general reading. Third. the claim that mos, of us. must of the time can increase our reading speed dramatically without loss of comprehension remains yet to be proven. Each of us should ask: What do I wish to get from what I read?) How much time and effort will it take for me'?"
Individual rcadiag habits have greatly, In general. those peopl who read widely-the subject matter ranging from newspapers and magazines to technical material and pleasure reading-read well. A vailabilit y of reading material is important, and so is convenience. Most people will not go out of their way to read a conventional bulietin board. but they may habitually read single daily items placed in the elevator or short items handed out at the plant gate.

Ways to Make the Most of Your Abiliities

Making The Most Of Our Abilities
Too often we tend to evaluate ourselves not by our abilities and accomplishments but by our limitations and mistakes. We often forget that beyond a given level of general intelligence, personality, motiva­tion', opportunities, education, and training contribute more to our occupational success and. failure. Specific jobs require specific skills-psychomotor, athletic, mechanical, musical, artistic, and creative abilities.
Training relates to the teaching of specific skills. Education is broader and less specific; itrefers to learning things in order to gain. proficiency in future situations. Many college programs combine training and education. Self-confidence comes through self­-understanding and relates closely to what we do with our abilities and how we learn to work around our limitations.
Acquiring efficiency in study hinges on "learning how to learn."
It relates to motivation and study time habits; knowing how to prepare and take exams; and knowing how to read and check on one's progress. Learning will not take place unless there is an underlying motive to learn. Preparing a flexible study schedule can be helpful in budgeting time and effort. Both motivation and scheduling prepare the student for studying. The choice of a physical setting for study is also important.
Study assignments are made meaningful in four ways. First, skim the assignment to get a bird's-eye view of what is to come. Second, use a dictionary to learn the meaning of specific words. Third, make the study perioe meaningful by relating new facts to old problems. Fourth, summarize material in your own words. This helps to identify essential material to be remembered. Recitation is neces­sary in helping to stamp in what is to be learned. The advantage of recitation over passive reading is that one is forced to maintain an active attitude so essential to memory storage. Good note taking is an art whereby one evaluates the material that will be useful in the future.
Essay exams emphasize the recall of information. Objective exams emphasize recognition of material. Preparing for and taking exams is an art that can be acquired by following step-by-step procedures. There is no substitute for knowing the material in-the first place, and here overlearning is important. Taking an exam is a skill which is to be learned much as any other skill.
The most common study handicap is deficiency in reading. Reading is a complex behavior. Poor readers show four basic habits. First, they spend too much time looking at words that carry irrelevant or repeated information. Second, they make regressive eye move­ments which impede the information-gathering process. Third, they vocalize, which slows down reading. Fourth, they often have deficient vocabulary.
Research on speed reading courses shows three things. First, the average speed reader cannot triple reading speed, or even doutle it, without missing large chunks of material. Second. there are som case evidences of better comprehension at faster speeds, but we need to ask what our purpose in reading is. Third, the claim that most of us, most of the time. can increase our reading speed dramatically without loss of comprehension remains to be provven. We need to ask: "What do I wish to get from what I read, and how much time and effort will it take for me?" Individual reading habits vary greatly.

