How should students in universities study?

University is the most critical stage in a person's life. From the first day of admission, you should have a correct understanding and planning for the four years of college. In order to enjoy the greatest happiness in study and find a job that you like when you graduate, everyone who has just entered the university campus should master seven kinds of learning: self-study, basic knowledge, practice integration, interest cultivation, initiative, time control and dealing with people. As long as these seven points are well done, the biggest gain for college students when they graduate will never be "patience and adaptation to nothing", but "confidence and desire to have everything". As long as you do these seven points well, you can become a happy graduate with potential, thought, value and prospect.

University: the key to life

University is a critical stage in life. This is because, after entering the university, you finally put down the burden of the college entrance examination and began to pursue your ideals and interests for the first time. This is the first time you have left your family life and participated in group and social life independently. This is the first time you have the opportunity to learn theory and practice it yourself, instead of simply learning or reciting theoretical knowledge from books. This is the first time that your parents no longer arrange everything in your life and study, but have enough freedom to deal with all kinds of problems in your life, study and control all your time.

University is a critical stage in life. This is because this is your last chance to receive a systematic education in your life. This is the last time you devote yourself to building your own knowledge base. This may be the last stage in your life where you can spend a lot of time studying, or it may be the last stage where you can have high plasticity and concentrate on enriching yourself. This may be the last time you learn how to be a man in a relatively tolerant and ideal environment.

University is a critical stage in life. At this stage, all college students should seriously grasp every "first time" and make it the cornerstone of their future life; At this stage, all college students should cherish every "last time" and don't let themselves regret it in the near future. After four years of college, everyone should try to weave their own dreams of life, make clear the direction of struggle and lay a good foundation for their career.

Four years of college is only once for everyone, and four years of college should be spent like this. ...

The way of self-study: from reasoning to self-teaching.

I remember when I was a teaching assistant at Columbia University, the parents of a China student complained to me, "What exactly do you teach in your university? My child has finished his sophomore computer department, and he can't even use VisiCalc[ 1]. "

I replied at that time: "The development of computers is changing with each passing day. We can't guarantee that any technology taught in universities will still be useful after five years, nor can we guarantee that students can learn every technology and tool. What we can guarantee is that your child will learn to think and master learning methods, so that no matter what new technologies and new tools appear in five years, your child will be able to do it with ease. "

She then asked, "Learning the latest software is not education, so what is the essence of education?"

I replied, "If we forget everything we have learned, what remains is the essence of education.

What I said at that time came from the famous words of educator B.F. Skinner. The so-called "leftovers" are actually the ability of self-study, that is, the ability to draw inferences from others or learn from others. University is not a vocational training course, but a platform for students to adapt to society and different jobs. During college, it is important to learn professional knowledge, but it is more important to learn the method of independent thinking and cultivate the ability to draw inferences from others. Only in this way can college graduates adapt to the rapidly changing future world. I know many friends who came to the United States for graduate studies after finishing college in China. They think that after coming to the United States, whether they study, work or live, what they lack most is the ability to think independently, because they seldom think and make decisions independently at home.

When I was in middle school, my teacher would repeat the key points of each lesson over and over again. However, after entering the university, teachers will only play a guiding role, and students must study, explore and practice independently. After going to work, self-study ability becomes more important. Microsoft has made a statistic: only about 10% of the knowledge that every Microsoft employee has mastered is accumulated by employees in their past study and work, and all other knowledge is re-learned after joining Microsoft. This data fully shows that it is difficult for a person who lacks self-study ability to stand in a modern enterprise like Microsoft.

Self-study ability must be cultivated during college. Many students always complain that teachers don't teach well, don't know much, and the school curriculum is unreasonable. I usually advise these students to say, "It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness". College students should not just follow the footsteps of teachers, but take the initiative to walk in front of them. For example, a class of university teachers usually covers dozens of pages of information in textbooks, and it is impossible to learn all the knowledge by attending classes. The best way to learn is to make clear the relevant problems in the textbook before the teacher gives a lecture, and then make up for the lack of understanding and understanding by comparing the teacher's explanations in class.

