mere mortals?
don't remove the mystique snelly...
although i have just put my ankle in a cast so maybe i am
i think the point that is being made overall is that it is a different kind of learning to what most will have experienced before. having done chemistry at uni, i had a (wrong) conception that i knew how to study. the college is a fast-moving place where an awful lot is crammed into whichever 3 month course it is. the last thing you want to do is get behind as it is awfully difficult to catch up from there. everyone has a different approach and indeed circumstances (weekends at home etc) but the core aspect of weekday study i would consider essential.
its probably a hell of a lot more than you learn in a lot of degrees in probably a quarter of the time. hopefully all you applicants will get to have this lovely experience