Succussful Steps For Preparation and Taking Examinations -

One-Stop Study Success
If you are looking for some way to pass examinations other than by thorough mastery of the material to be covered in the examination, you will be disappointed in what psychologists have to say about this subject. No one has yet come up with a magical shortcut or substitute for adequate preparation through study. Of course, mastery of the subject is sometimes not enough if the student is emotionally upset, fails to interpret questions properly, has his knowledge organized in such a way as to interfere with quick recall, or is overtired. If you follow the precepts of efficient study, you can avoid the factors which cause unsatisfactory test performance, despite adequate preparation. Get enough rest; do not engage in a last-minute hurried review instead of a planned, systematic one; and adopt a relaxed, almost fatalistic, attitude at examination time.
Essay and Objective Examinations 
The examinations given in most schools divide themselves rbughly ihto two main classes, the essay and the objective. Although there are exceptions, these types are likely to have different purposes. You should therefore prepare ror them and take them differently.
Essay examinations emphasize the ability to understand, or­ganize, and recall information. The student has latitude in which to discuss and qualify his answers. Essay questions let the student show the depth and breadth of his knowledge. And they also demonstrate his ability to set down his thoughts in good English and to communi­cate his ideas to others. Keep these points in mind as you prepare for and take an essay examination. When you begin the examination, don't just start writing on the assumption that if you write enough the teacher can find the correct point somewhere in the hodgepodge. Take time to organize your thinking before you begin to write. Remember that the teacher will think better of a paper if the information in it is well organized and to. the point, rather than full of rambling and irrelevant discussion. Survey the examination as a whole before you write, and estimate the amount of time you will spend on each question. Try to leave time at the end for rereading your answers so that you can correct mistakes or add missing points.
Remember that most teachers generally think of grading papers as a chore. You can help "sell" your answers through good organiza­tion. Also keep in mind that your paper is compared with all the others in the class. 'Examinations are competitive. It is fair to say that they are graded fairly, although suJjjectively. You should outline answers, indent, and number points.
Objective examinations are usuallv recognition tests. The right answcr is before you, as well as wrong answers. Your task is to pick cut the right answer wrien you see it. Be on guard against careless reading uf obiective test items. All the answers usually have some degree of plausibility; otherwise they would serve no useful purpose as a testing device. Sometimes the correct answer may hang on such statements as "never" or "always" or "rarely," and you may miss the point if you do not read the questions carefully.
In objective-type examinations it is well to skip items temporari· ly on which the answer is uncertain, rather than to puzzle about tbem lcr an undue amount of time which might otherwise be sp:.mt on easier iwms. When you are finished with the easier items, go back to the harder ones. In objective examinations one questioil usually "ounts as much as another, so do not concentrate too much on difficult questions. Doing this will cause you to run out of time or make  you rush through the remaini 19 items and make needless mistakes. There is another goorl reason for perusing an objective examination and answering first those Cjnestions that you. are sure ahnut: To start with responses that you feel sure are right gives you confldence, facilitates your thinking, and helps you in seeing the relationship to other questions.
When your examination has been graded and returned, use the evaluation \wisely for the future. Don't be content with a "Well, that's that" attitude. Learn from the results of the exaplaination. Where shodd you have placed more emphasis in your study? Was your organization good? Dc you have the proper technical vocabulary? What were the errors? Carefully work out the answers to these questions and profit from them in preparation for the next examina­tion.
Steps in Taking a Multiple-Choice Exam 
First, pay attention to the instructions. Let us assumt: that you are asked to choose the best answer of four or five possibilities. This mears, of course, that perhaps two answers may be correct. Hence, do not waste time arguing with yourself that there may be more than one answer.
Second, the student taking a multiple-choice exam is in part Iike the accomplished poker player who is trying to get himself into a position where he is betting un a sure thing. In poker, one is in a stronger Position if he knows pretty well what is in the other fellow's hand. In the exam situation, Knowhg the material is a first step. There is no substitute for study. It is also unlikely that you will be certain about all the answers. Our suggestions also assume that. you are not penalized for guessing.
What are the next steps? Let us summarize from a study:

