Star Trek: 10 Things You Should Know Before Applying To Starfleet Academy
4. Zero-G Is Fun And Other Study Tips
From the stars, knowledge. The Academy's motto, translated from the Latin, could not be more apt to describe an institution that must prepare its cadets for all aspects of service in Starfleet. Sure, there will be a lot of practical training (and running!), but, ultimately, you're going to spend most of your time head firmly buried in a PADD or two. Taught courses range from astrophysics to warp theory, through organic chemistry, xenobiology, interspecies ethics, and much much more.
In her autobiography, Kathryn Janeway looks back at her time as a cadet, recalling that the coursework was "a heavy burden," with Patterson's fractal calculus seminars being "the stuff of nightmares". Janeway often had to pull an all-nighter just to get through. As such, the now Admiral developed some handy revision techniques to help her memorise all those complex facts.
What are the four analytical aspects of the subspace infrared algorithm, you ask? The answer is: 'Zeta particle derivation, gamma wave frequency, ion distribution, flow rate of positrons.' And how on Andoria is anyone supposed to remember that?! Try Janeway's neat mnemonic, 'Zero-G Is Fun or Z.G. I. F.' This writer is most definitely not Starfleet but has never forgotten the sequence. Now to figure out what it actually means!
If you're still lost, you can always get a study buddy the likes of wunderkind, and premature Ensign, Wesley Crusher. Just don't get involved with the wrong crowds. Stay away from those Admiralty larvae, the Locarno sorts, and the various secret societies dotted around campus, as even the most promising cadets can be led astray!