6 Ways to Appear Smarter

• Since people consider themselves smart, asking questions about their areas of expertise will make them think you are smart as well.
• Restating the best ideas of a conversation will make you look smarter.
• Citing your sources makes you appear more credible and gives you a way out.
• Diverse cultural experiences are often mistaken for intelligence.
• A well reasoned contrary position shows you are capable of independent thought.
• Make sure people associate you with sources of information that they consider intelligent.

Love and Appreciation

We all want to feel love and appreciation both as children and adults. As children we receive much stimulation from our parents and siblings. Unfortunately as adults, our interactions with members of our peers can leave us with a sense of emptiness, neglect, and loneliness. However, being a doctor has a built-in moral booster that uplifts our psychological need for respect, recognition, and admiration. No other profession guarantees you the self-respect, adulation, and devotion you will receive from your patients, peers, and students.

It is a marathon, not a sprint.

Don’t start studying too late, and don’t burn out early. Make a schedule with goals of what you want accomplished by when, and discipline yourself to stick to it.

The core skill in science ...

Is understanding how things work.

What Does It Take To Be A Good Student?

Work-ethic, Dedication, and Self-Confidence!

Be Enthusiastic!

You worked very hard to get into college. Even if you hate it, show enthusiasm.

Prepare for the lecture

The greatest advantage is that

1. you are familiar with the subject
2. you know what to ask
3. you are not going to waste time by writing down stuff that is already there in your study material. Rather, you know what to write, where to pick links and to clear your concepts.

By the time the lecture is over, you are in a much clearer state of mind. This way, taking down notes becomes more meaningful and worth the time you spent doing it.

Sit in front of the classroom

Resist distractions by sitting in front of the room away from disruptive classmates and by focusing on the instructor through listening and note taking

Show Interest!

Show outward interest during lectures (attentive expression and posture) to self-motivate internal interest.

Lecture Rehersal

Before each lecture, look over the notes of the previous lecture and read the course material pertaining to the current lecture so that you can anticipate the main ideas that the instructor will cove.

Asking Yourself Questions, As You Study!

Avoid daydreaming by asking yourself questions about the material as you study it

Combine several activities

Another suggestion is to combine several activities into one time spot. While commuting to school, listen to taped notes. This allows up to an hour or two a day of good study review. While showering make a mental list of the things that need to be done. When you watch a sit-com, laugh as you pay your bills. These are just suggestions of what you can do to combine your time, but there are many others, above all be creative, and let it work for you.

Learn to Prioritize

Prioritizing your responsibilities and engagements is very important. Some people do not know how to prioritize and become procrastinators. A "to do list" places items in order of importance. One method is the ABC list. This list is divided into three sections; a, b, or c. The items placed in the A section are those needed to be done that day. The items placed in the B section need completion within the week. The C section items are those things that need to be done within the month. As the B, C items become more pertinent they are bumped up to the A or B list. Try it or come up with your own method, but do it.

Don't be a perfectionist

Trying to be a perfect person sets you up for defeat. Nobody can be perfect. Difficult tasks usually result in avoidance and procrastination. You need to set achievable goals, but they should also be challenging. There will always be people both weaker and stronger than you.

Act like a baby-sitter

Pretend that you're counseling a younger brother or sister about a particular class and you sense a negative attitude. You want to tell them how important such a course is and why it should be taken seriously. What advice would you give? By giving someone else good, solid advice, you teach yourself.

You Are Where You Pretend To Be

One of the best ways to change our emotional state is to pretend we already feel the way we want to feel. So if you are feeling bored or unmotivated, simply pretend that you are incredibly driven and really motivated to get going. If you are feeling unhappy, then just pretend you are happy and it will start to change.

A key to this technique working is you have to be willing to feel a little silly at first. Smiling and laughing when we feel lousy or walking around with our head up when we feel nervous often feels awkward at first. However, if you can stick with it, in a short time your emotions will start to adjust to the physiology you are displaying.

This technique of pretending can be extended to more than just emotional control. If you’ve been having trouble motivating yourself to start working on a task or chore, simply start doing it. Once you start doing it, use this technique to put yourself into a state of confidence, ease or happiness. Do this and you will find it is far easier to work on a task that you normally find boring or stressful.

Controlling our emotions can sometimes be a difficult process. By pretending, first in our physiology then in our actions, we can gain a lot more of that control.

The Answer Lies Within

Sometimes the Search

for something outside

ends by finding it

inside

Breathing Exercises

You can calm yourself by consciously controlling your breathing. Try one of these exercises:

Exhalation breathing

This slows your breathing to help calm you down.

1. Lie on your back with your arms at your sides.
2. As you begin to breathe in, raise your arms towards the ceiling (elbows bent). Move your arms all the way up and over your head to the floor as you inhale.
3. Reverse the order: breathe out (exhale) slowly and smoothly as you return your arms to your sides. * After you have done this several times slowly inhale and exhale without moving your arms. You can do this exercise for ten minutes or longer -- it's up to you.

Deep Breathing

Breathing can be done anytime, anywhere. Deep breathing provides extra oxygen to the blood and causes the body to release endorphins, which are naturally occurring hormones that re-energize and promote relaxation.

1. Slowly inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen before allowing air to fill your lungs.
2. Reverse the process as you exhale. Do this exercise for three to five minutes whenever you feel tense.

At least once each day, take ten deep breaths. Breathe in the following manner: Inhale for five seconds, starting the breath deep in your abdomen with your diaphragm. Now hold that breath for the count of twenty seconds to help it fully oxygenate your blood and activate your lymphatic system. Lastly, breathe out for a count of ten seconds.