• Go through the exam a first time and answer all the items of which you are fairly certain. This helps get certain items out of the way without wasting time on single, difficult items. There is sometimes another advantage in doing this. Having gone through the exam once will suggest the answers to questions that might have been difficult had they been answered in serial order. 
• Go through the exam a second time, answering any other ques­tions that now seem obvious. There are usually a number of questions which were left unanswered from .he first time through. It is in connection with these ttat tht: test-wise student knows what to do. 
• Do not guess at this stage of the game. See what choices on any given question can be eliminated. In a four-choice question, pure guess will give the student one chance in four of being correct. If one alternative can be eliminated as incorrect, the odds lre reduced to one in three. If two can be eliminated, chances become fifty-­fifty 
• Having eliminated some alternatives, choose the answer which you first thought of as right. Studies show that  this procedure is better than pure guesswork. 
• If you have no choice at all as to the right answer, take choice "2." Again, from studies come this suggested rule of thumb based on how teachers select items. When the instructor makes up a multiple-choice item, he usually has only a vague notion of what he wants to test. There is a tendency to make the first choice incorrect, the second choice the right answer, and the remaining ones anything that isn't too far afield. Of course, some instructors are conscious of this bit of behavior and correct for it. Remember, this suggestion is in the last-resort category! 
• When finished, check your answers. Clerical errors on exams are common for some people. Again, studies show that changing answers is in the direction of making them right. Yes, we are aware of the common misconception on this point. In a group of 100 papers (for example) it wa'l discovered that two-thirds of the changes made in them resulted ,n the selection of a correct choice rather than a wrong one. 
• Besides studying for the exam and studying the behavior of the instructor, the above suggestions may help eliminate some of the anxiety one builds up about taking an exam. 

Do we have any good suggestions for taking a true-false test?
None except that one should study and look for give-away words such as "always," "never," etc. Remember. there is no substitute for learning the material in the first place, and for the time spent in overlearning.

6 Steps To Remember in Taking a Multiple-Choice Exam

Steps in Taking a Multiple-Choice Exam
First, pay attention to the instructions. Let us assumt: that you are asked to choose the best answer of four or five possibilities. This mears, of course, that perhaps two answers may be correct. Hence, do not waste time arguing with yourself that there may be more than one answer.
Second, the student taking a multiple-choice exam is in part Iike the accomplished poker player who is trying to get himself into a position where he is betting un a sure thing. In poker, one is in a stronger Position if he knows pretty well what is in the other fellow's hand. In the exam situation, Knowhg the material is a first step. There is no substitute for study. It is also unlikely that you will be certain about all the answers. Our suggestions also assume that. you are not penalized for guessing.
What are the next steps? Let us summarize from a study:

• Go through the exam a first time. and answer all the items of which you are fairly certain. This helps get certain items out of the way without wasting time on single, difficult items. There is sometimes another advantage in doing this. Having gone through the exam once will suggest the answers to questions that might have been difficult had they been answered in serial order. 
• Go through the exam a second time, answering any other ques­tions that now seem obvious. There are usuauy a number of questions which were left unanswered from .he first time through. It is in connection witb these ttat tht: test-wise student knows what to do. 
• Do not guess at this stage of the game. See what choices on any given question can be eliminated. In a four-choice question, pure guess will give the student one chance in four of being correct. If one alternative can be eliminated as incorrect, the odds lre reduced to one in three. If two can be eliminated, chances become fifty­fifty 
• Having eliminated some alternatives, choose the answer which you first thought of as right. Studies show that  this procedure is better than pure guesswork. 
• If you have no choice at all as to the right answer, take choice "2." Again, from studies come this suggested rule of thumb based on how teachers select items. When the instructor makes up a multiple-choice item, he usually has only a vague notion of what he wants to test. There is a tendency to make the first choice incorrect, the second choice the right answer, and the remaining ones anything that isn't too far afield. Of course, some instructors are conscious of this bit of behavior and correct for it. Remember, this suggestion is in the last-resort category! 
• When finished, check your answers. Clerical errors on exams are common for some people. Again, studies show that changing answers is in the direction of making them right. Yes, we are aware of the common misconception on this point. In a group of 100 papers (for example) it was discovered that two-thirds of the changes made in them resulted in the selection of a correct choice rather than a wrong one. 

Besides studying for the exam and studying the behavior of the instru-:tor, the above suggestioTls may help eliminate some of the anxiety one builds up about taking an exam.
Do we have any good suggestions for taking a true-false test?
None except that one should study and look for give-away words such as "always," "never," etc. Remember. there is no substitute for learning the material in the first place, and for the time spent in overlearning.

How To Do Essay and Objective Examinations?