Middle school students are more in pursuit of "remembering" knowledge when learning knowledge, while college students should ask themselves to "understand" knowledge and be good at asking questions. Ask more "why" for every knowledge point. Once you really know the ins and outs of a theory or method, you can learn other knowledge by analogy, solve other problems, and even reach the realm of self-study.

In fact, many problems have different ideas or angles. When learning knowledge or solving problems, don't always stick to a mode of thinking, and don't make yourself a slave to textbooks or experience. Only when students dare to innovate and be good at thinking from a new angle can they really stimulate their potential thinking ability, creativity and learning ability.

Book of rites? Learning notes say: "Learning alone without friends is ignorance". In other words, college students should make full use of the talent resources in the school and absorb knowledge and methods from various channels. If you meet a good teacher, you can take the initiative to ask them for advice or ask them to recommend some extracurricular reference books. Besides senior professors, young teachers, doctoral students, master students and even their classmates in universities are the best sources of knowledge and learning partners. Everyone's understanding and understanding of the problem is different. Only by helping each other and learning from each other can we make progress together.

A student once told me that I was envious of having a Turing Prize master to teach when I was studying. In fact, although I admire my teacher very much, he didn't teach me much professional knowledge during my college years. He just pointed out the general direction for me, let me share his experience, provide me with research resources and teach me how to be a man. He has no time and no need to guide me to learn specific professional knowledge. The professional knowledge I accumulated during my college years was acquired through self-study. At first, I blushed many times and asked my brother the most basic knowledge. I asked a lot of superficial questions at the meeting and took the initiative to discuss and study with my classmates in my spare time. "There must be a teacher in a threesome", and college students are surrounded by mentors and friends. As long as we cherish these rare opportunities, ask questions boldly and learn from each other often, we can learn the most useful knowledge and methods.

College students should make full use of libraries and the Internet, cultivate the ability of autonomous learning and research, and prepare for future work or further study. First of all, in addition to studying the courses prescribed by teachers, college students must learn to consult books and documents in order to get in touch with a wider range of knowledge and research results. For example, when we find a subject we are interested in in in a class, we should actively go to the library to consult relevant literature to understand the ins and outs of this subject and the current research trends. Skillful and full use of library resources is one of the necessary skills for college students, especially those interested in scientific research. When reading, read as many original English textbooks as possible. Some original textbooks are simple to compile and have a lot of examples, which are more suitable for self-study than Chinese textbooks. Secondly, in addition to books, the Internet is also a huge resource pool, and college students can use search engines to find all kinds of information online. Since Kaifu Student Network was opened for half a year, I found that many students have not mastered the Internet search skills well, and sometimes they can easily find the answer by simply searching in the search engine. Some students easily believe online rumors, instead of using search engines to check and verify them themselves. Besides search engines, there are many websites and communities on the Internet, which are also good learning fields.

When you teach yourself, don't be complacent just because you have met the requirements of the school. Don't think that doing well in college is enough. 2 1 century, talent has become an international concept. When you are satisfied with your grades, I suggest that you start to study the courses of some world-class universities by yourself. For example, MIT's open classes have been released online for free. You might as well look at MIT's online courses and do MIT's online test questions. When you can master MIT courses freely, you will be more confident to face the challenges of internationalization.

In a word, being good at drawing inferences from others and learning to teach yourself are the best gifts you can give yourself during your four years in college.

Basic knowledge: math, English, computer, Internet.

