Studying for Finals

I have a lot that I need to do to prepare for final exams this semester.  One thing I plan on doing is skimming through the chapters and notes for each class and take notes of information that I feel is important.  If I run into any topics which I could use some improvement, then I will quiz myself and review those subjects the most.  For the classes in which I have received a study guide, I will make flash cards for the information listed.  I think that flashcards are an effective method for studying because if I miss a question on a card, then I can put that card to the side and spend the most time reviewing the answers I am less confident about.  Most of the textbooks have chapter reviews, so that definitely seems like a good choice on how to prepare.   Another possibility is to invite a friend over to my house so that we could help each other study.  There are several ways in which friends can study together.   One way is to make flashcards and quiz each other.   Another option is to read through chapters together and afterwards discuss what the main ideas were.  A fun alternative is to review by playing a game.  I have a friend who created a game in the likeness of Sorry! to study for a math test.  In the game, the different positions and cards would have equations or other sorts of problems that would need to be solved in order to advance further into the game.  I was impressed by my friend’s creativity in creating that game, but since I am running short on time before finals begin this may not be the best option for me.  In all likelihood, I will probably resort to making flashcards, reading through the chapters again, looking through graded homework assignments, and looking at any study guides and notes.  With finals coming up next week, I will definitely be busy.

Journal 21

Quote from "Self-Reliance" by Emerson

"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till."

In this passage, Emerson is saying that every person is unique and has his or her own gifts and talents to contribute to society.  That person has to work for himself to get where he needs to be in life.  Whatever is accomplished is a result of how much effort is applied to the work.  To Emerson, doing your own work and being yourself is of the utmost importance.  Say, for example, there is a girl named Alyssa who feels like she is a loser because she does not have the fanciest clothes and is not a great athlete.  Emerson would tell her that she should not be discouraged because everyone is different.  Not everyone has the same talents and will end up with the same occupation.  Alyssa should not be jealous of the other kids who that have nice clothes or are natural athletes because she has a special gift and purpose for her life that none of the others have.  It may be easy to want to be like others in order to “fit in” and be accepted, but by doing so it is much more difficult to develop skills that were actually meant for that person.  In another example, there are two friends.  One wants to become a lawyer and the other wants to become an accountant.  The two friends, however, wanted to work together so the friend that wanted to become a lawyer convinced the other to go to law school so they could start a firm together someday.  Law, however, is not what the other friend’s talent was in and she did not enjoy that occupation.  She would have been more successful and content if she had received a degree in accounting.  Apart from being unique, Emerson states that whatever profits a person will make have to come from that person’s own work.  While there are many people in the world who are willing to help others, each person must find a way to support himself.