Most courses have probably passed the point of the first exam by now. You’ve probably already been through the celebration of a job well done, or the cursing of the heavens with a vow to study harder next time. But, as you prepare for your next round of exams, tests and quizzes, ask yourself if you’re really learning the material.

During your education, you will take many courses. Some will be basic skills, such as math and English. Many will be connected to your major. Others will be completely off the wall. But, this is not high school. If you are simply committing a set of facts to memory for a later recitation, you’re wasting your educational dollar. You’re here to gain knowledge.

Challenge yourself to really internalize the material in your classes, even the classes outside your major. Don’t just memorize the names of the major players at the Congress of Vienna – get to know who they were. Don’t simply learn to recite the mechanisms of evolution – think about their application in the real world. You’re allowed to do outside reading. If you enjoy a Raymond Carver story from a literature course, check out some of his collections from the library.

Try to free yourself of the high school mentality that school should stay at school, and learning outside of a classroom is an intrusion. Develop a broad love of learning now, and it will serve you throughout the rest of your life.

Always be thinking of the implications and applications of what you’re learning. Historical decisions impact the news today. Biological principles might explain the recent cricket infestation. The psychological theory of cognitive dissonance might explain why your boyfriend can’t quit smoking. If nothing else, you might be able to appreciate some of Wichita State’s more avant garde works of art.

When you make the effort to apply what you’ve learned, you’ll find that those tests and quizzes are no longer the major stressors they used to be. You’ll also find that you’re appreciating more of your world on a deeper level … and you didn’t even have to take a philosophy course to do it.