Essay and Objective Examinations 
The examinations given in most schools divide themselves rbughly ihto two main classes, the essay and the objective. Although there are exceptions, these types are likely to have different purposes. You should therefore prepare ror them and take them differently.
Essay examinations emphasize the ability to understand, or­ganize, and recall information. The student has latitude in which to discuss and qualify his answers. Essay questions let the student show the depth and breadth of his knowledge. And they also demonstrate his ability to set down his thoughts in good English and to communi­cate his ideas to others. Keep these points in mind as you prepare for and take an essay examination. When you begin the examination, don't just start writing on the assumption that if you write enough the teacher can find the correct point somewhere in the hodgepodge. Take time to organize your thinking before you begin to write. Remember that the teacher will think better of a paper if the information in it is well organized and to. the point, rather than full of rambling and irrelevant discussion. Survey the examination as a whole before you write, and estimate the amount of time you will spend on each question. Try to leave time at the end for rereading your answers so that you can correct mistakes or add missing points.
Remember that most teachers generally think of grading papers as a chore. You can help "sell" your answers through good organiza­tion. Also keep in mind that your paper is compared with all the others in the class. 'Examinations are competitive. It is fair to say that they are graded fairly, although suJjjectively. You should outline answers, indent, and number points.
Objective examinations are usuallv recognition tests. The right answcr is before you, as well as wrong answers. Your task is to pick cut the right answer wrien you see it. Be on guard against careless reading uf obiective test items. All the answers usually have some degree of plausibility; otherwise they would serve no useful purpose as a testing device. Sometimes the correct answer may hang on such statements as "never" or "always" or "rarely," and you may miss the point if you do not read the questions carefully.
In objective-type examinations it is well to skip items temporari· ly on which the answer is uncertain, rather than to puzzle about tbem lcr an undue amount of time which might otherwise be sp:.mt on easier iwms. When you are finished with the easier items, go back to the harder ones. In objective examinations one questioil usually "ounts as much as another, so do not concentrate too much on difficult questions. Doing this will cause you to run out of time or make  you rush through the remaini 19 items and make needless mistakes. There is another goorl reason for perusing an objective examination and answering first those Cjnestions that you. are sure ahnut: To start with responses that you feel sure are right gives you confldence, facilitates your thinking, and helps you in seeing the relationship to other questions.
When your examination has been graded and returned, use the evaluation \wisely for the future. Don't be content with a "Well, that's that" attitude. Learn from the results of the exaplaination. Where shodd you have placed more emphasis in your study? Was your organization good? Dc you have the proper technical vocabulary? What were the errors? Carefully work out the answers to these questions and profit from them in preparation for the next examina­tion.

Successful Students Say That... - More On Studying

More On Studying
Let us add a few suggestions from several successful students.

• Study in the same manner as you will be expected to reproduce material. Memorize more for objective exams and study broad ideas in outline form for essay exams. 
• Study the teacher. Some teachers (often intentionally) will all but give away exam questions on pretest lectures and reviews. One professor may emphasize one subject that another will gloss over 
• Review notes with a classmate. Often someone else will pick up points that you miss. 
• Do not cut classes. Even if you are not paying close attention in class, some things still get through that would have been missed if you were absent. The other person's notes are usually poor substi­tutes for your own; and one other point-some who teach feel badly that they cannot hold the interest of an audience enough even to get them to class. Physical attendance is easier to monitor than is psychological attendance. 
• Do not overintellectualize in review. Review should be just what the term implies. Too much thinking at this stage often leads to confusion. 
• Do not fall behind in your work. In some students this leads from a feeling of anxiety to that of panic. 
• Help the other fellow study. Explaining a point to someone else helps fix it in your mind. 
• Underline the text. This makes review easier, and textbook authors will love you! 

The Reason Why to take Lecture Notes

Taking Lecture Notes
Overall efficiency in study can be facilitated by taking notes in class. Good note taking is a skill that surprisingly few students have taken the time to acquire. Some instructors, by their poorly urganiz.od manner of presenting material before a class, make note taking difficult for the students, but by and large, the fault lies less with the instructor than with the student.
In taking notes, keep in mind that your main task is to organize what the instructor is offering. Do this by trying to identify the main points. Don't be led astray by an interesting illustration and an amusing anecdote. Always keep in mind the point that the illustration or story is supposed to make. Condense the teacher's dicussions into simple phrases or sentences. And to make them more meaningful to you, do the condensmg in words of your own phrasing. A good note taker is not a stenographer, who illerely records. He is a sum­marizer-one who evaluates material that will be useful to him in the future.
Even the best of note takers miss some salient points. They write down short phrases which seem meaningful at the time but do not make much sense later on. Therefore, notes should be reviewed after class. With the lecture freshly in mind. the missing items can usually be inserted and the meaningless ones elected or corrected. If a review of your notes shows lack of organization, it pays to rewrite the completely. The organization and review will stand you in good stead by furthering your understanding of your notes at some future time
Taking notes in most courses can be greatly facilitated by usin a system of abbreviations. If you use such a system, make it consl tent. Many students, especially in the early months of college befor abbreviations have become automatic, have found that a page set aside in the notebook for abbreviations is an aid to the mastery of th system. The use of a system of abbreviations is particularly desirable if the student is the kind who complains that he misses part of the lecture, because he gets too wrapped up in note taking. In general, the use of abbreviations and other forms of condensation helps one to listen and write at the same time.

Review and College Study - What to keep in mind?

Review and Study
There is no doubt that frequent review is essentwl to efficient remem­bering. Experimental studies of forgetting show that the greatest los in retention occurs right after learnmg. From this fart we may infer that the best time for review is immediately after studying. One experimenter found that when a class lecture was listened to by students but never reviewed, the class recalkd only 25 percent of the content arter eight weeks had elapsed. But when the lecture was immediately followed by a five-minute review tcst. the amount of recall after eight weeks was 50 percent better.
Reviewing immediately before an examination is also highly desirable. This review should be intensive, since the examination may cover an extensive amount of material, and it f'hould emphasize recitation because, in effect, this is what is called for when one is examined. If you can recite well what you have learned from study just before an examination, you need have no fear about the outcone of the test.
It also pays to have one or two reviews between the first  Forgetting is checked by overlearning. Put this b:lsic principle into practice when organizing your study technique.

College Students and Recitation

Recitation and Students
Reciting to oneself after having read a section of material is a widely recommel,ded study procedure, yet one that is much neglected because it is time-consuming. You can easily fool yourself into believin!; that what yeu have just read is understood and remembered, but generally this is not true. To make certain that you remember and understand, stop periodically and check yourself bi trying to recall what you have just read. In other words, recite When this is done, errors and omissions should be carefully noted. Then a little later, recitiltion is once more in order. In preparing for examinatiolls. recitation should be paramount in one's study procedure.
Experimental studies have shown thnt recitation is a great help in preventing forgetting and thlls increasing rememoer:ng. Actually it is profitable to take time away from "studying" and spend it en recitation, for learning is better when part of the study timp. is spent on recitation then when all of it is given to reading. In one well-known experiment, when all the subjects devoted all their time to reading, recall of the facts in five short biographies averaged 16 percent after four hours. When 60 to 80 percent of the learning time was devoted to self-recitation, recall after fcur hours was nearly twice as great. Check by a fellow student helps.
The advantage of recitation over passive reading is that the stuoen\.ls forced to maintain an active attitude- -to react and become involved in the subject matter rather than merely trying tc absorb it. Recitation serves to keep his attentio~ on the task. He cannot let his attention lapse by daydreaming if he is trying to recall something.

How to Get the Meaning Four Ways?

