NASA just sent a tiny satellite hurtling from the Earth to smash into an asteroid.  Exciting stuff.  The general idea is if an asteroid was going to hit the Earth, they would intervene early and even a small push from a tiny satellite would be enough to change things on a cosmological scale – at least from the prospective of us tiny humans.  They don’t expect to see changes in the asteroid’s motion for some time and that would be a success.

Now, please hear this.  The same goes for your education.  Now that we are beginning tests for the semester, it is important to remember this.  You don’t have to go completely nuts and study all day and all night every week.  Make small changes to your study habits now.  They will cause a big change later on. 

* Are you doing your homework on time?

* Do you understand your homework before you hand it in?

* Are you reading the text book critically?

* Are you identifying things you don’t understand and asking about them?

* Are you hungry for knowledge?

* Have you begun working in a group that will both give you the support to be successful as well as give you the space to try things out on your own?

* Are you going to office hours?

Remember, small changes now, will add up later in the semester.  While other people who don’t make these changes will be struggling during finals (or on an interview, or their first week of their new job) with the doomsday scenario, your tiny changes will add up and lead you to success.

Be hungry and great things will come to you.