Spring midterms are right around the corner. “Train as you fight, fight as you train” is often used in the military. The same principle can applied to your education. Here are a few things that you could do, that will sound very familiar in what you have been doing in the military.
Have a purpose. Always have a purpose for everything that you do. Before beginning any task in the military, you were always told the purpose of what you were doing. Well, for the most part, I guess. If you didn’t know your purpose while carrying out tasks in the military, chances are someone did. Since you didn’t know, you probably didn’t carry out the task to your full potential, right?
Know your purpose so that you could try your hardest. Are you in a general education class? Are you in a class that is part of your major? What do you want to do with this degree? Do you need a high grade point average for graduate school? Answer these questions, and keep those answers in an easy to reach place in your mind. When you’re struggling with homework, studying, or falling asleep in class, reach for those answers. Use those answers to fuel your fire to stay alert. Do your homework, study, and pay attention in class with your purpose in mind.
Do your homework. Before an inspection or mission you’re always doing your homework. Whether it’s reading instructions or studying maps.
Always do your homework before hand. Homework is great practice, and practice makes perfect. The exams will usually have the same type of questions as your homework assignments too.
Take legible notes. You don’t go anywhere in the military without a notepad and pen. I learned this lesson at my second command…
I remember checking into the Operations Department of my Mobile Unit in 2012. I did not have a notepad to write notes in. The other guy I was checking in with was a brand new Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician. The new Tech had a notepad with him. I remember the EOD1 that we checked in with quickly straightened me out. He began explaining everything that we needed to do in order to be fully checked in with Ops. He noticed that I wasn’t taking any notes. We locked eyes, and he snarled at me, “Why the fuck aren’t you writing this down?” I was a brand new PO3, I have been in the Navy for about 3 years at this point. I haven’t been talked to like that since bootcamp – so I was pretty shocked and embarressed. After that moment, I never went anywhere without a pen and notepad.
In relation to school, you might understand what is going on in the class and feel that you don’t need to take a lot of notes, but there has been many times where I knew what was going on in class and was completely lost when I got home to do homework. Get colorful. Use different color pens and highlighters in order to make things stick out better when going back to study.
Mentally and physically prepare. We’re supposed to stay physically fit in the Navy and for the most part, we do. Physical activity will help you deal with stress, it releases a chemical called endorphins which make you feel good afterwards. Remember those advancement exams that we have to take twice a year? Sometimes good leadership will give you a day off before the exam and tell you to rest up. The same goes for college exams.
College exams will usually take as long as your normal lecture time is to complete. Prepare for that. Get a good night’s rest, hydrate, and hurt that exam. Don’t spend all night crash studying. All you’re going to do is make yourself tired during the actual exam. Eat something light. You don’t want to eat something greasy that will make you sleepy. You also don’t want to have a stomachache while taking the exam either. Imagine trying to finish an exam while having to use the bathroom. All you will be thinking about is how much you have to go.
Clarify. You don’t walk off after given an instruction to do something in the military if you have questions, do you? I have done that a few times. All that does is create confusion. Were you supposed to do this? Or were you supposed to do that? Should you do both at the same time? Who were you supposed to call to get that piece of information from again to complete your task?
Ask that question that you have during class; chances are there are others that have the same question. Go to office hours or tutoring. It’s free. It just requires time and effort. It’s better to know exactly how to find the limit to a function, than it is to guess. Professors are more than happy to provide clarification.
Sometimes we leave the military thinking we didn’t gain any knowledge. We think, “Damn. I just wasted (insert number of years here) of my life.” We have got to realize that we have been given unique qualities that are very transferable to college life. Please comment below if you have any other suggestions on how we can use our skills learned in the military in college. Please share this with other Veterans in college if you think it will help them!
