It's the start of a new semester.
Last session was Hiroshima and Nagasaki for you. And, you plan on not letting history repeat itself. Thing is, you don't know what's missing and how to obtain it. What helps and what's dragging you back. It's a long, hard and painful way to go, but in the end it's all worth it. You can only understand when you've won at least one level of the game. You see, the first thing you need is motivation. And I do believe that my coauthor, JD, wrote some amazing articles on it - read them. Motivation will be that reason which determines your actions of achieving it. You are doing this because you need that scholarship. You are whipping and slave-driving your brain because your parents will get you that sweet ride you keep wanting (yeah, I know... the real motivational aspect should really be your future career and so on... but... whatever works for you). In my opinion this is part of the reward-punishment mechanism which works oh so dearly well. Do good on exams - receive gift. This in turn generates more and more determination towards a new reward. But, nonetheless, you will have to undergo the first step procedure. It's the hardest of all, but it's the opening door in this whole chain. The rest of the sessions will be just a routine. Another good argument for the previous statement is that your brain is getting physically fit for the exam session. It is aware what is coming, what needs being done. For example, in my 1st year of Med School I thought I was literally going to die at the Anatomy exam. I found out later on that it was mainly an augmentation of my biological "hard disk". They knew so much information would only be stored for mostly a week so it is constantly repeated. But aside from that, the initial shock was made. I was ready for the upcoming classes and books. Couldn't have done it without that primal wall-bash, so to speak.
Last session was Hiroshima and Nagasaki for you. And, you plan on not letting history repeat itself. Thing is, you don't know what's missing and how to obtain it. What helps and what's dragging you back. It's a long, hard and painful way to go, but in the end it's all worth it. You can only understand when you've won at least one level of the game. You see, the first thing you need is motivation. And I do believe that my coauthor, JD, wrote some amazing articles on it - read them. Motivation will be that reason which determines your actions of achieving it. You are doing this because you need that scholarship. You are whipping and slave-driving your brain because your parents will get you that sweet ride you keep wanting (yeah, I know... the real motivational aspect should really be your future career and so on... but... whatever works for you). In my opinion this is part of the reward-punishment mechanism which works oh so dearly well. Do good on exams - receive gift. This in turn generates more and more determination towards a new reward. But, nonetheless, you will have to undergo the first step procedure. It's the hardest of all, but it's the opening door in this whole chain. The rest of the sessions will be just a routine. Another good argument for the previous statement is that your brain is getting physically fit for the exam session. It is aware what is coming, what needs being done. For example, in my 1st year of Med School I thought I was literally going to die at the Anatomy exam. I found out later on that it was mainly an augmentation of my biological "hard disk". They knew so much information would only be stored for mostly a week so it is constantly repeated. But aside from that, the initial shock was made. I was ready for the upcoming classes and books. Couldn't have done it without that primal wall-bash, so to speak.
So you now have lots of time until the next exam session. Don't get fooled. Preparations must commence. Even if you don't know it yet. Take a week or two off for relaxation. It's important to relax the brain muscle before the upcoming effort. Don't think about anything. Do what you like. Play games, go out with your mates, get drunk, laid and whatnot. Decompression is vital. It is mostly used (and even by myself) as a motivational factor. Mentality example: I'm gonna pull hard now because afterwards I'm gonna be as free I want... And I do want to be free and feeling good about it with my good grades, don't I ? Who the heck feels that good or has no remorse if they get to summer vacation with 3/5 exams failed ? Knowing that "autumn boot camp" is what's installed for you. But don't let fear be the main motivating factor. Let the freedom factor be dominant. I shouldn't say this but it feels the right thing, Even If fear creates more productivity than reward.
