Emmanuella Vilfort

When I was in high school, I always wondered what the first semester would be like exactly. I knew from others older than me that of course it was going to be a lot different, faster paced, and sometimes challenging to understand. Indeed, what I expected was what I found but to be honest, my classes in my first semester were really laid back; I didn’t have to do much reading at all. Although, I am not expecting that next semester will be the same and that everything I’ve learned with my class is very useful, even for everyday things. My plan after college is to be a child life specialist. Until then and throughout college, like everyone, a mass of reading is involved before I’m anywhere near out.

I learned how to determine my reading style and discovered that I am definitely an auditory learner. I also learned the six reading secrets and that I have to use them differently than a kinesthetic or visual learner. Because of the fact that I am an auditory learner, I have to do things like writing what I’m thinking in the margins, or by telling people what I’ve learned to make sure that I remember the new information.

A huge thing that has been trying to help me is keeping a radical schedule. Like anyone I know, we all have extra busy lives that constantly change. I have never known a time since I was young where I knew exactly that my schedule would stay the way I planned it. I don’t know anyone who does but in life things happen uncontrollably. The radical schedule regulates exactly how much time you really have on your hands. It’s based in between class time, studying, work, free-time, and even a bed time. The hard part is actually training your brain to stick to it. Also, studies show that it’s better to study only twenty minutes a day and taking breaks in between longer study sessions. That was one thing that fascinated me because I found that it actually works and is generally better for me.

A moment that I knew I needed all of what I learned the most was after my grandmother died. Things like these happen in life and everything is harder to handle when stress comes from the outside and not just school. I flew to Haiti for the funeral, came back and was more behind than I thought. I panicked because I later noticed my grades were slipping and I wasn’t catching up like I thought I was. With that, my stress level sky- rocketed while I was trying to maintain my regular life as well. I started paying extra attention to my radical schedule and starting setting little reminders for myself for anything I needed to do. I used strategies given for an auditory learner, but also highlighted things a lot. Over the little bit of time I had, I started seeing my grades go back to normal and I wasn’t as stressed over school at least.

I can’t put a stop on unfortunate events that can happen in the future, but next semester I already know that my classes are going to be a bit more of a challenge. Now I know what to do to prevent myself from falling in a hole that I can’t dig myself out of. I can use the reading secrets, FLIRT, DRIVE, and RELAX and any other strategies to keep myself on track and actually make my school work a lot more interesting to look at. Also, I know how not to get lost when I don’t understand what I’m reading. I can always refer back to the book if I don’t remember anything and I need help. I can give the strategies and everything else I’ve learned to any of my family member and friends, like I have been, and it is sure to help them as well. This class helped me and showed me that I can keep my learning simple and easier to understand without doing more than adding to what I already know. It’s possible to be a great student for the rest of my college career, and without extra hassle after all.