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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1879)
no. r KDITOIUAI.S. 107 this change moots with greater fuvor. For aoout the close of tiio Junior .year many students find it profitable lo them selves to change their courses of study having in their progress through college happened upon other studies that, host suit their tastes and natural dispositions; and they would much prefer to contii.uc their course of study by making suitable selections rather than abandon it and begin anew. Within the University we have seen many of the best students leave the scien tific and classical courses and take up their position in tiie literary division. They had evidently aspired to a Hold of action in the beginning different than that, one to which other courses led them. And because they could make the change without loosing their gradein the Uni versity, they willingly grasped the oppor tunity to pursue a course ot study satis factory to themselves and essential to a future occupation, rather than abandon a course of study nearly completed and stand the chances of finishing another. If this privilege of selecting studies in the Senior year, were granted to students in the University, it appears as though an equal benefit might be extend to all. In so doing, we believe students would feel more interest and take more pride in the last year's work True, it may be urged that a post-grad-uate course remains, an enticing bate to every student who wishes to pursue stud ies tending outside of his course or be yond it. But these inducements loose their charms, after a college course is completed and the student eagerly awaits the first opportunity to launch into a pro fessional career. uevi i:vs. The shortness of the present, term be hooves all lo improve well the time devot ed to the reviews. The diligent student is not always satisfied with the advance work of the term. The loxt-book is some. times passed over rapidly, and, without a faithful review, a systematic and comprc hensive knowledge of the subject matter is not always gained. If, however, the preliminary work lias been well attended to, the review should be a comparative""" easy task. The student who has been re. miss in the former particular, has a chance lo redeem himself in tiio latter. But, in some cases, we fear the time given to the reviews has been too short. It sometimes occurs that the advance work is given out in portions that remind one of the proverbial doses of the old school plrysicians. Then unless ample time is allowed for reviews, good work as a rule, should not be expected from the student. We do not believe in cramming. Wo have not done much of it oui'EcIf, and rather think we have gained by the absti nence. A few days spent in genuine cramming is apt to so cloy a student with the books that he has attempted to "get away with," that he can scarcely en dure the thought of picking them up after, wards. As an immediate reward a brilliant victory may indeed bo won in the exami nation, but in the long run, the results are not equally durable. While we believe that cramming is an evil, the temptations to it arc not nhvavs easy to resist. Wo trust that these lncon. lives aro not deliberately intended. The promotion of good scholarship demands that there shall be as few inducements to hurried cramming as possible. We can convolve of no better way to avoid ius evils, than to so frame the questions in ox amination that but little of the text-book can be cutagorically reproduced. Let the student's positive knowledge of the subject be taxed rather than his memory of the mere wording of the book. Bettor have the examination follow closely after the last recitation of an ample review, than to allow two or throe days of private sludy.lt follow the completion of a brief review, rmrwiMi i 'i iwniff iwWiMmmw fimmiBitriBB BPf