University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 27 text:

in All Units Monday Morning at Eight Professor Marvin J. Eisenberg of the Fine Arts Department conducts a lecture on the evolution of European sculpture. The wear and tear of orientation and registration are just beginning to fade when the inescapable routine of classes and studying settles over the campus once again. Students re- member with a groan that, after all, they did come to college to get an education and, painful as it is, this seems to be the only way to go about it. Weary heads are propped on weary hands in a vain effort to stay awake, and trusty coffee- pots are pressed into rigorous service everywhere. Bluebooks and unannou nced quizzes become grim realities, and, in spite of professors ' valiant efforts to the contrary, grades loom all-important. An amazing amount of anticipation, worry, and discouragement is expended on those marks in the little red book, and the A ' s and B ' s are somehow much more elusive than they were in high school. Competition is keen, and it takes more than a little effort to keep up the pace. Parties are reserved for weekends, but still the moun- tains of neglected homework accumulate until students despair of ever bringing their work up to date, and once again discard all those good, scholarly intentions in favor of intensive cultivation of the latest cramming techniques. 21

Page 29 text:

After Classes Stack Time and Study Dates At the college level, individual studying and research become a large part of education. Erratic high school study habits are no longer adequate, and the individual must learn to plan his time and his methods. Very few adhere to a rigid schedule, but some degree of organization is necessitated by the quantity and difficulty of the work. No matter how much planning the student does, however, there never seems to be time enough to get everything done. He soon finds him- self just making time for the work that interests him, while less appealing courses are inevitably slighted. Concentration is a fine art which must be carefully cultivated and developed to the point where one can study anywhere at any time, in the face of all manner of distractions. Gone are the days when study sessions demanded absolute quiet. In fact, with a little training, most find they prefer to study with the aid of everything from music to salami sandwiches. The Uni- versity maintains extensive library and study hall facilities all over campus, however, for those who feel the need of a more quiet atmosphere, and for those in search of specific information. The esoteric wonderland of the stacks in the General Library is accessible only to the privileged few. Others must contend with an intermediary behind the desk and the searching service. Having stared at the same paragraph for fifteen minutes and having seen the words blur into an incomprehensible mass, a coed takes the easy way out. The closing bells will end the nap. Study dates are an excellent means to get little or nothing done and enjoying it. Occasionally they do provide an opportunity for a learned upperclassman to aid a struggling freshman. 23