Whether you want to be the next Bill Nye (with a job!) Or just learn as much as you can without going to any mainstream school, becoming a scholar is easier than you think! With a little work and a lot of determination, you too can bring knowledge into your everyday life. Read this guide to find out how!
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Acquiring the Scholarly Mindset
Step 1. Ask questions about anything
- True scholars question everything they see or hear. They never take information at face value, and try to make sure the notions they are dealing with are true.
- If something seems wrong, it probably will be! Even things that seem right may turn out to be wrong, so be sure to work with firm, concrete facts.
Step 2. Be curious
- Scholars are naturally curious people. They want to know everything!
- You should also be naturally curious, and always try to understand how and why things work the way they do.
Step 3. Love learning
- Scholars love to learn anything.
- They value learning itself, not being smarter than others or having more knowledge about them.
- This is not a joke: it is what makes them happy!
Step 4. Develop your opinions
- Consider all aspects of a topic, and gather as much information as possible about it, before forming your own opinion.
- Come to your own opinions, rather than borrowing them from someone else. This is an important skill for scholars.
Step 5. Change your mind
- Scholars must be willing to change their minds when they get new information that changes their previous point of view. This is one of the most important skills for a scholar.
- Be open-minded, and willing to fail in trying to succeed.
Step 6. Avoid prejudice
- Don't let your personal feelings interfere with your actions or the information you give to others.
- Just because you disagree with something doesn't mean it's false.
- Give all the information a chance, and don't let your prejudices tarnish your conclusions.
Part 2 of 5: Learning Outside the Box
Step 1. Read a lot
- The best way to learn without a school education is to read a lot. Read as much as you can, at every opportunity. This - in and of itself - can make you a scholar (since in reality the scholar is only the one who learns new things every moment).
- You can buy books to read, but don't forget that you can also go to your local library and borrow tons of books, for free! The Internet has made the cataloging system of many bookstores much easier, giving you the possibility to find books, order them and renew their loan, right from your home.
- There are also tons of sites that specialize in public domain books, of which you can get free digital copies. The "Gutenberg Project" is the most famous, but you can also find many on the Amazon Kindle site.
Step 2. Take courses
- Did you know that you can attend courses even without trying to graduate? If you are interested in learning a particular skill, or a specific topic, you can attend a dedicated course, without having to bear the expense of an entire degree course. Some courses may even be free.
- Ask any local school if you can wait for classes (this means taking the course, but not actively participating in it and not getting any diplomas or certifications).
- You can also try talking directly to a professor, and try to work with him on some projects.
Step 3. Try online schools
- Many new schools are springing up on the web offering free courses. You can attend the programs of the best universities, and some of them are also working to offer postgraduate certificates.
- You can learn any kind of skill or subject, from history to computer programming.
- Popular options include Coursera, CreativeLive, OpenCulture, or even the Mental Floss Youtube series (with John Green!).
- You can also learn new languages online for free. Top sites include LiveMocha, Duolingo, and the Foreign Service Institute's online resources.
Step 4. Teach yourself
- You can also try teaching yourself new skills. Humans learn by experimenting, so start practicing!
- You can teach yourself using books or other resources, or simply try your hand at new activities. Just be careful not to get hurt!
- It usually takes a lot of determination, but you can do it! Do not give up!
Step 5. Learn from other people
- You can learn many skills and notions simply by talking to some expert and learning from them. This technique is called "apprenticeship".
- Find someone who can do what you want to learn, and offer to pay them or help them for free if they are willing to teach you what you require.
- This method works better for practical skills than for study subjects, but you may find someone understanding enough to recommend some good books, or other learning methods.
Part 3 of 5: Entering a Good School
Step 1. Get good grades
- It is important to get good grades in secondary schools, especially during the last two years. Universities could check these grades to decide whether or not to admit you.
- Get high marks by studying, paying attention in class, and doing your homework best.
- Get extra help from your teachers and communicate with them often if you want to increase your judgments.
Step 2. Don't just do the bare minimum
- If you want to impress someone, go all out!
- Take additional courses, wait for a few college classes while you are still in high school, or work (for a fee or as a volunteer) outside of school.
- If your extra work has to do with your course of study, it will help you a lot in earning a degree. It will also be good in the eyes of the schools you want to enroll in.
Step 3. Learn more than one language
- Speaking a foreign language not only helps you in life, but is often also a fundamental requirement for study courses! By learning a new language, you will demonstrate your preparation at various institutes.
- You can take private lessons, in your hometown high school, or online for free! Good resources are LiveMocha and DuoLingo.
- Choose a language that will be useful to you, as learning a little used one will not impress schools. Some languages are more useful than others in certain contexts or in different courses of study.
Step 4. Get good test scores
- Getting high marks in the tests will make a big difference, as it will allow you to be admitted to even the most prestigious. Get better grades to get access to better schools.
- Get good grades by studying "in advance" (well before the test date), and taking practice tests.
- You can take the tests more than once if you want.
- Don't think that a low or average grade will stop you from doing what you want. You can always start at a school and move to a better one later.
Step 5. If you want to go to an American school, write a good admissions paper
- Admission topics are very important and can help you get into American colleges even if your grades are pretty poor.
- Learn about the college and try to figure out what he is looking for, then write something that meets his needs.
