Study Habits

Being a senior undergraduate at age thirty-one, after mistakes when I was younger, I may not be the best person to give advice but I should let others decide from what is written here.

1. Read to comprehend
2. Learn for yourself beyond the classroom
3. Putting emphasis on what the professor or teacher says
4. Connecting the materials to other topics
5. Create the proper amount of time to study
6. Summarize your notes
7. Use homework and assignments to prepare for tests
8. Start your day and end your day positively
9. Never be upset with the amount you have to study
10. Study to remind yourself of information rather than learn it for the first time.

Each of these points is imperative to any favorable result I have had while in school.  The education process is distinctive in that you can always improve from past performance.  If these techniques do not work for you, you can modify to what you feel is best.  Let me try to elaborate on how each has been constructive towards my erudite learning.

Reading to comprehend means to try to understand more than the words printed on the paper.  It is getting the concept of the overall message and how that particular phraseology is being used to express it.  This can be a timely activity to adjust to and really take in. Then it can become facile or second nature with the right amount of repetition and practice.  The level of thought to master that will transition to our next point, learning for yourself beyond the classroom.  Just acquiring knowledge can become a habit that you begin to complete for more that tests, quizzes and assignments.  Increasing your all around intellect can turn into a hobby as well.  The next one is something that I had to learn the hard way.  Put an emphasis on what your professor or teacher says during class time.  In college, we are given a syllabus and know what to expect on each test for the entire semester.  The professor who creates the exam will usually speak about what is most important from the required text and may cover material that the author does not discuss.  They could be speaking from personal experience or just adding something they think you should hear.  Becoming an elite student incorporates both excellent reading abilities in addition to paying attention in class.  When something is giving you difficulty, connect the material to another topic you know better.  A simple example of this was applying English and Math to Computer Programming when I first began.  Thinking about what causes errors during compiling and execution were some of the common rules from those subjects.  Once I was really able to grasp that, I could get through the elementary concepts of programming.  Some of the more advance techniques require a higher level of thought but that is a fair place to start.  Another idea is creating the proper amount of time to study.  I attempt to avoid studying too early in the morning and too late at night.  Therefore, I schedule time to study during the day similar to my courses.  Setting aside a period of 50 to 75 minutes to review material is very valuable to my study habits and maintaining some form of consistency.  I do not have to cram for a test in one day if I can constantly give the subject some type of attention for weeks leading up to the approaching date.  Summarizing your notes can help too.  Though most teachers have set the precedent of students reproducing absolute regurgitation for answers, it is good to write it in your own words.  If you can translate a message to your understanding, you can ask if your interpretation is correct.  This can not only help you but someone else who is having trouble with the vocabulary of the topic.  Use homework to prepare for tests.  Your performance on graded work is a fair indicator of what you may do next.  You can learn from your mistakes and gain confidence from what you already stored in your memory banks.  The next one is both important and sort of a side note.  Start and end your day positively.  If there is nothing that causes excessive stress or avert your attention to other areas, it will help to retain information that you received during your courses.  The second to last one has to do with coping.  Never be upset with the amount you have to study.  This applies specifically to what will be on a test or what has to be read before a certain class.  All assigned work is within your capability as long as you are a student in the course and your professor might be more aware of that fact than you are at the time.  Some professors do take pride in their students’ progress in a class.  Lastly, study to remind yourself of information rather than trying to learn it for the first time.  Whenever you study, it should be to reiterate something already presented to you.  You should be going more in depth to think on a different level and comprehend in another sense.  If you are studying a completely new subject or theme, it may be challenging to balance with everything else you are responsible for. 

Legalization: What Has Marijuana Learned From Alcohol?

