Don’t Forget! Spend Some Time Reviewing

By Michael H. on December 19, 2011

Finals have finally come to a close. Time to take that much needed break from reality and unwind. Maybe play some video games you’ve been meaning to beat, read that book you keep eyeing, or watch that movie that you’ve been thinking about. (Or if you’re like me, catch up on all that lost sleep over the semester.)

Make sure that you don’t let yourself get too rusty though. I’ve read before that it takes only a month for knowledge that was learned to be lost if it is not reinforced at all.

photo from flickr.com, uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashawolff/3342561430/

One simple way I think you can do this would be to read small passages from your textbooks for just a few minutes once or twice a week. This will refresh your memory about the information without requiring a whole lot of effort on your part.

Another great way to imprint the information in your brain is to teach it to someone else. As you meet up with your relatives for the holidays, everyone will be asking you what you’ve learned. Why not take this time to explain everything to them? If they already know the information, you could start talking to them about it and ask them to explain the details that you don’t understand (or go into even more detail about the more advanced sections.)

Some of you may be aware of Father Guido Sarducci’s stand-up routine about the “Five Minute University”. He discusses how in five minutes he can teach you what any college grad remembers five years after they have graduated. He would tell the listeners about how anyone who has studied two years of Spanish will only remember, “Como esta usted?” and that they answer is “Muy bien.” Or how anyone who has studied economics will only remember supply and demand. Business is just about you should sell everything at a higher price than you bought it for. And lastly, theology is just answering the question, “Where is God and why?” to which you would respond, “God is everywhere, because he loves you.”

In his skit, if you could recite these things back to him, you’d have a college diploma! Now, obviously school takes a bit more memorization than that, which is why it only further emphasizes how much you should spend time reviewing for the upcoming semester.

Now, the day after I finished all my finals I went out and purchased all five novels to the Percy Jackson series, along with some more sharpies and other writing utensils so that I can draw over break. Thus, I am by no means telling you to spend all of your time studying. To do so would destroy the entire point of having a break in the semester like this.

Get out, have some fun, and rejuvenate for the upcoming months when books and exams are all you’ll know again. Now is a time of rest, but don’t let that rest ruin the hard work you did this semester by flushing out your knowledge with all the exhaustion.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format