A rose is a sign of beauty, but why is there none in death?
The flower brought joy in life, but why is there none in death?
The memory’s there to carry on the spirit of the rose
But all in all memories fade and understanding blooms & grows.
Now the precious flow’s gone back to join w/ earth
And now you see that beauty comes in death & not just birth.
(August 1996)
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 itme: 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 Ame: 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.
I’m coming to learn more deeply each day that sometimes all we need as human beings is the soft and sincere smile of understanding.
To be validated about our feelings, to be loved and to love, to grow in intimacy towards our fellow man…and woman :o) : this is the purpose of life.
It’s within this environment of beauty, trust and love that we can truly become what we’re meant to be…much more than we can become on our own.
It’s in this air of understanding that we can breath in the clean and purifying Spirit of God. We come to know ourselves in this gentle environment. We learn of our God and of our brothers and sisters. It’s here where we can reach a state of self awareness and actualization.
You search a long time to discover your own goals. Through sharing them with others you crystallize them, reform them, build some and discard others.
When you meet people along the path of life who carry the same goals, interest and directions within their hearts, it’s almost as if your meeting was not entirely coincidental.
It’s these people that bring beauty into life. It’s these people that help make your world make sense and calm the ever constant fears that can so readily creep into our lives. It’s these people that give life richness and meaning.
Walking blindfolded, but I have trust
In the arm and voice that guides me
Without sight I see the soul
My eyes cannot lead astray
Focused on her words, her thoughts, her heart
A key to communicating is revealed
Speaking openly, I too address some feelings
Fear fades, understanding is felt & peace resides
In it all, honesty is offered willingly
To grease the wheels of this beautiful friendship
These three bring safety, security and love:
Honesty, Communication & Trust
~ My eyes were opened just a little more today Em. Thank you!
A news story caught my eye today. The headline read, “Rich man claims to be Jesus.” Curious about this claim, I watched the MSN Video. While not refuting biblical teachings of “donations,” this man claims that prayer isn’t necessary. He says that there’s no such thing as sin. He also says there’s no hell.
Interesting real life reflections on 2 Nephi 28 “And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none —and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.”
Just as my thoughts were leading me to recognize a modern day Korihor (anti-Christ) I spotted an ad for the *NEW* Desperate Housewives. It’s curious indeed that the media so often reports on the world’s ills and asks in apparently sincere tones why these things are happening; then they turn around and in the same breathe advertise “entertainment” that reinforces the baser instincts of human life. You can’t question the consequences of the actions that you applaude or even silently support.
As the video news stories rolled through their queue I was reminded in another way that the end is near. With vivid images of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction I pondered again the question that I’ve come to ask myself so often these days, “Do you have a testimony of Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” Perhaps an odd question to ask at this point you say? Maybe. But then again, we never know when we’ll be called home to stand before our Savior. I imagine that it will be pretty important at that time to have an answer to that question.
Perhaps the digital snippet of saddening haps that stirred my blood the most was the story on the new “morning after pill”. Referencing the sexual revolution that began back in the 1960s with the advent of the first “Pill”, birth control, the story spoke about the possibility that a similar change in sexual behavior may be on the way. The pill is called “Plan B” and will soon be available over-the-counter. To me the biggest potential negative effect of a pill like this is a further degradation of how we as a society see and value life.
We as a culture are continually seeking new and ever secret ways to hide from public view the consequences of our poor and bad decisions. Sure, we may hide our poor food habits with liposuction; we may mask our alcoholism with mouthwash and a cold shower; we may hide our sexual irresponsibility with pills and contraceptions, but when all is said and done, each poor decisions becomes part of who we are. Yes, we may overcome the effects of our bad choices I believe; however, the very real danger we run is to wake up one day, without the motivation to change our ways. We will then begin to lay the foundation of flawed character and the rewards we gain, will be just as flawed.
If negative news stories were saturated fat, the next Super Size Me video would have to be about how mainstream media is clogging our minds and dulling our desire to do good. I recommend that we eat news sparingly and make sure to include lots of service in our diets in order to keep our perspective clean and priorities in order. Perhaps the following will help us realign: