Memorizing material for school has always been an arduous task. Between flashcards, matching vocabulary to the tune of a song, or just staring at the text until it all makes sense, there are various ways to memorize something. While some methods are more effective it will always take time for people to memorize the necessary material. As a member of Hi-Q, Dakota Brenner ‘15 is required to memorize a gratuitous amount of material for competitions. Hi-Q members must learn about various subjects, including one of Shakespeare’s plays, several short stories, various historical events, and info on other subjects such as math and science, which members learn mainly through classes in school. Considering that Hi-Q members have an extensive load of material to learn, each must have a remarkable memory. Or, perhaps there’s a trick to memorizing difficult material.

When Brenner started memorizing for Hi-Q, he said, “just reading through things wouldn’t work.” Brenner had to revise his strategy for memorizing the gargantuan amount of material for Hi-Q. He said, “I make sure I remember the important parts.” In other words, instead of memorizing an entire definition, word for word, he finds the words that sums up the definition and focuses on remembering that. Practice is essential for figuring out what memorization technique works well, and Hi-Q provides plenty of material to practice with. Brenner said, “it’s helped me refine my memorization techniques.”

Hi-Q is where people can show off their memorization skills. However, Hi-Q can only have a team of eight people. Knowledge Bowl provides an atmosphere for those who wish to join a club similar to Hi-Q but not as demanding. Clubs such as Hi-Q and Knowledge Bowl provide people, not only with the opportunity to enhance their memory, but also to test it in competitions as well. Quinn James ‘15 is in Hi-Q and said his favorite part about the club is “the moment when a question is read and nobody else knows the answer but you.”