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How To Study And Survive
Contrary to the title of this
article, this is actually going to
be a serious attempt to explain
how to get through the upcoming
examination period. Nearly
every student has complaints
during this time, and we all
generally hate the entire week.
Hopefully, this will help you in
some way to maintain your
sanity and to be able to
remember some of the in
formation that you studied when
you actually get to the exam.
The main problem is basically
a philosophical one. That is,
most of us do not realize that we
are here for the very purpose of
studyingl Exams should not
really pose any problem at all.
But we all know that for most of
us, they do. We lose sleep; we
drink too much of that horrid
drink, coffee; we eat very little.
In other words, at a time when
we need to be in peak physical
condition, our bodies are least
prepared to meet the challenge
of really learning or remem
bering anything.
To begin with, examine your
study habits in general. Do you
have to sit for two or three hours
in a stuffy room! Or, do you sit
for long hours anywhere? That is
a beginning problem. You need
to set time for some exercise. If
you sit too long, you tend to go to
sleep. Your body, as well as your
mind, becomes dull from a
slowing-down of your cir
culation. The thing you do not
have time to do — sleep — is
exactly what you are preparing
your body to do. The remedy is
this: once every fifty minutes to
an hour, take a break. Walk
around, get something to drink,
and do not — repeat, do not —
study. This break should only
last ten or fifteen minutes,
taking a half-hour break every
three to four hours. If you try
this prior to exams, you can see
how you feel more refreshed and
able to work for longer periods of
time and retain what you study,
too.
The next problem to be tackled
is the physical one in general.
You will need to keep from
changing your body chemistry,
and the best way to do this is to
be normal. Sudden changes will
tell on you, and you may not
even know it because the change
will be a subtle slowing-down or
loss of energy somewhere. Not
being a scientist, this writer
cannot tell you exact amounts of
No Tree Needed
I just don’t have the Christmas Spirit this year.
Things are not the same as they were in the past. That is
good, but it is also depressing. Change is something that
brings me down quicker than most. I’ve always thought
of myself as something of a Romantic: I am overly
sensitive to things people say. I tend to think deeply
before I commit myself. I weigh the alternatives and
generally stick to my intuition. Some things this
Christmas force me to express my opinion in a rather
un-Christmas way. Since this is the gift-giving season, I
think I’ll present my list of presents I’d like to give.
For the students here at ACC, I’d like to give a sense
of unity. I think there are too many small groups and
cliques.
I’d give, if I could, a month’s rest from school to the
faculty and administration. Too many demands are
being made on their time. In some cases, this is
affecting the students’ education. We deserve the
preparation we are paying for.
To the SGA, I’d give student cooperation. They try to
please us. But, we don’t seem to help. Without deeper
student involvement, the SGA will continue to be a joke.
These are the important things I’d give to the school.
I do think I’d give some things to the people around me.
After all, it’s my fault I cannot enjoy the holidays. The
list may seem like a private comment, but everyone
could use a dose of humility.
To my friends who have seen me change so many
times I’d give an explanation. I don’t know what it is, but
if I ever figure it out. I’ll gladly explain.
To the readers who have been offended by my
columns this year, as well as those of the past two years.
I’d offer an apology. I’m not going to retract my position
— I believe very strongly in what I have said. If I see a
mistake, I point it out. Sometimes this hurts. I only
mean to bring the situation to light. I never mean to hurt
anyone.
To my friends at work, I offer my sympathy. I
couldn’t work with someone like me. I realize that I
harbor my gripes and just expode at times.
To my Boy Scout troop — I’m sorry guys, but I can’t
cut school and handle a scout meeting every week and a
camping trip once a month.
And in the world;
For the starving people. I’d share my food. I guess
I’m too selfish to actually do that. I rationalize by asking
what my feast is to a billion people.
If I had the courage. I’d give God what I owe him.
Sometimes I am too selfish, I have a list of wants all
my own.
I want someone to understand my personality and
explain my actions to me. I want this year’s Collegiate
to be the best there ever was — and I want next year’s to
be even better. I want to inspire the person who can save
the world. I want to regain my idealism and lose this
bitterness that lives within me. I want people to be
happy again. I want some answers and some absolutes.
I want someone who can offer me security, yet help me
accept change.
I don’t want much.
Briggs Petway
the loss, but from experience he
knows that they exist. The thmg
to remember is this: stay on
your normal diet.
