~ Your Study Life ~
In the first thrill of being out in the world on your own in an atmosphere full of the high spirits of other young people it can be hard to remember why we went to college in the first place. We probably hoped to enjoy the benefits of the social life, but primarily we went for the education.
Perfection, according to the saints, consists in fulfilling the duties of one's state of life, and if your current state of life is that of a college student then your obligations are in your studies. Fulfilling that duty with good cheer, punctuality, and with the intent of pleasing God will bring you a great deal closer to holiness.
Punctuality is one of the keys to a good study life. I've never been able to find any benefits in procrastination. In the end the study has to be done, though under more stressed conditions, and the time spent procrastinating isn't very enjoyable... it's hard to relish in 'freedom' when you have the work ominously looming in the background.
I've seen a couple unpleasant effects of procrastination. The first is that when the evening comes around and those who finished their work early head off for some fun the procrastinators feel obligated to excuse themselves and spend a dreary few hours doing their homework instead. The second is that when they decide to put it off a little longer and just go out with the others they find themselves still hard at work when the wee sma' hours roll around, and they're less than at their best during the next day of classes.
Properly studying is a little bit different from nominally studying. That was one thing I learned very quickly. What decided whether a class was going to be a good class or bad class for me always came back to how I had studied. Nominal studying was when I read through the assignment and came from beginning to end. Proper studying was when I read through the assignment and actually applied my mind to it at the same time. The results were often proportioned to my effort (and, I noticed, my prayer).
Start considering your state of life, and apply St. Therese's Little Way to it. Little things, like an assignment for class, with great love.
Perfection, according to the saints, consists in fulfilling the duties of one's state of life, and if your current state of life is that of a college student then your obligations are in your studies. Fulfilling that duty with good cheer, punctuality, and with the intent of pleasing God will bring you a great deal closer to holiness.
Punctuality is one of the keys to a good study life. I've never been able to find any benefits in procrastination. In the end the study has to be done, though under more stressed conditions, and the time spent procrastinating isn't very enjoyable... it's hard to relish in 'freedom' when you have the work ominously looming in the background.
I've seen a couple unpleasant effects of procrastination. The first is that when the evening comes around and those who finished their work early head off for some fun the procrastinators feel obligated to excuse themselves and spend a dreary few hours doing their homework instead. The second is that when they decide to put it off a little longer and just go out with the others they find themselves still hard at work when the wee sma' hours roll around, and they're less than at their best during the next day of classes.
Properly studying is a little bit different from nominally studying. That was one thing I learned very quickly. What decided whether a class was going to be a good class or bad class for me always came back to how I had studied. Nominal studying was when I read through the assignment and came from beginning to end. Proper studying was when I read through the assignment and actually applied my mind to it at the same time. The results were often proportioned to my effort (and, I noticed, my prayer).
Start considering your state of life, and apply St. Therese's Little Way to it. Little things, like an assignment for class, with great love.
Clare, thank you.
ReplyDeleteEven for only going into my senior year of high school, these bits of advice really go a long way. They are true and your examples from experience make it all the better and more tangible, so to say.
God bless.
Marisa.