Mastering Linear Algebra in 10 Days: Astounding Experiments in Ultra-Learning
Ignoring the semantic controversy on 'mastery' and 'expertise', here's my story.<p>I dropped out of a CS program after first year. I was the classic case of a student who had always been told he was brilliant, so I never worked very hard. In high school, I coasted along simply on a fantastic memory, often 'studying' for the final exams that determine graduation the night before. I never learned how to learn.<p>Going to college was like being thrown into a bath of cold water. I had never been particularly conscientious, so being in an environment where I was now responsible for my learning was new to me. I skipped lectures, forgot homework that was due, turned in coursework late; the usual suspects. On raw talent though, I qualified for 2nd year, only failing Pre-Calculus. (I skipped the classes and tried to learn math from 1st principles. Ugh...)<p>I got a summer job at a small telecom startup. By time 2nd year rolled around, my student loan was denied, so I dropped out. I'd always hated school, so I didn't care. I never applied for leave of absence, nothing. I just didn't show up in September. That was 2006.<p>I was 20 then. I'm 26 now. I've had a lot of time (6 years!) to reflect on why I did so poorly despite being talented (not being conceited; my lecturers in 1st year said as much). There are quite a few reasons; but the major one is that <i>I didn't know how to learn.</i> So if something didn't immediately click, I'd give up in frustration, and decry the teacher as an idiot who couldn't teach (oftentimes true; but irrelevant). I didn't know there was another way.<p>Being around HN and places like LessWrong which exposes you to so many thought-leaders brought about some interesting side-effects, which culminated earlier this year. Upon reading an article on LW entitled "Humans are not automatically strategic", which was a reply to a Sebastian Marshall article "A failure to evaluate return on time fallacy", I had an epiphany that being <i>systematic</i> about things was the route to accomplishing great things. "Rationalists should win", the LW meme goes, and it's correct. I came to realize that <i>for every goal, there exists an efficient path to achieve it.</i> My task was to find that path, and execute ruthlessly upon it.<p>Since then I've made leaps and bounds in my personal development. I still slack off sometimes, but I won't fall into my old perfectionist way of thinking that I'm a failure. It's better to be 80% there than 0%.<p>I made the decision a few weeks ago to get my CS degree, albeit at a different, larger university. Since then, I've been devouring articles like this one. I recently bought two of Cal's books and wanna sometimes slap myself when I realize that if I had had this knowledge and the discipline to implement it 6 years ago, my life would be so much better. But c'est la vie. These articles on meta-learning are priceless.<p>So if you're in school now, or are going soon, pay attention to articles like these, Here are a few gems I've dug up recently:
<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3427762" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3427762</a><p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=818157" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=818157</a><p><a href="http://www.quora.com/The-College-and-University-Experience/How-do-some-people-get-near-4-0-GPAs-in-college" rel="nofollow">http://www.quora.com/The-College-and-University-Experience/H...</a><p><a href="http://www.quora.com/Harvard-College/What-are-the-best-Harvard-College-study-hacks" rel="nofollow">http://www.quora.com/Harvard-College/What-are-the-best-Harva...</a><p><a href="http://www.quora.com/How-do-top-students-study" rel="nofollow">http://www.quora.com/How-do-top-students-study</a><p>Thanks to knowledge like this from Cal Newport and others, I'm going back to college full-time as someone with an above-average cognitive toolset, and a myriad of experiences that will suit me. I'm <i>much</i> more sociable, have a great eye for design having moonlighted as a freelancer some years back, and will now know how to engage my lecturers on an adult level rather than the kid I was 6 years ago. I'm going for a 4.3 GPA. I'm tempted to say wish me luck, but with tools like these, I'll <i>make</i> my own luck.<p>This rationalist will win.<p>PS If y'all have more articles like this, let me know. If you wanna chat privately, email's in profile.<p>EDIT: formatting; clarity