- Try to stand out, make your admissions paper truly unique, if you want to get caught. Whether it's better to do something unconventional, or something academically exceptional, depends on the college.
Part 4 of 5: Getting your College Education
Step 1. Set yourself specific goals right away
- If you already know what kind of degree you want to get from the start of your university career, this will help you a lot. Knowing what you want allows you to attend only the most useful lessons, rather than entire courses that lead you nowhere.
- Changing your mind on the go is fine, and it can even help you.
- Use high school time, if you can, to decide what you really want to study and what you want to do with your life. Gaining experience in that field (perhaps through volunteering) can really help you find the right path.
Step 2. Spend time studying
- Study as much as you can and get good grades so that you get the most out of your time in school.
- Taking notes and paying attention in class will help you tremendously in learning. Practice these skills if you really want to do it.
- You can study alone or in a group. Choose the method that works best for you. However, studying in a group will give you the advantage of being able to use other people's notes as well.
- Get help when you need it. You can ask your classmates, a tutor or even your professors.
Step 3. Take the right courses
- Obtaining a diploma requires the attendance of specific courses established by the institution. Make sure you take the right courses so that you get your degree in the right time.
- Look for courses that meet multiple requirements, in order to speed up the time it takes to graduate.
- Try to only attend courses related to your future career or graduation.
Step 4. Write great themes
- Themes often play a huge role in determining your grades, so writing good ones will help you achieve higher grades. Anyway, most schools in the United States (if you want to attend one abroad) will ask you for a sample topic when you apply for admission: having a very good one on hand will play a very important role in the decision to admit you. or less.
- Read other good themes to get an idea on how to best structure your theme and how to best present your theses.
- Try to be original. Original and meaningful research is what will allow you to be noticed as a scholar.
- Give yourself a lot of time, so that you have a "bad" copy to show to the professor before the deadline, so that you can get suggestions before the final delivery.
- Make multiple bad copies, and be sure to check and double-check your paper as best you can!
Step 5. Support your professors
- Collaborating with your professors is much more than getting good grades because they like you. Your professors can often be your ticket to a good university, and they may even become your colleagues later in your career.
- Get to know them by taking advantage of their reception hours. Either way, try not to waste their time: ask serious and sensible questions, and pay attention to what they say.
- You can also get to know your professors through class participation. Sit in the front rows, ask and answer questions, and try to participate as actively as you can.
- You can also just talk to them, and ask for advice. Their purpose is to see you fulfilled, and they should be more than happy to give you additional advice regarding work or progress in the field.
Step 6. Obtain all necessary diplomas
- For some academics, a diploma is sufficient to pursue the profession they desire. For others, a bachelor's or master's degree is required.
- This means that if you really want to spend the rest of your life as a scholar, you will need to go to graduate school. Remember that in all it could take 8 years or more after high school!
- Don't be scared though. Graduate school is very different from a normal school and, in some respects, simpler. If you can get admitted, it means you can deal with it in all likelihood.
Step 7. Attend parallel activities
- Throughout school, you can take part in a wide range of school activities that will keep your mind trained and keep you entertained.
- You can read for fun and explore for your interests.
- You can even do group activities if you are a sociable person, such as joining a discussion group.
Part 5 of 5: Working after Education
Step 1. Find a job
- Once you have obtained your degrees, you may want to find employment in teaching or research. Many professional scholars end up teaching in universities.
- Your university may provide you with resources to help you find postgraduate employment.
- Try to find a job with good "benefits" and well paid, so that you can pay back any debts incurred during your studies.
- Try to get a good position within an institution or university, as they can provide you with resources that you would not find anywhere else.
Step 2. Run courses
- As a professor, you will be required to teach courses on your subject. Some will be closely related to your subject, but others may go off a bit, at least at first.
- This means that you will have to speak in front of other people. Sometimes it will happen in front of a very large audience if you are teaching freshman courses.
- Don't be intimidated. You will be practicing teaching at graduate school, and your faculty should provide you with a lot of aids. Your students are probably more fearful than you, as they want you to give them good grades!
Step 3. Keep learning
- True scholars spend their entire lives learning. Just because you've finished school doesn't mean you have to stop doing it.
- Read on in your free time. This usually means reading academic publications, as they are the way to keep up to date with the latest developments in your field.
- Travel to study in other countries. For many fields, traveling overseas can be beneficial, as it allows you to observe what your colleagues are working on in other countries, or to have access to resources not available in the country where you live.
- Get more diplomas. Sometimes scholars decide to go back to school to get other degrees. It often happens because they want to make progress in their career, or because their research field is intertwined with other fields.
Step 4. Follow the conferences
- Conferences are special meetings between many scholars in a given field; they come together to present their research and learn from each other.
- You may present things you have studied, but most of the time you will listen to other presentations and discuss with your colleagues.
- Some conferences may be local or regional, but sometimes you can also go to international conferences.
- Trust me: conferences are a lot more fun than they appear. In fact, many of these boil down to a bunch of scholars getting drunk together.
Step 5. Continue your search
- When you work in academia, you will usually be required to continue research in your field and write books and publications at regular intervals.
- Sometimes you'll be given a gap year (paid or not) so you can focus on your research.
- You will write newspaper articles, conference speeches, and books for publication. The hope is that your original research will be meaningful enough to draw attention to the university you work for, attracting more students and investors.
