In 2007, Jamie Whitmore was considered as one of the most successful athletes in America.
However, everything changed during a competition that seemed like many others she had conquered. As a professional athlete, Whitmore was used to suffering, but she never imagined the pain in her leg could be a deadly cancer.
What doctors found during surgery shocked them all: Whitmore had Spindle Cell Sarcoma, a soft tissue tumor (肿瘤) that can start in the bone, and the tumor was wrapped around her nerve and touching several vital organs. They couldn't cut it out fearing to burst the tumor.
When she heard the diagnosis for the first time, Whitmore said," Time stood still, I couldn't breathe. They were talking about the treatment and I started crying as I didn't want to die." Finally, the doctors enlisted the help of several specialists to remove the tumor. Whitmore developed sepsis (败血症) from the surgery and endured a two-month recovery. When she began to feel sick again, Whitmore was sure her cancer was back. Instead, doctors gave her unexpected news: She was pregnant with twins." That was a whole other freak-out," Whitmore recalled.
She has never met a challenge she couldn't overcome. Today, Whitmore is a mother of two sons and cancer-free. She is competing again, and has won a gold medal in the Paralympics (残奥会), nine world titles, and has set two world records. She travels as a motivational speaker when she doesn't spend time with her sons. Whitmore has some words of advice for others with limitations:" Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Some doctors told me I would never ride anything. And yet I rode my mountain bike 104 miles climbing from 9, 000 feet to 14, 000 feet. People with two good legs have fallen short of that task! You just can't give up."
When young, I loved going on trail (小路) runs. It was my favorite way to escape stress. So, when I was back in my hometown after a tough first year of my Ph. D. program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But instead of helping me relax, the run did just the opposite.
After I moved to the city for college, where my runs were on flat concrete paths instead of winding dirt trails, I used a GPS watch. When I went on trail runs again in the country, it constantly reminded me of the fact that I wasn't keeping up with my usual pace. I turned my watch off, thinking that would allow me to enjoy my surroundings and find the peace I expected, but I worried I was underperforming. "Why can't I let go and just enjoy myself?" I wondered. But after some introspection (反省) , I realized why I was struggling—both on trail runs and in graduate school.
Going into my Ph. D. I had thought that my solid undergraduate track record would set me up for instant success. To my surprise, I was wrong. I lacked confidence in my research abilities which I thought stopped me performing well and I constantly felt my progress was too slow. Other students'self-confidence and their excellent results made me feel insecure. Finally, one day I broke down in tears in my adviser's office.
Then came my visit home: I was having trouble because I hadn't properly adjusted my expectations to the differences between an urban run and a trail run.
A Ph. D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. Sometimes you might find yourself climbing up a steep, winding trail at a snail's pace. And that's OK. Barriers are unavoidable, and success looks and feels different on a challenging trail than it does on a smooth, flat path. Sometimes it's best to take a deep breath and do your best to meet the challenge.
Every student has his/her own style of studying and it's up to you to use the available resources to be as effective and productive as possible. Here are some tips on how to study effectively.
·Know yourself. When determining the best approach, you need to assess your personality. Some people can read for hours while others can't sit still through more than one chapter. Find your pace, improve it and work around your strengths and weaknesses. If you prefer being alone, learn to study by yourself.
·Set a goal. It'll not only help you keep focused and stay on track, but it'll also help you organize your time and activities.
·Learn over time. It's impossible to learn a lot of things in a short time. If you don't know or understand the lesson from the start, you won't get it the night before your big test.
·Allocate(分配) your time between studying and other activities. Create a routine schedule for your studying time. Strictly follow this schedule so as to develop an effective studying session.
·Have time to rest. It's necessary to have enough time to rest in order to regain all the energy used up by the body from all the studying. Communicate with other people and participate in recreational activities to help you relax and refresh your mind.
Following the tips above, you can easily have your way of studying effectively!
A. Have good study habits.
B. Set a realistic and reasonable schedule.
C. Try to discover the type of reading that best suits you.
D. Your mind won't be so sharp if you don't have enough sleep.
E. You need to determine what you want to achieve in a given subject.
F. If you need other people to help you, get a tutor (导师) or join a study group.
G. It's best to study smaller loads of information repeatedly over a period of time.
