Human Brain Class

I’ve been studying for this class a lot lately. Mainly because it involves a lot of reading in the textbook. Man, I took this class to learn interesting information about the brain but I did not want to be devoting so much time to memorizing the 5 gazillion brain structures and processes, then having to regurgitate this information on an exam. While, I have learned a lot of interesting stuff about the human brain - I would even say amazing information (the human brain is really a miraculously complex thing) - I DON’T want to be tested on this crap. The lectures don’t really serve any purpose, I’ve been basically reading the covered chapters during the 2 days before each exam and I’ve been doing okay - I haven’t been to lecture since the first 2 weeks of class.

My attitude is just that as long as I know I’ve gained knowledge I don’t care about grades. My experience is that I am horrible at college test-taking. Really. And I can’t apply myself when I don’t feel motivated to. I only do well in classes that I’ve actually applied myself in or had some sort of deeper interest. I was great at test-taking in high school because everything is hand-fed to you and I was able to simply memorize everything with ease. In college I’ve become kind of jaded because I feel there are fundamental flaws in the way material is taught and tested. For example, for my personal finance class, the professor is actually making us memorize a bunch of formulas for the exam. In real life, reference material is readily available - who the hell memorizes that crap? So why shouldn’t we get a formula sheet? The purpose should be to learn when/how to apply the formulas, not to make sure we have them memorized. It really is ridiculous.

So right now I’m basically reading a LOT of material that I am going to remember for a day and will forget. In short, I’m studying but in the end, I don’t really care whether I do well as long as I pass the course. I would very much prefer each class had a series of short papers than exams. Because then you’re actively seeking out information and thinking critically about it which I think is the intrinsic motivation required for meaningful learning.

EDIT: I’m pulling an all-nighter to study for this final and just spent the last hour reading celebrity gossip. I can’t help but laugh at that. And I have no problem pulling this all-nighter because my internal clock is all messed up, but that’s another story.