I sat in the library the other day and watched as students [myself included] crammed for their upcoming exams.

The whole idea of cramming for exams struck me as odd suddenly. What’s the point of it?

I know the point of college is a higher education. And the point of education is a guided gain of knowledge through research, application and synopsis.

And the point of the exams is to ensure the knowledge has been thoroughly gained during a semester.

So, why are so many students trying to force it?

Because that’s how it appears to me when I see a student maddeningly scanning a textbook, highlighting like they are painting a room and repeating information to themselves like Buddhists with a mantra.

It will do no good for anybody if I sit here and start spewing “what you should have done” lines at you. That’s no more than bullying at the end of the day.

I’ll just be picking on you and telling you how much you suck.

But what I can say is this: Next semester, try something different.

Actually try to study and gain the knowledge your instructors give you.

You are in college to learn. You are paying ridiculous amounts of money to do so and it’s up to you to get your money’s worth.

So, make the experience worth it.

There are only a few steps you can take to guarantee you are learning.

Next semester, come to your first day of class, pen and notebook in hand, ready to write down everything your professor tells you.

Read as much as you can, as often as you can, especially from the material the professor gives you.

Follow through with the studying by reading outside sources as well.

Talk to your professors. Ask them questions. They are there to teach you, so answering your questions is what they are paid to do.

Discuss the subject matter with your classmates. Discuss it with your friends or family. Discuss it often.

Do these things and you will find yourself not only gaining vast amounts of knowledge, but come exam time, you will have a much easier time answering the questions because you will have already done so.

Note-taking allows you to process what you are hearing and seeing. You hear or see something, think about it and write it down. It’s the best way to push knowledge through your head.

Reading helps this also, but forces you to concentrate on the subject matter.

Talking to your professors and asking them questions fills in whatever holes you will have. And then, the coup de grace, discussion.

Discussion is like taking an exam without writing anything down. It is the moment when you are able to speak about what you’ve learned, discover your mistakes and perfect your knowledge.

So, come test time, you will have already taken the exam. The only difference is you have to put the answers down on paper this time.

College is a place for gaining knowledge, not just taking tests. So instead of wasting your time trying to do well on the test, spend the time learning the material.

If you know the material, you’ll pass the test.

Next semester, don’t just cram. Learn.