I once said that one advantage of China students is their solid basic knowledge, such as mathematics and physics. But in recent years, we have witnessed many quick examples (such as Ding Lei, Chen Tianqiao, etc. ), students are also eager to embark on the fast lane of success. This gradually formed an impetuous atmosphere of quick success and instant benefit. Many college students dream of becoming "managers" and "bosses" immediately after graduation, and many college students directly choose "management" as soon as they enter school, because they think that such majors can become managers of enterprises immediately after graduation. However, after many students enter the management major, they find that they have no interest in learning this major. In fact, management majors, like other majors, are places where basic knowledge and methods are taught. No major can guarantee that students can take up leadership positions after graduation. No matter what major students study, graduation from college is the real beginning of their career. Students who want to be leaders or managers of enterprises must also start at the grassroots level. They must first learn to be human in personality and lay a good foundation in their studies.

If a university is a platform for learning and progress, then the foundation of this platform is the basic courses in the university. During college, students must learn basic knowledge, including mathematics, English, the use of computers and the Internet, as well as basic courses required by majors (such as financial courses in business schools). With the rapid development of science and technology, many seemingly advanced technologies in the application field will be replaced by new technologies or tools in a few years. Only the study of basic knowledge can benefit for life. On the other hand, without a good foundation, it is difficult for college students to truly understand advanced applied technology. Finally, in many China universities, professors have more teaching experience in basic courses than in the latest technology.

Mathematics is an indispensable foundation for science and engineering students. Many students think that mathematics is the most difficult thing to learn in high school. Once you find that your major has low requirements for mathematics, you will completely relax your study of mathematics knowledge, and you will not see any practical application or employment prospects of mathematics knowledge. But we should not forget that most of the knowledge systems of science and engineering majors are based on the cornerstone of mathematics. For example, if you want to learn computer engineering well, you should at least learn discrete mathematics (including set theory, graph theory, mathematical logic, etc. ), linear algebra, probability statistics and mathematical analysis; If you want to further study for a master's or doctor's degree in computer science, you may need higher mathematics literacy. At the same time, mathematics is also the crystallization of wisdom accumulated by human beings for thousands of years. Learning mathematics knowledge can cultivate and train people's thinking ability. Through the study of geometry, we can learn to verify and think with deduction and reasoning; By studying probability statistics, we can know how to avoid going into a dead end of thinking and how to maximize the opportunities in front of us. Therefore, everyone must learn math well with heart, and can't be half-hearted. Learning mathematics can't be limited to taking multiple mathematics courses, but we should know why we study mathematics and master the methods of cognition and thinking from the process of learning mathematics.

English is the most important communication tool in 2 1 century. Some students study English only to pass CET-4 and CET-6, some students study English only to find the necessary skills for a job, and some even think that learning and using English is equal to worshipping foreign things and obsessing foreign things. In fact, the fundamental purpose of learning English is to master an important learning and communication tool. In the next few decades, the world's most comprehensive news content, the most advanced ideas and the most profound technology, as well as the communication between most intellectuals, will be conducted in English. Therefore, unless you are willing to be a person out of touch with the international community, English learning is very important. In the software industry, not only the programming language is designed based on English, but also the most important resources such as textbooks, papers, reference materials and user manuals are mostly written in English. Learning English is by no means equal to worshipping foreign things and obsessing foreign things. China is going to the world, and China needs to learn advanced western ideas and advanced science and technology. Learning English well is true patriotism.