Getting the Meaning Four Ways 
With an assignment before you, how should you treat it so that it will be meaningful? The first thing to do is to shim the assignment. Read over the material rapidly before starting intensive study. This bird's­eye view will provide a general idea of what the assignment is about and will add greatly to the meaning of the parts to be examined later. As you skim through the material, pay attention to the section headings; they tell you how the material is put together and what the main subject of each section is going to be.
Another obvious, but \isually neglected, practice that con· tributes to meaningful study 1s to use a dictionary. Don't pass over unfamiliar words. Whenever you encounter a new word or expression, look it up in the dictionary or in ark it for later investigation. You thus clear up the meaning of an otherwise obscure word or passage and you add a new word to your vocabulary.
Meaningfulness is also enhanced if you relate new facts to old problems. When you meet a new fact, ask yourself how it affects your attitude on some issue or belief with regard to some proposition. For example, do the facts and principles of perception support the como. mon belief that what we see, hear, and smell are entirely a matter of the structure of the eyes, ears, and nose? Do the facts and principles of learning support the old adage, "Practice makes perfect"? Does your study of habit formation give you an under~tanding of why habits are so hard to break? Talk these questions over with fellow students.
You can also make what you have studied more meaning:ful if you summarize in your own words. No amount of mechanical copying of text material will aid learning so much as a preparation in your own words. In summarizing, try to hit upon the essential material, neglecting the anecdotes and illustrations. They tend to stick of themselves Emphasize the principles in preparing your summary.

What should be your physical settings for study?

Physical Setting For Study
It is highly important that the student study in the right setting for him. Motivation and scheduling are preparatory to the act of study. If the act is to be effectively canied out, it must take place in the proper environment. Reading should be done in diffused or indirect ligbt. green and blue lights should be avoided. Natural daylignt of uniform intensity is easiest on the eves. One's desk or table and chair should be so situated as to facilitate concentration. Sitting by a window that affords outside views is not a good practice because of possible distracting influences. Don't study in a lounge chair. Instead, use a hard, straight-backed chair and sit with the feet on the floor, shoulders squared, and book firmly grasped. These may be good suggestions for one person, but not for another. Some stuclents prefer the comfort of ly:ng down, with papers and books all around and a soda nearby. This may prove to be an efficient situation for study-but not for everyone! We must consider individual differences. What are your habits? How efficient are you?
In general, anything likely to produce excessive relaxation should be avoided during any kind of learning. There is much experimental evidence to substantiate this advice. For example, in one investigation, subjects exerted a mild muscular tension while learr:ing. The tension was produced by gripping a hand dynamometer, an instrument designed to test the strength of grip. The subjects did not try to maintain their maximum grip. Instead, they merely exerted a continuous squeeze of moderate intensity. The results showed 'hat those subjects who maintained a little muscular tension during learning were the most efficient in learning and in recalling what they had learned. Another experimenter found that mental work is done more efficiently during hunger contractions. than at other times.
These and related facts show th,at learning is facilitated by bodily tensions that are not too strong. Intense contractions of the muscles or intense hunger would serve as distractions to effective learning. The applicable conclusion for study is that one should maintain a fit body posture but not permit himself to become strained as he studies.
Many students report that on occasion they have sought out some quiet isolated spot for studying an especially difficult assign­ment. Much to their surprise, they discovered that they did not accomplish nearly so much as then expected. The common experience of many is that work is done more rapidly and with less effort where there is some background of more or less regular noise. These observations are what one would expect in the light of what has been previously said about the effect of muscular tension on learning. Moderate intensities of noise produce some muscular tension. usually of such slight magnitude that it is not noticed. Nevertheless, this unnoticed tension is likely to increase speed in learning.

Why Study Schedule is Important?

Setting Up a Study Schedule
Although motivation is a prime requisite for effective study, there are those who. ciespite a strong interest in schoolwork and a high degree of natural ability, find it difficult to perform well academically. When teachers and counseiors look into the causes of such academic failures, or near-failures, they often find an absence of an organized study routine. Efficient workers almost always have a set time and place for doing their work. If you think that you do not study enough, a schedule that ot:tlines definite times for study will help. The student who protests scheduling his study time on the grounds that he will not have time for other activities is fooling himself. A schedule does nol deprive one of time for nonstudy activities; it simp!y ensures that each type of activity gets its fair share of time. It is interesting that busy students who have outside jobs and engage in many extracurricular activities often make better grades than those who are much less busy. If you ask such a student how he finds time for study, he will invariably tell you that he has learred to organize or schedule his time. Having so many things to do forces him to allot a certain amount of time for, each activity. Regardless of how busy you are. planning is likely to improve your efficiency.
In preparing a schedule. you should list all the activities of the day whether class lecture, laboratory. students' activities. outside work, recreation, ;neals, or just plain loafing. In setting aside times for study, make them as specific as possible. Don't, for example, set aside two hours all Tuesday evening for studying; make it a time for studying a specific subject. Also, schedule a study period for a particular class as close to the class period as possible. The amount of time you give to a subject depend on individual circumstance. If yeu know that a subject is difficult for you, you will naturally schedule more time to study for it. These time allotments may, of course, change, depending on your experience with the schedule. You may find that preparation for an economics course requires more time than you had estimated, and that an English course requires less time. Make the change, but then stick to it until further experience tells how it is working out.

