Breaking: I need help

Dorms are, in my experience, the environment least conducive to studying.

Of course, this is because I am very, very lazy, and can write an A- paper that is 85% BS in about an hour... studying is, to steal one of Terry Pratchett's favorite phrases, something that happens to other people.

I had another episode, but it was different this time. Instead of massive grief and sorrow, it was a huge rush of anger. Like, I wanted someone to fight me, right then and there.

For anyone that knows me, that's a huge change in my everyday character and disposition...I mean, I was like, Colonel mad.

I don't know what to do, I mean, these things are totally random. I like to think that I'm a rational person, and I hope I have full control of my emotions...but I can't really be sure...

If anyone has had anything like this, please let me know, as I'm starting to freak out.

Is there a point to this thread?

Odd,

Why not do some serious research, you live on campus, and write papers you can actually learn from by having written?

There are a lot of minor papers that can be wriiten in a short period based upon regurgitated study, spiced with references to your professor's favorite issues and general PC BS. I think that's fair game, if you can get by with it.

The term paper however was, to me, a challenge to be taken very seriously and I would begin work as soon as I got my syllabus. It would take a while to formulate a topic, but using the text and research into the popular literature I would find a large topic of study. I would then make a decision and then go to the professional literature to fine tune my topic even more.

Computer searches make this process even more effective and a lot less time consuming than it was for me in the late eighties, when I was doing my undergraduate work.

I think that the best strategy I developed was, once I decided what my topic would be, was to make copies of every article I could find on the subject. Take those articles home and put them in a stack and go through them at every opportunity and highlight the pertinent information in one color. By the time you have read all the articles, a thread of continuity should have become evident to you. That thread will become your paper.

Go back and read the papers and use another color marker to mark those areas that are pertinent given your new enlightend view--blue and yellow are good colors for this task.

By this time, you should have read all your material at least twice and you should have a good idea of what it is you want to say. You can then sit down and begin to write your paper using the highlighted areas of your artilces to support your positon.

As for living in the dorm. Get a job and rent an apartment. It worked for me.

[edit on 04/9/15 by GradyPhilpott]