Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Calm before the Storm - Countdown to formal classes.

Ok, just because I stop updating my retirement does not mean that this blog is dead. I will keep posting but my new academic life will undeniably affect this blog.

Here is what's going on in my life :

Yesterday I got my matriculation card, this grants me full access to university facilities.

My first priorities are to ensure that my lifestyle can comfortably match an undergraduate in SMU. This means getting a really awesome transport concession at $85 and discounted Kopitiam card to pay for future meals as my number one priority. Subsequently, I will move my exercise routine to my university gym, hope the sight on uncle on a treadmill will not scare the undergrads away.

My friends and ex-colleagues also seem to think that I will live out my next three years as a frat-boy in campus. Some asked me whether I will participate in Orientation or live in a hostel so that I can make young girls do push-ups. I can definitely do that - in my dreams. I see myself as an old uncle who lives vicariously through the lives of my much younger and more handsome classmates. If I hear about an interesting sexcapade, I will be sure to share it in this blog.

More seriously, it's been many years since I studied for a formal degree, there's been a lot of progress in the field of exam performance.

I will commit to three things right now based on the latest scientific findings on academic performance:

a) I will study my materials consistently and study materials in 2-3 day intervals to maximize my recall. This means the ground work for studies begins 2 weeks before class begins. I will begin to start summarizing some key cases since we actually studied legal research as part of orientation. ( Only in SMU, orientation is examinable ! )

b) I will exercise and sleep well everyday. Gone are the days when i can afford to sacrifice my health for my studies - these days, folks my age can actually die before graduation. Kinda bummed out that two JC school-mates have already passed away. At this age, I no longer feel invincible. Exercising will sharpen my mind to take on my classmates.

c) I will introduce variation in my studies to make things interesting. This also means keeping my fiction reading and RPG gaming throughout my three years. This actual makes recall more effective.

So far, I really like  my classmates and instructors. Coming from two quantitative disciplines, it's great to have professors who speak clearly and with regal authority. My classmates are more similar to the Toastmasters pals I hung out with because I had difficulties making friends among the introverts in engineering school.

My insight so far is this - In engineering, students have to hit the books after the lectures because they have difficulties comprehending their lecturers. From what was explained to me, law students may experience the opposite - they need to hit the books before class, or be overwhelmed by the discussions which come later.

On the investment front, as the SMU Library is on renovation, I have yet to use their Bloomberg terminals. I will also be trying to join their Investment Club as soon as I can.

Can't wait to share the investment styles of undergrads in SMU on this blog.






1 comment:

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