Growing increasingly excited for all the excitement of graduation, my focus on the work I ought to do, the work that for 12 years strong, I continue to think of as one of the most mentally stimulating but rewarding in the world, deteriorated considerably. It’s not that I didn’t want to study. I just couldn’t. Too much time figuring out what to organize for my birthday and graduation, both in May, who to invite, how to pay for it, when to plan it, alongside with working out every day, playing piano, spending my last few months living with family– this all added up quickly. Luckily, I anticipated this. I had seen my friend one year ago struggle during AP Physics C and Multivariable Calculus, and how that cost him a grade– more importantly, significant levels of stress.
So, to combat this terrible, infectious, lethal (to my academics) disease well-nicknamed as Senioritis, I created a 4 step-medicine plan. First, I promised myself to do all of the homework. I knew that none of the homework is ever graded, especially in my more advanced courses, but it was a necessary contribution to my understanding of the content, and would allow me to stay caught up every day. Second, I went to sleep at 11pm every day, to heighten my retention of content through sleep. Third, I drank water. Specifically, one water bottle in the morning (700ml), and tons more while working out. However, the most important, and the overwhelmingly critical step I took, was the fourth. To ask questions, every step of the way. Any misunderstanding during lecture? My terribly sore, and thereby heavy hand would shoot right up. Every sentence, fact, statistic, equation, was loudly questioned by me.
Ironically, during this exhaustingly packed time of my life, I did better, and even more importantly, understood better. This fearless asking of questions even contributed to my personal life. In any social discussion, I had tons more to contribute, and my questions had depth to them that allowed the conversation to flow. In math and physics, I was able to not only understand how a certain theorem or equation came about, but also how the mathematician/physicist built up to that theorem, and how it is related to other concepts. Of course, my grades also soared. My first three steps were beneficial, and certainly important in any aspect of life, but the fourth step was what took my studying, and even my life, to a higher level, and allowed me to broaden my horizons. This strategy, I cannot keep to myself, and must share to others. I hope this small excerpt can serve as a motivation to be more vocal with one’s inner curiosity, and learn more by just asking questions.