Everything I haven’t learned in school can be blamed on one childhood game.

Do you remember the game Memory? You know, the game with those cards showing pictures of stars, monkeys or any other fun creature or shape you have to match with the other identical card.

That game taught me, and I’m sure several others, memorization is the key to learning.

Do you think I learned anything in weather and climate or biology? Well, I didn’t and those little cardboard cards are the reason.

Taking an hour or two before a test to cram information about tornadoes, clouds and the digestive system is how I got by. Days after the test, all I thought I had learned was gone.

I honestly believe the reason I can’t retain information past a weekend without class isn’t because I don’t care. Going to every class and doing the assigned work proves that.

The fact is, I was trained to go through a routine while learning and not taking the time to comprehend or fully understand what was being taught to me.

I am by no means saying you can’t get an A or a B simply by cramming for a short period of time. It can happen and it does happen.

I have had teachers give me the “you must read the chapters if you are going to pass my class” speech.

Sometimes it’s a complete lie. That’s why you take notes in class and textbooks have the great resource called chapter summaries.

The problem is, this method can’t work all the time. People get older and learning techniques need to be modified.

Joseph Williams, my introduction to psychology professor from freshman year, whose class I can say I passed on memorization alone, said memorization is a good method for younger children, but as people get older they need to develop an alternative.

“That strategy is good for learning things initially,” Williams said. “Unfortunately our education system is set to memorize what you need to have, not learning what you need to have. In the long term, memory is only so good.”

Students need to find a suitable way to help learn and retain what they learn based on what they already know and applying subject matter to every day life.

“By reading and thinking about and applying, you gain a better understanding,” Williams said. “Link it to something you already have.”

The key to a better understanding is the desire to want to learn. No professor can make a student want to learn, and some class sizes make it difficult for the teacher to interact with each student.

Professors care about their expertise and I would say, whether you believe it or not, most of them are sincere in wanting you to be interested too.

Even if the class is a requirement and not for your major, do the professor a favor and at least attempt to show slight interest because you never know when you’ll learn something useful.

Be prepared for class. Take notes. Include yourself in class discussions. Do everything you can to get out of the Memory game and into the learning game, no matter how lame and uninteresting it may seem. You might appreciate what you learned instead of what you haven’t learned some day.