Atlanta
Writers Group
Feature
Article – April 2006
Playing
Your 'A' Game: How to CRAM your Way to Academic Success
By Kantis
Simmons
Professional athletes
recognize the importance of being at their best. They realize that their
individual performance has a direct impact on their team and organization. If
they are at their finest or playing their 'A' Game, competitors and observers
will notice. It is at these times that they seem unstoppable. Besides
athletics, this peak-performing zone can too be experienced in other areas of
life; in business, in relationships, in leadership, and especially in the field
of academics.
All student leaders
desire to be at the top; however, their work habits and level of discipline do
not always support their scholastic desires. What is it that causes one student
to perform poorly, and another to play his or her 'A' Game all year long?
Today It is my goal to show you how “CRAMMING” can lead you to play your 'A'
Game.
Now you are probably
asking yourself, “Wow, can I really cram my way to a 4.0?” “I thought cramming
was unhealthy, and unsuccessful?” Each of your thoughts is valid, however, I want to bring more value to your life as a
student and leader, by propelling you to a higher level of thinking.
Before we investigate
this aspect of cramming, we know that students all across
There are a few good
reasons to cram for exams. The first one is that it doesn't work, and the
second reason is that it doesn't work at the last minute. However, if cramming
is used at the proper time it can bring forth great results. Let me clarify
this with an example from my college life.
As a
Chemistry major at
As a new college student
on an academic scholarship I realized in order to maintain my scholarship and
graduate with honors my (poor) study habits and (lack) of time management was
going to have to change. This became further apparent when I would take
my class exams with headaches and aching body pains. During most tests I felt
sluggish and crappy. I even felt as if I had a serious hangover, and I actually
did - a hangover from the previous night of cramming, drinking bottles of root
beer, eating candy bars and greasy pizza all for the sake of trying to stay
awake to focus..
Studies and reports have
shown that “cramming” or “last-minute cramming” (as I have termed) will cause
the below to take place. If you are a consistent crammer, you can testify
to the following effects.
• Your anxiety level
will go up tremendously
• You will lose
sleep and eat poorly because of this
• You will get sick more easily because of this
• You will miss the
exam because of this
• You will take the
more difficult essay make-up exam because of this
• You will fail the exam
• Seriously, at a minimum you will do worse on the exam than you would
have otherwise. Guaranteed.
Last minute cramming does
not work because of a few biological reasons. When cramming occurs,
information is stored in the short-term memory side of the brain. This is
where everyday information that is not really worth remembering is
stored. In order to learn we have to transfer information into the
long-term memory side of the brain. Here information can be retrieved far
easier and over a longer period of time. Let’s further examine the
difference between short term and long term memory.
All information is
processed in the brain and stored in short term memory. The problem is
that this information sort of overloads the brain and is not kept for very
long. Can you remember what you had for breakfast two days ago, or the
outfit you wore this past weekend? What about the price of your lunch on Monday?
No. So what makes you think you will remember some theory from class,
which you never heard of before? Yes you may remember it for a about a
day or two, but since it’s not necessary to remember it all, the brain will
dump it after a short period of time.
Long term memory is the
type of memory used when we want to store information in a more permanent
way. This is either done by making information especially memorable or by
consistent daily repetition. Have you ever tried to remember the lyrics to
your favorite song? How many times did you listen to that song or read
the lyrics before you finally remembered it? The same should be true for your
class work. Once something is transferred from short term to long term memory
we say it has been learned (or at least remembered).
This is why last minute
cramming is not beneficial for students. Last minute cramming fails because you
are relying on short term memory. But what would happen if you crammed
every single day, or simply put large amounts of information in to your memory
consistently and purposely. Cramming in itself is not wrong; it’s just
pointless, if not done properly.
C.R.A.M. as I have termed
it can be translated into a simple four word phrase – Consistent Reiteration
for Advantageous Memorization. It is imperative that you study your class
work (C.R.A.M) every single day, even if it is for a few minutes. College
is your current occupation and career, so see school as your 9 to 5 job, and
C.R.A.M. When its time to study, work just as if it were your job. make sure you check in at a certain time and check out at a
certain time. If your mid-term or semester exam is two weeks away, you should
have had daily C.R.A.M. sessions throughout the semester so the information
would have already been transferred.
My main purpose for
addressing this issue of cramming is to impress upon you to develop daily
disciplines for academic success. The thing you give your attention to the
most, will be the thing that controls your mindset and memory bank.
You have what it takes to
play Your “A” Game every school term. Just don’t wait until the last minute to
cram, but C.R.A.M. intensely every single day with a planned regimen. Many
students fail because they fail to plan. To better your grades, you must
have a detailed plan of attack and mastery over your daily schedule. To avoid
last minute cramming and to play your “A” Game in school, here are 12 practical
things you must do when creating your daily schedule for school.
1. Schedule personal
quiet time and motivational time. Use this time to encourage your self and
develop a mental image of your day.
2. Allocate the times you must be in class.
3. Define the time periods in which you will study.
4. Plan for breakfast and lunch, but don’t eat for longer than 30 minutes; use
the other designated half hour to prepare for your next class.
5. Set time aside for part time jobs, extracurricular activities, and other
necessary events.
6. Carry a detailed appointment book or organizer, so you will always know what
needs to be completed for the day and for a specified hour.
7. Communicate your study times to friends and family so that they are aware of
your schedule and won’t interfere.
8. Go to your study periods as if they are an important appointment.
9. Designate a specific location outside your room to study each subject. Study
location can differ based on mood, surrounding, and time of day.
10. Establish your play time. Don’t be a workaholic.
11. Study for a designated class at a designated hour, even if you don’t have a
test or homework assignment. Place this daily into your schedule
12. Don’t allow planned activities to overlap; schedule activities on purpose
and then do them on purpose. When it’s time to work, work.
When it’s time to study, study; and when it’s time to have fun, have fun!
In closing, I want you to
remember this. Only one game in life counts, and that’s your ‘A’ Game. So play
it everyday!
Kantis A. Simmons © 2006
www.PlayingYourAGame.com
Have you ever met someone
who spent 25 years in school? Have you ever met someone who has three
college degrees but didn’t pay a single penny to receive them? Have you ever
met someone who is passionate about coaching students all across