Party Like It's...Library Time? Day #8

So today I'm supposed to give you guys and dolls some advice. This was a particularly difficult one for me. I'm good at being weird and freaking my roommate out, but how can I put that into words and advise people on that matter? (Furthermore, why would you want to be advised on how to be strange?)

I thought about giving advice on boys, or how to let go of the ego. Then I realized 1) my boy-related experiences have been rather strange (but if there's enough request, perhaps I'll do a guy-advice blog later) and 2) this whole letting go business is still something I'm getting the hang of myself.

So, what is the actual advice I'm giving you lovely blog readers?

Glad you asked.

School. Ah, yes, the dreaded school. We all have to go through it at some point, unless you live in a cave and live off mice (what are these mice doing in caves?). I've heard lots of people wave off their school experiences because they "weren't smart enough" or couldn't function before noon, or could only do math problems if they ate pizza a half hour beforehand.

Have I heard that lost argument? Maybe I have. Maybe I haven't.

But believe me, you do not have to be the next Einstein to do well in school. You can actually suck terribly at some subjects and still excel.

This post is predominantly about college, but some of the advice may carry over to high school and middle school.

Group projects
I don't know why professors insist on continuously forcing group projects. Do they realize half the group (if lucky) is straining their eyes over research papers while the other half is eating Twizzlers and talking about the latest episode of Celebrity Apprentice? More importantly, is that show even on air anymore?
I guess it's something about the real world, interpersonal skills, blah blah blah.
So group projects are here to stay. There are two parts to succeeding in a group project. First off, start working the day it is assigned. That's right--you get your assignment sheet, you go home, you close Facebook and Twitter, and you start researching. Maybe you won't get a lot done that first night, but it's gonna feel good to get a jump start. Ideally, if life didn't have that pesky habit of...happening, you could do a little work each night. Maybe schedule two or three nights a week for independent work, and try your damndest to schedule a group meeting early on.

Unfortunately, in order to really succeed in a group project, you're gonna look like a bit of a twat to your other group members. Let's just go under the assumption that they all want to do as little work as possible. Don't let this scare you, even when the girl who goes drinking every five seconds tries to smack the "suck-up" right out of you. Meet with your professor often. Maybe don't follow them home, but try to attend office hours once a week. Bring your work to show your professor, and make sure you are on the right track. Might this force you to do more work, when you actually show how much you've progressed? Sure. But it will also force you to do good work, not "slap, dash, and some 'ostentatious' words thrown in."

I once had a group project where we had to check in with our professor two weeks before the project was due. I had an outlined list of ideas at the ready to give us some sort of direction. I thought I was saving us from looking at the prof and going "uhhh...so, vampires. Yeah." Instead, one girl goes "don't show that to him. If he sees we started the project, he'll make us do more work."

In that case, don't give a rat's hiney about what your group members think of you. We'll see who's bartending until she's sixty years old.

-Do homework two days before it's due (for instance, if you get an assignment on Wednesday that's due Friday, do it on Wednesday).

-Keep a weekly schedule. A lot of math classes have weekly assignments. Sometimes, you'll have to wait to do the homework until you learn the new material, but if you've got the resources, keep your weekly homework days the same. My math homework was always due Wednesday--I'd do it on Sunday. Worked out pretty well.

-Underline, post-it, write notes, highlight.
This works especially well for papers. If you're reading an assignment for class and something strikes you or makes you re-think some things, take note of it. You won't be able to shape your papers in the midst of reading the book/article, but you'll thank yourself later when you made it so much easier to refer back to insightful pages/quotes.

And lastly, have some days where you blow everything off. Not every day. Just enough to keep you feeling sane and human.

Namaste.