Many foreign students in China have achieved good results in English tests. They have passed CET-4, CET-6 and TOEFL. However, after studying in the United States, it is difficult to understand the course content in class, and it is even more difficult to communicate with foreign students. How can I learn English well? Since English is the most important communication tool, the most important learning method is to combine it with practice as much as possible, and we can't just "learn" without "using", let alone learn English by reciting. When reading, try to read the original professional textbooks (if English is not good enough, you can start with bilingual textbooks) and read some professional papers that you are interested in, so as to improve the knowledge level of English and related majors at the same time. Secondly, the best way to improve English listening and speaking ability is to talk directly with foreigners whose mother tongue is English. At present, there are many foreigners studying and working in China. Many of them are willing to talk and communicate with China students to learn Chinese. This is a good learning opportunity. Besides, you shouldn't take learning English as a hard job. You can learn English in an interesting way. For example, you can watch more dialogues or speeches by celebrities, and read more novels, plays and even cartoons. Beginners can find the original English teaching programs and videos to learn, and those who have a certain foundation can watch English TV or movies. When watching English movies, it is best to watch them first when there are subtitles, and at the same time check the candidates' words to be familiar with sentence patterns. When there are no subtitles, watch them again and listen only with your ears. Listening to English radio is also a good way to practice English listening. You'd better set aside half an hour to an hour every day to listen to the radio and try to understand its contents. You can record it and listen to it again and again if necessary. There are also many interactive English learning websites on the Internet. You can use games, self-test and bilingual reading to improve your English. In a word, the only way to learn English is to be brave in practice and persevere. The information age has arrived, and college students' information science and information technology literacy has become one of the necessary foundations for them to step into society. Although not every college student needs to know computer principles and programming knowledge, all college students should be proficient in using computers, the Internet, office software and search engines, and should be proficient in browsing information and finding professional knowledge online. In the 2 1 century, using computers and networks is as simple as using paper and pens. If you don't learn computer well, you can't get the knowledge or information you need quickly and comprehensively. Finally, each specific major also has its own basic courses. Taking the computer major as an example, many college students are only keen on learning the latest languages, technologies, platforms, standards and tools, because many companies require basic knowledge or experience in these areas when recruiting. Although these new technologies need to be studied, the study of computer basic courses is more important, because the development of language and platform is changing with each passing day, but as long as we study basic courses (such as data structure, algorithm, compilation principle, computer principle, database principle, etc. ) Well, we can never leave their old school. A classmate vividly compared these basic courses to the internal strength of computer major, and compared new languages, new technologies, new platforms, new standards and new tools to external strength. Those students who only know the pursuit of fashion will only know the superficial skills of moves in the end, and they will never become real masters without the accumulation of internal skills.

Although I have always encouraged people to pursue their own interests, I still need to emphasize here that some things in life must be done even if they are not interested. For example, laying a good foundation, learning math, learning English and learning computers are all things that must be done. If you are interested in math, English and computer, you are lucky and you can enjoy learning. But even if you are not interested, you should lay these foundations well. Laying the foundation is a hard job, and you can't do it without suffering.

= = = Practice runs through: "You can really understand what you have done" = = = "

In high school, many students ask their teachers, "Why? What's the use? " Usually the answer given by the teacher is "Don't ask". After entering the university, the answer to these questions should be "Don't ask". In universities, students should know how to combine knowledge, theories and methods of various disciplines with concrete practice and application, especially engineering students.

There is a proverb about spiritual practice that says, "I will forget what I heard, remember what I saw, and truly understand what I did."

No matter what major or course you study, you can have a deeper understanding of the knowledge system and firmly remember what you have learned through comprehensive study, hard practice and mastery. So I suggest that students choose more professional courses related to practice. In practice, it is best for several students to cooperate, so that we can not only understand professional knowledge through practice, but also learn how to cooperate with others and cultivate team spirit. If you have the opportunity to do some practical projects under the teacher, or go out to work, as long as it does not affect your studies, these practices are worth encouraging. When you go out to work or do projects, don't just pay attention to salary (unless you really have difficulties in life). Sometimes even if the salary is not satisfactory, there are many opportunities for exercise and practice, which is worth a try.

Taking computer major as an example, practical experience is even more essential for software development. Microsoft hopes that college graduates who apply for programmers should have 100,000 lines of programming experience. The reason is simple: practical technology should be improved in practice. In the final analysis, computer is a practical knowledge, and you can never learn it without hands-on. So the most important thing is not to get a high score in the written test, but the ability to do it. However, in the process of communicating with domestic students, I was surprised to find that students in computer departments of some domestic schools can't program until their junior year. The teaching methods and courses in these universities really need to be updated. If you happen to be studying in such a school, you should seek opportunities for learning and practice from the process of working, self-study or surfing the Internet. You can find many practical projects online. For example, a group of students who love programming set up a website to discuss software technology (www.diyinside.com), where they enjoyed their knowledge and practical experience, successfully held many activities (such as holding campus technology education conferences in major universities) and published books to help students improve their skills and solve problems. Many members of this website have won the title of "Microsoft's most valuable expert".

