Boyer's Guide to Studying	Studying is a very individual process: what works for one person may not work for another. Nevertheless, there are some rules which are almost universal.
Time	1. Set aside time and study according to a regular schedule. Many students really do not study, or they procrastinate until just before a big test. They then go on a studying binge, and impress themselves with their great industry in putting in many continuous hours. If a low test grade results after all this effort, such a student is puzzled, and feels somewhat unjustly treated. Sound familiar? Research into the psychology of learning has shown that information is best retained through repeated exposure at optimum intervals. Ideally, one should review a lecture a day or so afterwards, then again about a week later. One more review before a quiz or midterm, together with classroom reinforcement (I intentionally repeat some key things in lecture) and reading in the text, and you should never forget. Unfortunately, few students schedule their studying this well. If they did, they would almost never need to stay up late studying, or otherwise engage in heroic efforts.
Connections	2. Make connections. Often I am told by non-science students that they have trouble with a science subject because there are so many specific facts to learn. The problem, however, is not so much the quantity of material, as the failure to fit it into an overall pattern dictated by general principles. In the lectures, I try to emphasize these general principles, and so do the texts, which have subject headings, end-of-chapter summaries, highlighted words, key-word lists, &c. Learning, however, does not depend only on clear presentation: it must be interactive. That means that the student must pay attention, look for connections, and always ask "Where does this fit in with what I already know?"
Interest	3. Be interested. "But how," you may ask, "can one be told, or advised, or ordered to be interested?" You have a point. I can tell jokes, stand on my head, radiate enthusiasm, compliment you in a vain attempt to raise your self-esteem -- and all this will still not give you an interest in a new subject. Only people who have some sense of curiosity can really become interested. I have met people who seem to have no interest in anything at all, and others who show interest in a wide variety of subjects. I am convinced that curiosity itself is (at least in part) a learned character trait. This means that you can learn to let yourself become interested in a great variety of things. It's a matter of willful habituation! The first step is to avoid habits of thought which impede your interest, such as "I never was good at science," or "None of my friends is interested in this, so why should I care," &c. Note that all such irrational thoughts are negatives! Try substituting positives. You may soon find that learning how something in nature is formed will give you a sense of appreciation, as for good art or music. Congratulate yourself when you have understood something: this gives your learning process positive reinforcement. What is your incentive? Life itself becomes more meaningful to someone who is inquisitive, and as a bonus, things like course-work become easier.
Priorities	4. Seek ye first the knowledge, and the grades will be added unto it. In other words, don't let grade-anxiety undermine learning. It is a matter of priorities. Just as someone who only wants money seldom becomes wealthy, and someone who wants only to make himself happy seldom finds satisfaction, so being purely a grade-hound will not guarantee academic success. Far better to learn through interest: then earning good grades becomes much easier. Now, I realize that this is a principle which you may not be able to follow perfectly: after all, grades do matter. Grades are a crude way of gauging academic progress, just as earnings from a job are a crude way of rewarding someone for socially useful work. We can no more do without grades than society can operate an economy without money; but both grades and money are but a means to an end.
Recapitulation	1. Study according to a regular schedule. 2. Make connections. 3. Be interested. 4. Go for the knowledge.  These principles are very simple, although not always easy to follow: few students conform to them in all respects. Perhaps you will regard these rules as overly idealistic, but they are at the same time eminently practical. In fact, they are the only real way to get the most out of your academic experience.
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