How to study

There are quite a few books published on study methods. Years ago I published a slim volume on the subject (A Guide to Study — BACIE, London) and it is still in print. If you examine these books you will probably conclude — correctly — that what they have to say is no more than applied common sense. However common sense is not always easy to follow; for although we all start out with good intentions, we often fail to keep to them. So perhaps the first thing to emphasise is that successful study demands constant and steady practice, for which there is no substitute. This is another way of saying that before you embark on a course of study, you must be quite clear about your aims. After that you must plan carefully, and persevere once you have started. This is easy to say, but difficult to observe. I have seen many students pay their fees and then drop out, often almost before they have got started.