Cultivate interest: broaden your horizons and set up your ambitions.

Confucius said, "Knowing is not as good as being kind, and being kind is not as good as being happy." In my third letter to students in China, I discussed that happiness and interest are the keys to a person's success. If you are passionate about a certain field, you may exert all your potential in this field, and even forget to eat and sleep for it. At this time, you are not studying for success, but for "enjoyment". In the "third letter", I also talked about how I gave up my uninterested law major in college and entered my beloved computer major.

Some students asked me how to find my favorite interest. I think, first of all, we should objectively evaluate and find our own interests: don't take things recognized and valued by society, family or friends as our hobbies; Don't think that the interesting thing is your interest, but experience it yourself and make judgments with your own mind; Don't think that what you are interested in can become your career. For example, just because you like playing online games doesn't mean that you will like or have the ability to develop online games. Don't think that being interested means that you have a gift in this field. However, you can try to find the best combination of talent and interest. For example, if you are talented in mathematics but like computer science, then you can do research on computer theory. The best way to find points of interest is to broaden your horizons and touch many fields. Only when you are moved can you try, and only when you try can you find what you like. And the university is such a unique place that you can contact and try many fields. Therefore, college students should better grasp the school time, make full use of school resources, and get in touch with more fields, more jobs and more experts and scholars by using library resources, auditing courses, searching online, attending lectures, working, participating in community activities, communicating with friends, using e-mail and electronic forums. At that time, if I only attended classes in the law department and didn't try to sit in on the courses in the computer department, I wouldn't work in the computer center, I wouldn't consult the teaching assistants in the computer department, and I wouldn't find my strong interest in computers.

If you find your real interest by broadening your horizons and trying to get in touch, you can try the possibility of changing departments, trying extra-curricular study, elective courses or auditing related courses; You can also find some part-time or holiday internship opportunities to further understand the nature of work in related industries; Or, try to be admitted to a graduate student who is interested in his major and choose a new major. In fact, your major in this science can't completely determine your work direction after graduation. As I emphasized, the learning process in college cultivates your learning ability. As long as you have this ability, even if you are engaged in a brand-new job, you can gain enough knowledge and experience in the process of learning by doing. In addition to "choose what you love", you might as well try "love what you choose". Some students regret that they chose the wrong major when they entered school, so that they lack interest in the major and have no motivation to learn; Some students are "possessed" because of their pursuit of interest, and only after graduation do they find that they have given up their professional courses; Some students are unwilling to face their majors with interest as an excuse because they encounter difficulties in their studies or are biased against their majors. These practices are all incorrect. In college, it may not be easy to change departments, so first of all, we should try our best to learn this major well and gradually cultivate our interest in this major during the learning process. In addition, there may be many different fields in a major, and maybe you will be interested in a certain field in the major. Nowadays, many majors have developed interdisciplinary subjects, and the combination of the two majors is often a new growth point. So as long as you contact more and try more, you may meet the direction you are really interested in. Dr. Wang Jian, the inventor of "digital pen", is in charge of the research of user interface in Microsoft Research Asia, but who would have thought that he studied psychology from undergraduate to doctoral, and user interface is the best combination of computer and psychology. On the other hand, even if you want to engage in other industries after graduation, you can still study your major well, which can also be your advantage in new industries. For example, if a classmate doesn't like studying engineering and wants to enter the service industry after graduation, I suggest that he learn engineering well first, so that he can master technology in the service industry as his specialty in the future. Life is long, and everyone can have many different hobbies. In addition to pursuing interest, it is more important to find your lifelong ambition. The author of a book once interviewed hundreds of successful people and asked them what they knew today, but left regrets when they were young. Among the respondents' answers, the most common sentence is: "I hope my predecessors will tell me and encourage me to pursue my ideals and ambitions when I was young." In contrast, interest is the key, but ambition is more important. For example, my ambition is to "maximize my influence". Over the years, I have many hobbies, such as speech recognition, game software, multimedia, the transformation from research to development, management, meeting users' needs, speaking and writing, and helping China students. My interests can change, but my ambition remains the same. Therefore, you don't have to take a certain interest as your ultimate goal, and you don't have to completely cut off the development path of any interest. Under the guidance of ambition, different interests can develop in parallel and you can make the best choice when necessary. Ambition is like a compass, and interest is like a sail. The two complement each other and are indispensable. They can take you to an ideal harbor. Proactive: Be decisive and responsible, and create opportunities. The original intention of my founding Kaifu Student Network is to "help students help themselves". But to my surprise, more students want me to help them make decisions directly, or even simply introduce myself and say to me, "Only you can tell me what I should do." Will a stranger know better than you what he should do? I gradually realized that this passive way of thinking was developed in the educational environment of China since childhood. Passive people always habitually think that their current situation is caused by others and the environment. If others don't give directions, the environment doesn't change, and you can only live passively. People who hold this attitude have been defeated before their career has started. I have never seen such a negative person achieve sustained success. From the first day of college, you must change from passive to active, you must be the master of your future, and you must actively manage your studies and future career. The reason is simple: because no one cares more about their work and life than you do. It is your responsibility to "make college life valuable to yourself". Many students don't start making life and career plans until their senior year. An active student should start planning his future when he enters the university.

