How to Become a Straight-A Student
Page 17
Part Three Cheat Sheet
Step #1. Target a Titillating Topic
• Start looking for an interesting topic early.
Step #2. Conduct a Thesis-Hunting Expedition
• Start with general sources and then follow references to find the more targeted sources where good thesis ideas often hide.
Step #3. Seek a Second Opinion
• A thesis is not a thesis until a professor has approved it.
Step #4. Research like a Machine
• Find sources.
• Make personal copies of all sources.
• Annotate the material.
• Decide if you’re done. (If the answer is “no,” loop back to #1.)
Step #5. Craft a Powerful Story
• There is no shortcut to developing a well-balanced and easy-to-follow argument.
• Dedicate a good deal of thought over time to getting it right.
• Describe your argument in a topic-level outline.
• Type supporting quotes from sources directly into your outline.
Step #6. Consult Your Expert Panel
• Before starting to write, get some opinions on the organization of your argument and your support from classmates and friends who are familiar with the general area of study.
• The more important the paper, the more people who should review it.
Step #7. Write Without the Agony
• Follow your outline and articulate your points clearly.
• Write no more than three to five pages per weekday and five to eight pages per weekend day.
Step #8. Fix, Don’t Fixate
• Solid editing requires only three careful passes:
– The Argument Adjustment Pass: Read the paper carefully on your computer to make sure your argument is clear, fix obvious errors, and rewrite where the flow needs improvement.
– The Out Loud Pass: Carefully read out loud a printed copy of your paper, marking any awkward passages or unclear explanations.
– The Sanity Pass: A final pass over a printed version of the paper to check the overall flow and to root out any remaining errors.
Conclusion
“All the people I ever admired and respected led balanced lives—studying hard, partying hard, as well as being involved in activities and getting a decent amount of sleep each night. I really think this is the only logically defensible way of doing things.”
Chris, a straight-A college student
Congratulations! You’re about to embark on a new and exciting chapter in your college experience. It doesn’t matter if you agree with every piece of advice you just encountered; what’s important is that by making it this far, you’ve learned two crucial insights: (1) Brute force study habits are incredibly inefficient; and (2) It is possible to come up with techniques that work much better and require much less time. With this in mind, you are now prepared to leap past the majority of your classmates and begin scoring top grades without sacrificing your health, happiness, or social life.
I leave you, however, with one last request. Once you put these ideas into practice and begin to experience their many benefits, remember what your academic life was like before your transformation. Then, the next time you see a poor student huddled in the library, bleary-eyed after an all-nighter, or encounter a friend near a nervous breakdown from the sheer stress of looming deadlines, take him aside and let him know that it doesn’t have to be this way. Tell him that studying doesn’t just mean reading and rereading your notes and assignments as many times as possible; nor does paper writing necessitate all-night marathons at the keyboard. These tasks don’t have to be so draining. They don’t have to be something you fear. With the right guidance, a willingness to eschew conventional wisdom, and a little experimentation, academics can be transformed into one of the most satisfying and fulfilling components of your college experience. You know this now. Share your knowledge.
As our generation finds itself increasingly stressed and disillusioned with life paths that we feel have been imposed upon us from the outside, this lesson takes on a particular importance. By mastering the skills in this book you are, in effect, taking control of your own young life. You are declaring to the world that you’re not at college just because it seemed like the thing to do; instead, you’re there to master new areas of knowledge, expand your mental abilities, and have some fun in the process. You’re also denying your major or the climate of the job market the right to dictate what you can or can’t do after graduation. By scoring exceptional grades, you are opening the door to many interesting and competitive opportunities that allow you, and not anyone else, to make the decision of what post-college pursuits will bring you the most fulfillment. In the end, therefore, this book is about so much more than just grades; it is about taking responsibility for your own journey through life. I wish you the best of luck in this adventure, and hope this advice helps you to launch an exciting future.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following straight-A students for taking the time to discuss with me the details of their study habits. Their responses were well considered and insightful. I hope they remain as excited as I am to spread their wisdom to a new generation of motivated students.
Jason Auerbach, Lacey J. Benson, Robert Blair, Christopher R. Bornhorst, Wendy Brill, Melanie Chiu, Nathalie Cohen, John Corwin, Christine DeLucia, Hrishikesh Desai, Nic Duquette, Ryan A. Foley, Chris Goodmacher, Lee Hochbaum, Doris Huang, Andrew Huddleston, Sean Kass, Suzanne Kim, Chien Wen Kun, Worasom Kundhikanjana, Rachel Lauter, Frank Lehman, Simon McEntire, Vito Menza, Greta S. Milligan, Rielle Navitski, Tyra A. Olstad, Anna S. Parachkevova, David R. Peranteau, David Philips, Jeremy S. Presser, Jonathan Sar, Imran Sharih, Gaurav Singhania, Laura M. Smalligan, Lydia J. Smith, Suzanne Smith, Jenna Steinhauer, Lukasz Strozek, Matthew Swetnam, James F. Tomczyk, Leigh C. Vicens, Srigowri Vijayakumar, John P. Welsh II, and Gretchen Ziegler.
In addition, this work would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of my agent, Laurie Abkemeier, and my editor, Ann Campbell, both of whom put up with my ever-evolving and increasingly emphatic theories on the personality, hopes, and dreams of the modern college student and always steered me back to the core work of uncovering meaningful advice and expressing it clearly. I must also thank Julie, my partner and muse. Without her unwavering support and patience, this project would not have been possible.
About the Author
Cal Newport graduated from Dartmouth College, earned a Ph.D. from MIT, and is now an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University. The author of multiple bestselling books, he runs the popular blog Study Hacks, which explores the impact of technology on our ability to perform productive work and lead satisfying lives. His contrarian ideas have been featured on many major media platforms, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Economist, and NPR. Visit him online at calnewport.com.
1*http://www.ipfw.edu/casa/SI/sistudy.htm
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2 “The ‘Decline and Fall’ of the Roman Empire,” copyright 2000 by Philip Gavitt, Professor of History, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri. (Online at: http://www.slu.edu/colleges/AS/cmrs/0221002.htm)
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3*Reader beware: These thesis statements are the product of the author’s imagination and are therefore, more likely than not, completely bogus. Use them at your own risk.
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