Tag Archives: Study Strategies

Reports, Walk The Talk

The Apple Pie Challenge

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The History

So I was up last Sunday and my friend Arden popped online and we started chatting. We both recalled how great it had been to be really involved in the scriptures on a daily basis. So, without much hesitation we both agreed to a challenge of sorts that would help us in our daily reading.

The next morning I woke up and began to read my Book of Mormon and felt that I had some other friends that also could benefit from stepping it up a little in the Word of God department. So, over the next hour or so I texted many of my friends to invite them to to join me in what I called the Apple Pie Challenge.

Now some didn’t quite understand what the whole thing had to do with apple pie, and to them I apologize. Here’s what that’s all about:

I had a friend recently start reading the Book of Mormon again after a time of famine. He ate it up and said it was like home made apple pie. The Lord told us to “feast upon the word” so I thought that was a rather appropriate metaphor.

The Challenge

The Apple Pie Challenge then was to feast 30 minutes each day on the Book of Mormon for a week’s time. I asked all who accepted the challenge to report to me via text message when the day’s readings were complete and I would do the same for them. This daily reporting I learned served two purposes: 1) It was a reminder of the committment I had made and 2) It was a way to be accountable for it. I also invited those who joined to invite at least one other to join in with them.

Some Group Results

By week’s end 38 friends had joined in the challenge to step up. Reports came in throughout the week of simple, yet powerful and personal experiences. Several friends expressed a clarity that became available in the midst of their trials as they spent just a short time with their Father in Heaven daily. Many also expressed that when began it was boring or hard to get into, but as they continued in faith a change happened and they started to hunger for the word.

My Personal Blessings

While each of our experiences were very personal and sacred to us individually, I feel that I can share at least 3 benefits I received this week from studying the Book of Mormon on a consistent basis:

  1. I was given strength to face feelings of anxiety and frustration.
  2. I was able to see my situations more clearly and my tendency to be easily distracted was lessened.
  3. I felt more motivated to choose the right in the midst of the temptations I face daily.

This coming week I realize that I cannot take for granted these blessings. They are too important to me to proudly claim that I am the source of their origination. I will feast again as before, but I will also add a prayer to the routine both before and after I read.

My Invitation to You

I invite all to join me! If you’re in, just text me, “I’m in!” (361-5002) and I’ll report to you daily when I finish and expect you to do the same. We will be having a real life apple pie party in the next couple weeks to celebrate those who take the challenge and step up.

Attention & Focus

Peter Jay on “Making the Grade”

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How can a student not known for their academic prowess perform seemingly miraculous feats of success in college? In this monsterously in-depth interview Peter Jay tells it all. How do I make the most of my time at school? How can I shift my thinking ever so slightly to see that even I can achieve great things? What’s at the heart of scholastic success? Join us now to get the answers to these vital questions!

Peter: Did you finish UVSC yet?
me: ha!

will I EVER finish UVSC?
we’ll see.
no, I’m slated to graduate Fall 2008
and I’ve also started some premed classes.
it’s a lot.

Peter: Studying for the MCAT?
me: not yet.

just trying to learn the ropes of keeping up in my classes.
haven’t learned how yet [smile]

Peter: Yea, I didn’t figure out until my fifth year at BYU and then I went from getting a C average to getting an A average

me: how’d ya do it pete? what was the difference?

Peter: There were several things. I decided to treat it like a game, trying to get points, because that made it more interesting to me.

I also decided to make sure I did my homework every day before I did anything else, and I realized I still had as much time to have fun and hang out with people, before I was just being lazy and then hanging out with people

me: keep going…

this is good stuff…

Peter: Then I made sure that I was above the 90 percentile on every assignment and test, and then in the end it all adds up to an A

me: I’m going to quote you on my blog…

Peter: Alright [note: by this one word Peter Jay hereby relinquishes any and all claims to financial compensation or ongoing royalties from the profits of this blog post. That includes anything from AdSense too Pete, though I’d feel cool buying you and Kira a lunch when you come out in December.]

me: [smile]

so, those were the three keys to beating the college game?

Peter: Yea, you just have to make sure you really study and know the stuff. I started spending about ten hours studying for each final where I would go over everything and make sure I understood it from the beginning of the semester to the end

And I would try to memorize everything
But, yea, that’s about it

me: how did you organize all your assignments and make sure you were studying for everything/doing everything?

Peter: I usually tried to take good notes in class and then I just followed that. For the tests I would read through and memorize my notes and I would also quickly review the chapters of the book, if there was something I didn’t understand I would spend more time on it until I did

I really put in a lot of time for the first semester I got A’s, after that I kind of figured things out and it got easie
In Calculus I memorized three pages of calculus formulas and after that it was as easy as algebra, and I got an A

me: Did you work too those semesters?

Peter: That semester I didn’t, but later semesters when I got A’s I did
me: was that any harder?

Peter: It is kind of just a distraction, one more thing to think about. My grades went down a bit that semester I was working on the PlayCroquet.com site because I spent my time doing that instead of studying, I think I let that consume more time than I should have though, since I could sit in front of the computer for hours playing around with websites
me: Right.
Peter: I still get distracted easily by that.

Thank you Peter for opening up so freely about how to succeed in college. Your study strategies, tips and aids are sure to help even the down and out college student.

If you’d like to have Peter as your own personal study buddy, forget it, he’s in law school and doesn’t have time, because he’s using the above mentioned study strategies. However, feel free to post any comments you may have for Peter here. And, if you’re looking for some help getting into college, remember Zinch.com is helping high school students stand out in the college admissions process . There college search feature is reason enough to join the Zinch revolution.