Proteins are a vital necessi y
during this time, to build up your
overused brain cells, so buy
some peanut butter, cheese, and
milk for those time-out periods,
but the long breaks are good
times to grab a LITTLE
something to eat. Notice that
little is capitalized: do not
eat large quantities of food while
studying, because you will tend
to become full and slower, and
therefore, a little sleepier than
you would have been had you not
eaten so much. But do sup
plement your diet with protein
rather than candy and Coke.
Take care of yourself during
exams. You can start that right
now. Try not to get irregular
amounts of sleep. You are going
to be working your body extra
hard, so be sure it gets rest If
you go into an exam with little
sleep, you can count on not
remembering small things that
could make the difference
between an “A” and a “B”, or
other such tiny differences.
Without the proper amount of
rest, your body cannot replenish
itself and repair damages done it
by too much work.
This leads to the final “rule”:
start your studying early, so that
there will be time for you to take
care of yourself. Cramming has
been a common practice among
many of us. It is not as helpful as
a good night’s rest, or a proper
diet. You will only be trying to
make your mind work faster
than it normally does. It does not
work because it is not normal.
Being normal is the key to this
study plan; you need to have
your study habits conforming to
the way you do things. Your
study should be an extension of
your Self, that which is totally
you. If it is something other than
you, something that is forced
upon you, then it will fail simply
because it has no nourishment
from its source: you.
So this is a good piece of ad
vice : if you are going to study for
exams this semester, the best
thing you can do is to look after
your general health. You are in
college to get an education, to
learn. Anything that you do in
life will be better if you take the
time to make it a part of you.
Take the time needed to do a
good job, and you will not waste
a week of your life for a two-hour
test; your preparation will
enable you to retain important
information beyond your
educational experience. Good
luck with your exams!
The Collegiate
Editor-in-Chief Briggs
Associate Editor ■ •
Business Manager
John Pacj
■ Farthing
Sports Staff. Guy Hyatt, Russell Rawlings, Leigh Tavl
photographers Peter Chamnessand Doug Hack
Copy Editor
■ Spencer Smith
Staff Writers
LaVee Hamer, Tricia Lough, Jamie Brame,
Jackie Parker, Brad Tucker
The Collegiate is published weekly by the students of Atlantic
Christian College, Wilson, North Carolina 27893. The views
expressed herein are not necessarily those of the faculty or
admininistration.
Who’s Santa Clau
s,
It is unfortunate that exams come aroi®
Christmas; during this time, students should be give
the time and freedom to consider a question tha
involves man’s ultimate predicament in the society k
which he lives: namely, who is Santa Claus?
One is immediately reminded of Napoleon’s invasio’
of Russia in 1812. Was he really motivated to thi:
expedition to punish the Tsar? Consider the facts' Ik
began his drive in the spring, but the Russians kep
drawing his army farther and farther into the interior
thus exposing Napoleon to the harshness of the Russia:
winter and resulting in the failure of his mission. Surel;
the great commander was not oblivious to the realitiei
of the Russian winter. Surely he must have known wtia:
would happen if he allowed himself to be drawn toofai
away from a source of supplies. Is it too farfetchedk
suggest that he was motivated, even blinded, by a desirf
’to find the North Pole and Santa? Perhaps, but tha
perhaps not.
Arlo Guthrie, for instance, has briefly suggestedtls
possibility that Santa Claus is now a communist residint
in Russia. In one of his earlier songs he states;
Santa Claus wears a red suit.
He’s a communist;
Has a beard and long hair I [!!!
Must be a pacifist.
So again we wonder who this guy is. At another poii
in the song, he asks “What’s in that pipe he’s smoking’
These are things we must consider. Could Santa Cte
be an alien element? If so, we as students must be givet
time to consider this matter fully, especially sine
Christmas is so near. As for other scholarly materia
regarding Santa Claus, admittedly, there is a lack of it
Thus, we come to my proposal: in light of tiif
deficiency of material on this subject, and since it isol
considerable importance to the welfare of the country, 1
would like to propose that exams be dropped and scho«.
be closed a week in advance, thus giving students!
chance to think more fully on the matter. If thf
administration takes up my idea, I’m sure the studen:
body will sweep me off my feet and crown me with tlit
laurels that Napoleon, for all his vanity and pride, nevei
had a chance to wear.
JOHN PACA
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