Why go to college?

Why College? 

Why go to college? One observer put it this way: "If a person has to ask his question, then he will probably have difficulty understanding the answer." 

When asked why they are going to college, many students reply that they want to land a good job, be disti!1guished citizens in their communities. and make good salaries. Surveys have shown that tbere is a sil?niiicant relationship eetween these goals and college perform­ance. Gnthe average, those who make the best grades make the best incomes later on. The trend among emrloyer is to offer the best jobs to those students who have made the best grades in shcool. Employers assume that the person who has learned to study efficiently, and thus to make good grades. will transfer his efficiency to the new job. Other measures of success besides salary are related to good grades. 

Students with motivational problems sometimes say that they cannot get interested in books and ideas having tv do with the nature of man's culture, his discoveries, ideals, art, and music. Generating such curiosity is to a considerable extent a matter of talking and associating with others who already have some enthusiasm about these things. If you need stirring up. cultivate contacts 'vith teachers, lecturers, writers, and good studer..ts, and you will most likely become infected with their enthusiasm, curiosity, and in tellectual inquisitive­ness. Wisdom is related to motivation. Wisdom comes from the awareness of timing, recognition of change, and knowledge of one's own limitations as well as strong points. 

From where to get motivation for Study

Motivation For Study
Despite an earlier statement that effort alone will not lead to efficient study, you should not minimize its importance. It is a basic require­ment and one of the most difficult to cope with. Marshaling one's efforts presents a problem in motivation. From a future chapter on learning, you will see the importance of motivation in changing be­havior. Learning will not take place unless there is an underlying reason or motive to learn. In dealing with techniques for efficient study, we must face the learning problem. Indeed, the title of this section might well be "Learning How to Study."
If you attack your assignments in a lackadaisical fashion, doing little more than sitting with your book open before you in the hope that something will eventually "sink in," you are not going to make much progress. If self-analysis reveals lack of motivation, you should try to determine the cause. What are your goals in life? Is there any relationship between these goals and what you are doing in school? Are you attending college simply because your parents want you to, or
ecause your friends are in college? Are you studying subjects in which you are really interested? A careful consideration of such uestions will usually lead to answers from which you can plan an intelligent attack on your motivational problem.
Why College? 
Why go to college? One observer put it this way: "If a person has to ask his question, then he will probably have difficulty understanding the answer."
When asked why they are going to college, many students reply that they want to land a good job, be disti!1guished citizens in their communities. and make good salaries. Surveys have shown that tbere is a sil?niiicant relationship eetween these goals and college perform­ance. Gnthe average, those who make the best grades make the best incomes later on. The trend among emrloyer is to offer the best jobs to those students who have made the best grades in shcool. Employers assume that the person who has learned to study efficiently, and thus to make good grades. will transfer his efficiency to the new job. Other measures of success besides salary are related to good grades.
Students with motivational problems sometimes say that they cannot get interested in books and ideas having tv do with the nature of man's culture, his discoveries, ideals, art, and music. Generating such curiosity is to a considerable extent a matter of talking and associating with others who already have some enthusiasm about these things. If you need stirring up. cultivate contacts 'vith teachers, lecturers, writers, and good studer..ts, and you will most likely become infected with their enthusiasm, curiosity, and in tellectual inquisitive­ness. Wisdom is related to motivation. Wisdom comes from the awareness of timing, recognition of change, and knowledge of one's own limitations as well as strong points.