Page 195 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

gain wise new mentors who, with a simple sentence, can change the
course of your future. But use your teachers’ and mentors’ time
sparingly.
If you aren’t very fast at grasping the essentials of whatever you are
studying, don’t despair. Surprisingly often, “slower” students are
grappling with fundamentally important issues that quicker students
miss. When you finally get what’s going on, you can get it at a deeper

level.
People are competitive as well as cooperative. There will always be
those who criticize or attempt to undermine any effort or achievement
you make. Learn to deal dispassionately with these issues.

PAUSE AND RECALL

Close the book and look away. What were the main ideas of this
chapter? Which idea is most important—or are there several competing
equally important ideas?

ENHANCE YOUR LEARNING

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning on your own,
without being guided by a formal program of study?

2. Look up the phrase List of autodidacts on Wikipedia. Which of the
many autodidacts there would you most like to emulate? Why?

3. Choose a person among your own acquaintances (that is, not a

celebrity) whom you admire but to whom you have never really
spoken. Formulate a plan to say hello and introduce yourself—then
carry it out.