Classes start ! Don't even think of missing one. Not for your girlfriend/boyfriend. Not for beer. Not for playing WoW or other bullcrap. Go to the fracking class. Be there. Listen to it. Try to record it in your head. Some profs like to include in exams things that are not in the book but he or she has told at that particular class. Other profs like to give an extra point to students who've attended all classes of that semester. You do like free - not having to learn for it - physical presence only - points, do you not ? Be active at the course. Shows interest and you'll earn appreciation on behalf of the professor (mainly) and of your colleagues (secondary). You'll be labeled as the "nerd" one. Good ! It means you are rolling in the game. This, from what I've experienced attracts a lot of jealousy, controversy and other subjective emotions. I think I'll cover it one bright and sun-shiny day. It's pretty interesting, imo. Another point I would like to make is to keep your gadgets in your back-pack/briefcase/pockets/etc. . Pay attention to the fracking class, not the damn facebook account ! As I've said, trying to record the class since the moment that it is being given to you is about 20% of you learning it during the exam session. The deja-vu feeling in that time interval when you have only a few days between exams is priceless. You can concentrate on what you feel is hard to memorize. Feel free to learn or at least read during the semester everyday, to keep your mind in a constant state of learn-ready. Oh ! And not to forget: do take your classes then. It's a pain in the butt to ask around mates to give them to you to copy them, especially if you put this off for right before the exam session. And who knows if you can trust their data. Get it ? OK, I think I made my point here.
The time of reckoning is at hand... One month before exam sessions. Class chiefs starting to make exam arrangements and pin-point exam dates. Always be aware of them. Chances are they may modify a few times before they are all set and nailed to the board - so to speak - but be aware of them always. It's good to settle a good communicating channel with your class chief. Keeps you well informed on exam subjects or (you didn't hear this from me) other things like the exact subjects/mcq that's going to come (hey, if everybody has them, why shouldn't you ?). Class chiefs are the prof's most trusted persons and they know every moving thing inside the year. Having extra intel about the exam is a mandatory thing if you don't want to learn something that won't be emphasized pretty much. If nobody tells you that and you probably haven't been around classes much, you can't know that, right ?
A few words about medication now. During this presession one-month period, it will be required that you begin challenging your organism. Start by buying a large pack of 1200 mg of Lecithin capsules. I used the ones from Doppelherz. If you haven't heard of it, know that it's a brain function enhancer. It helps with concentration and memory, mainly. You will take one capsule everyday and by the start of the session you will have 4 weeks of low brain-steroid stimulation. The prospect says that it's required you take them 2 weeks before they have any effect. I say start 4 weeks before. It's possible you - at first - experience gastro-intestinal disturbances like diarrhea or constipation. Don't be scared, you'll get over them. It's only temporary. If you're a coffee drinker like me, you probably want to lower your dosage at the start and during this month. We're modifying it's action level so that at the start of the session, the same dosage you're used to, will have a greater effect. Yeah, it will go back to normal pretty fast, but it's helpful for the first exam, especially if your class chief has scheduled it to be first (that's what I would do back in the days - put the hardest one first, so that the exam sessions gets lower in difficulty as fewer exams remained for that session). Another thing that will help you prepare for the upcoming hell is nettle tea. We will use it once every 3 days. If you can stand it, you can use it daily. It has blood thinning effect which allows a better blood flow of oxygen blood cells to and from the brain. The erythrocytes will flow better than in a volume of viscous blood. Thus, your memory proteins will be processed much faster. I can't stand it, the diarrhea is pretty bad with it, that's why I don't recommend it more twice a week. It's also used in weight loss diets, so... During the session I'll tell you about other blood thinning drugs with less side-effects, so no worries. It's all covered. I just want to keep it as much drug-free as possible. We'll use the heavy artillery in the time of need. In the beginning I would sometimes associate during this period two more food supplements: Spirulina (for it's many beneficial roles in regulating the body's functions) and a Supradyn - multivitamin tablets (especially for the vit. B complex - most needed in neural activity). Keep your diet unmodified for now. There will be changes, be sure of that.
Well, I think I covered a good part on pre-exam preparations. Do this and I believe you're ready for "war".
Note: I'm not making any free commercials on any product or anything like that. I'm just naming stuff. It's what I used/tested and payed off for me. Don't ask me about other products. Use them and feed us back. Also, be aware that nothing compares to your determination on doing things. Lecithin and Spirulina won't do the reading and learning from you ! They are only there to hold your head up when you think it's out of control.
I wish you a great weekend ! And for some of us: Happy Easter !
Regards,
InT
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