How do I endure two more years of studying at an academically rigorous high school? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

There’s a trick. When I was a freshman at Columbia, I was struggling with a difficult and rigorous course called “Contemporary Civilization.” We read the original writings of important people in history, thinkers, historians, scientists, and philosophers. There was far too much material for me to handle. I would do the reading each night (and it was boring) and try to summarize in notes what the writer had said. That was difficult too, and I realized (in class discussions) that I had often missed the key point. It was terrible. Hard. And boring.

One day I bumped into Rick, a friend who was taking the same class. He asked me if I had read the selection from Aristotle. I said I had. He said, “Wasn’t that great? But I think he got it wrong on ….” (I don’t recall the details.)

He was enjoying the material? He wasn’t trying to figure out what Aristotle had said; he was trying to figure out whether Aristotle was right or wrong! Did he agree or disagree?

It never occurred to me that the material was interesting.

I started approaching the material in a new way. As I read, I asked myself if I agreed or disagreed. Suddenly the readings became more fun. And I discovered that I didn’t have to review my notes before an exam to recall what the writer had said; I remembered, because I had thought about it.

And I discovered that I had more things to say in class.

So here is the general trick: figure out how to enjoy the material. If you have trouble, look around the class for someone who does, and ask that person, “Why do you like this stuff?” Listen to the answer.

For almost every difficult and boring class (and the two are often related), it is part of the curriculum because someone considered it to be not only important but also fascinating. If you can figure out why, then you will not only enjoy the class, but you will learn the material effortlessly.

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