The first step to be proactive is to have a positive attitude. You can actively plan your life goals, pursue your interests and try new knowledge and fields by the method I recommended in the "third letter". Victor, a survivor of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany? Frankl once said: "In any given environment, people still have a final freedom, and that is to choose their own attitude." The second step of being proactive is to take responsibility for everything and face life bravely. Don't just shelve uncertain or difficult things. For example, some students think English is very important, but the school will not learn English without exams; Or, some students feel that they need to join a club to hone their interpersonal relationships, but they are shy and have not actively signed up. But we must realize that not solving is also solving, and not making a decision is also a decision. Such solutions and decisions will make the immediate opportunities disappear. You will pay for this passive and timid style one day.

The third step of being proactive is to be fully prepared: do everything with your heart and do your best, and don't wait for opportunities; We should seize the opportunity and create it. Academician Zhu Qingshi, president of China University of Science and Technology, was assigned to Qinghai as a foundry worker in his junior year. But he doesn't give up studying like other students, playing poker and drinking all day. He still delves into mathematics, physics and English all day. Six years later, the Chinese Academy of Sciences was going to do an important project in Qinghai, and then President Zhu stood out and started his brilliant career. Many people may say that he is lucky to be assigned to Qinghai, where talents are scarce. However, if he doesn't study hard, he can't seize this opportunity. So, be fully prepared, and when the opportunity comes, you can seize it.

The fourth step is to actively "start from the beginning to the end" and actively plan the university for four years. Any plan will be the end of one stage and the beginning of the next. Your ambition and interest will provide you with direction and motivation. If you don't know your aspirations and interests, you should immediately make a plan to explore your aspirations and interests; If you don't know what to do after graduation, you should immediately make a plan to try a new field; If you don't know what you lack most, write a resume immediately, ask teachers and friends to grade it, or review it yourself to see where it needs improvement; If you want to go abroad to study for a doctorate after graduation, you should figure out how to make yourself have specific research experience and academic papers before applying for going abroad; If you want to work in the company after graduation, you should collect the company's job advertisements in order to compare them with your resume and see what experience you lack. As long as you make, manage, evaluate and adjust your life plan carefully, you will get closer and closer to your goal.