What I Wish I Hadn’t Learned

When I first came to Pomona, I was very concerned with how much I would have to learn. I imagined that I would have to cram in order to be academically prepared for my first semester, because I hadn't learned enough in high school. However, how much I had to learn paled in comparison to how much I had to unlearn. The bad habits, unconsidered assumptions, and false beliefs I ...
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The Motley Coffeehouse: Where I Spent the Last of my Flex

At what point does something become an obsession? That what I'm constantly wondering these days as I keep finding myself back at The Motley. Like way too many others, I often put off the majority of my homework for Sunday nights. But after working for a couple hours, there's no better way to take a break (or call it a night) than by going to the Motley at Scripps. Or eve...
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The Epic Economics Study Group

The Quantitative Skills Center provides whiteboards and quiet study space
9:00 p.m. As the minute hand was set to rejoin the number “12” on my watch, I found myself speeding up on my way from the Quantitative Skills Center (QSC) to Carnegie Hall. I was in between my Maths appointment with a QSC tutor and my Macroeconomics Principles Study Group session, which goes from 9:00 till 10:30 on Tuesdays, on a voluntary basis. The night sky looked bea...
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Exam Survival Guide

The end of the year is always tough. Major papers, studying for exams, trying to pack up stuff and finalize summer plans – it's hectic. After surviving the exam craziness one semester, and in honor of its commencement today, I offer you a guide to getting through the last week of the year. 1. The Coop Fountain The best place to hang out and study, and to get snacks! D...
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Time Management

Time is a resource. As finals approach, this resource apparently decreases in supply, increasing its value. Effective management of time is of the utmost importance. Thus, a list of tips for how to better manage your time: 1. Prioritize At the beginning of every week, take 15 minutes to write a list of your goals and duties, prioritizing each item. At the beginning of eve...
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The Final Ascent

Winter is coming. Indeed, if you're an avid Game of Thrones fan like myself, the eagerly anticipated Season 4 will be upon us in just a few months. Unfortunately, I have more pressing matters on my hands at the moment. I have to survive the actual blizzard of finals week (more like a week-and-a-half) just to make it to winter break when I can sleep. And sleep. And sleep ...
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The Epidemic Known as Finals

One thing I've always been proud of is my ability to be on top of my work at any given moment and not be overwhelmed. However, I have come to accept the fact that no one is immune to the fever that comes with Finals Season. Yes, dear readers, it is time. Maybe you could have denied it in early November, or even right until Thanksgiving, but now it's undeniable: finals are loomi...
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The Library: A Tale of Redemption

Since the commencement of freshman year, I have entertained an inexplicable fear of the library. The stark silence, the rows of academic journals and books and the general feeling of tense anxiety have intimidated me beyond measure. I entered the library just once freshman year, experienced breathing difficulties and promptly turned around, never to return again. That is...
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Where Do You Like to Study?

But before we start on optimal study-spaces, please allow me one moment to aggressively repress this strange urge to post photos I took over fall break. Rainbow displays on Rodeo, lens flares over the Santa Monica Pier, plates upon plates of SUSHI? No. Focus. Okay. I can do this. How about a rain-check? Okay, I think we can agree that it would be more productive for me to move ...
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