When considering the legalization of products previously said to be dangerous, I think positive and negative lessons can be learned from the Prohibition era of alcohol. Marijuana is the primary drug to compare to alcohol for this topic as it reaches the repeal stage of its life cycle. There is a slow progression towards it becoming legal to use after several years, decades even, of resources being dedicated to stop its proliferation. Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia have already authorized recreational use. The process began with medical use similar to how wine was allowed for religious use. There may not be a religious reason to use marijuana but the health benefits to patients suffering from pain, difficult radiology treatments and improper nervous systems are well documented. Marijuana has been found to help patients through their most difficult times both physically and psychologically. Alcohol is also taught to have health benefits. Some say a glass of wine, periodically, is good for the heart. It is possible that some substances in moderation are actually good for us and it is excess at which they can become destructive. So reflecting on the situation today, we can see that some form of regulation is always necessary but absolute restriction may not be fair to society as a whole.
          During the time of prohibition, alcohol was controlled by organized crime units who opposed the law. The legislation created to remove public access to alcohol did not mean the demand to have it diminished entirely. Bootlegging and the black market began and grew at a similar pace, if not faster than law enforcement. Marijuana distribution is a known service across the United States. Even with it being illegal, some of our favorite musicians, movie stars and athletes kept the drug in the public’s eye and popular. People would sell in their local communities as if it were as common as tobacco. Sometimes prosecutors and police officers would punish violators to the fullest extent and other times users would simply get warnings. The variations of discipline are subjective to say the least. It seems that eventually a democratic government will always respond to the population it serves. Meaning what the people clamor for will be given to them in due time. It just takes time to assess the actual benefits versus the dangers and study the long-term effects for the betterment of all involved.
          Now we can move away from the criminal element and consider how these decisions affect the omnipresent topic of our economy. As illegal substances are still pursued, any money spent on those efforts is not taxable. In the case of alcohol there was production, bottling, transportation and the direct sell to the user who knew that this was against the law. The makers of the beverage knew it was against the law. Every intermediary in that process knew it was against the law. There was still a market for it and therefore a way to make money. No one in the course of that transaction worked for free. Marijuana has a process it goes through today. Somewhere it is grown, harvested, bundled, transported, packaged and distributed. Again, with all parties involved aware of the risks being taken. Why is it so important to have the after-effect of its usage that one willingly ignores the consequences of breaking the law? These were potential billion dollar industries that the government could not lay any claim to without making an adjustment. In fact, they spent money for training and equipping a workforce to combat it in both eras. With acceptance of the demand and legalization, there is a huge growth of a taxable product market. As users no longer have to hide and be mysterious, purchasing will go up. Alcohol experienced an increase of the average user after the government endorsement.
          More importantly, with government regulation people may actually have access to a safer and more natural product. One could never be sure that the product you purchase through illegal means is actually good for you. How could you? The purity of the substance as well as its condition prior to your possession is always in question. The government can step in and be sure that if its voters want something then they can provide it a better way. Is the problem prevention from use or it is public safety? Those that want it will get it by whatever means they have available to them. So legality is not the concern of a constant user. I assume sustainability would also be enhanced with government intervention. Once a product is approved, does a new sector develop to try the once illicit item? This is usually the case with alcohol, as scores of young adults begin to drink at age 21. Those habits continue as long as they never have a really bad experience. There are some people who do not decide to start however. I cannot be sure of how marijuana will be received but it may be similar. There could be an age limit and tolerance level established to what is rational from a governing body. 
          In conclusion with the legalization of marijuana almost inevitable, I think there are reasons to prevent it and reasons to accept it. The main cause of prevention would be to continue to discourage the use of a dangerous substance. Even now, alcohol usage is a leading contributor to deaths and physical ailments of all kinds. To promote responsible consumption is not a concrete deterrent. This leads to the reasons to accept it. As stated earlier, the product whether legal or illegal will be sold and purchased. The least we could do is allow it to be retailed and distribute those resources to other causes. Think of the results of lower income taxes, better roads, improved schools and emergency personnel that are less busy all from the money that states could use from lawful marijuana profits. Usage may be at an all-time high, I cannot help the pun there, but will it have the same trend as alcohol. Already there are less cigarette advertisements. We have learned the lessons from smoking and what it can lead to. So maybe marijuana will not be as popular. Maybe people will try it and discover it is not for them. Maybe those who really need it will be helped by this latest advancement. All I know is that we can never be sure until we take the time to find out.