You'll Never Guess How I Aced My College Finals...

    I never really studied in high school.

    Did I do my homework? Sure.

    Textbook readings? Most of the time.

    But studying? Sitting down and reviewing stuff that I had already done worksheets on, written essays about? No way, José. Not that I'm a prodigy, by any stretch of the imagination, but so long as I was passing the assignments, I didn't see why I needed to make any extra effort on tests since I'd probably pass them, too.

    Then I got to college. Newsflash: it wasn't that different, despite how much people warned me. But even so, there were three or four "gen eds" (general education classes) that didn't come naturally to me like most classes ever had. Even though I didn't have a hard time on the homework, a lot of the tests focused on memorization  — vocabulary terms, names, dates — that were more detailed than I was used to. Near the end of my first semester in college, I realized that I might actually have to (gasp) study if I wanted to pass my finals.

    But after a few hours of staring at papers, I had a better idea.

    Ladies and gentlemen, high schoolers and college buddies, I have met so many of you who hate studying or simply can't figure out a good way to do it. My heart goes out to you, because I've been there (however briefly), and so I want to share with you the secret to my own success (if I haven't already told you about it five hundred times).

    I played pool.

    I'm completely serious. Sometimes I was alone, sometimes I had other players, but I spent two, three, sometimes even four hours a day in the student center honing my skills on a pool cue. But of course, as you've probably guessed, there was a method to all of my madness.

    Rule #1.

    Condense (or expand) all of your notes onto six pieces of paper. No more, no less. And I'm not talking front-and-back pages, I'm talking front-only. Whether you want to study multiple classes at once, or concentrate on a single subject in more depth is up to you. Maybe you'll have one page for each chapter that you've studied, or one page for each type of material (i.e.: the vocabulary page, the important-names page, etc.). You can use bullet-points or boxes or bold words or colored ink to organize those notes however you like - but they have to fit on six pages. Anything more and it's an information overload.

    Why is this important? It helps you to concentrate on vital information first. You're able to break down the information into smaller doses that are "easier to swallow." Six full pages of lined or letter paper may not seem like a small dose to some of you, but to others it may not seem like enough. It's a good medium.

    Rule #2.

    Put one page into each pocket of the table. Just curve it and set it in there like some sort of bizarre backboard for the billiard balls. It shouldn't block the opening at all; most letter paper is the perfect size to just stick up vertically out of the pocket.

    Why is this important? This is a continuation of Rule #1: it helps to compartmentalize the information. Now, during the game, you'll be able to associate each piece of information with a separate part of the table, and you'd be surprised at how quickly you get familiar with the setup. It's especially easy to see when you're studying multiple classes at the same time. "Oh, no, not the chemistry pocket!!"

    Rule #3.

    Start playing a pool game. Whether it's nine-ball, cutthroat, the classic one-on-one game of pool, or even just the beloved classic, "How-long-will-it-take-me-to-knock-them-all-in-because-I-don't-know-any-billiard-games." You can play against yourself, or against other people. They can be your study partners, or just someone who wants to play the game and leave the academics to you.

    Why is this important? For one thing, you need to relax. Finals are stressful and studying is stressful, but activities like bowling and billiards (basically smashing objects that make loud noises when they hit each other) is great stress relief! No matter how much you're forcing yourself to work hard, your brain is going to get tricked into relaxing by playing pool, and there's no need to feel guilty in the process because you really are being productive!

    Secondly, pool keeps you on your feet for the most part. That means your blood's flowing to and from your brain. Remember how people always say you should go for a walk in-between study sessions to rejuvenate your mind? Boom.

    And thirdly, pool is an abstract activity. Scientific studies have shown that doodling abstract shapes in basic colors helps note-takers to retain information. In pool, you're dealing with very basic shapes, colors, and numbers. There are circles, a big rectangle, straight lines, and triangular trajectories. So by letting your brain relax and "play with shapes," you're preparing for maximum information absorption.

    Rule #4.

    This is where the 'study' part comes into play. When any ball goes into any pocket, regardless of who hit it, you have to perform a task with the related page of notes. The task simply depends on how long you've been in this 'study session'.

    If it's your very first game, just take the page out and read it in its entirety. Maybe out loud, if you have friends who also need to learn the material.

    If it's your second game, have your friend ask you a question from that page. Afterwards, read the page in its entirety again, just to refresh your memory.

    If it's your third game or onwards, perhaps only read the page through if you get the question wrong.

    Obviously if you're by yourself, the quizzing is slightly more difficult. Try placing a hand over a section of the page, and try to remember what's there. Count how many vocabulary words there are, then try to list them all from memory. Cover up their definitions and then guess at what they mean. You may get so good at it that you can eventually recite the entire page from memory whenever a ball goes into that pocket, and then all you have to do is draw the paper out afterwards to confirm that you were right.

    Why is this important? Because, of course, you need to get familiar with the materials you're actually studying. Otherwise it's not studying. This way, at least, you don't feel bad every time you put the paper down (because you know you'll probably be picking it up again in just a few minutes). You'd be surprised at how quickly you get familiar with the information.

    And if you're in a group study, you're welcome to change up who answers the question depending on who hit the ball in — but the best policy is probably to just make everyone take a turn answering a question from the page, any time a ball goes in. That makes for maximum repetition.

    Does it work?

    You bet it does! You're relaxed and playing a game, but you constantly have to come face-to-face with your curriculum in order for the game to continue. You're not beating yourself up over taking a break, nor are you stressing yourself out about absorbing all the material in a single half-hour time slot (or however long you usually give yourself to study a single subject). You could spend almost a whole afternoon chatting and playing pool with your friends, and still memorize a surprising amount of information.

    The first time I tried this, I spent maybe a grand total of three days playing pool, sometimes by myself and sometimes with friends. There were only three or four classes that were troubling me, so I guess that's about one afternoon per class. Well, let me tell you, I didn't expect much beyond passing grades for my trouble — I just figured I might as well have fun with my notes instead of stressing out. But when I got the results from my gen-ed finals, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had not just gotten passing grades — I had gotten straight A's.

    Since then, needless to say, I never went back to old-fashioned studying whenever the need arose to learn challenging material. I recommend this method to anyone and everyone who's having a hard time with their curriculum —  or really to anyone who has to study, period.

    And if you don't have a pool table of your own? No worries! This concept isn't just limited to just billiards. Just think of it as one of those "drinking games" or "movie workouts" where the activity you're doing triggers a response. What about "Go Fish," where fishing also means you have to answer a question off the notes? Or a game of catch where anyone who drops the ball or frisbee has to answer a question from the pocket of the thrower? Just make sure you're encountering small portions of the information every few minutes, but having a good time (preferably on your feet) in-between.

    Now go, my young padawans, and spread the word to struggling students across the galaxy. Studying does not have to be the bane of your existence. All you need to do is realize that fun is not an enemy to be shunned… but an ally to be harnessed.