Study Skills: Choose a Good Study Area
by Anik Singal
One of the most important factors in studying properly is choosing where you can study more effectively. Many students sell themselves short from the very beginning by choosing to study in places such as their dorm room, their bed, in the dorm lobby, and other places which are not always the most conducive to effective studying.
Considerations in choosing the perfect study place include finding a spot that is the least populated with the least amount of noise and distractions. Basically, it is easiest to study in a place that literally has nothing else to do other than study.
Taking these factors into consideration, it almost seems that you would be best off studying in a room with four walls, a table, some chairs, and bright light! Well, believe it or not, that is the best environment to study.
Distractions are always the largest obstacle to studying properly. Surely there are many things surrounding you as a student that compete for your energies that you would much rather do than study.
If you are in an environment in which the only option you have is to study, you are much more likely to actually study; and when you are actually studying, you are far more likely to retain the information you are reviewing and studying.
Some of you are naturally thinking, “Well, my dorm room is comfortable and I do not have to walk anywhere. Can I study there?” This question cannot be answered by anyone else but you. You have to measure your own personal strengths and weaknesses and evaluate if it is the best place to study for you.
- Are you easily distracted?
- Do you tend to move around a lot if you are in your room?
- Do you get a lot of visitors?
- Do you get a lot of phone calls?
- Are there many things in your room that you enjoy doing, such as spending time on your computer, watching television, playing video games or even falling asleep for an unplanned nap?
If you find yourself answering “yes” to even one of them, you would wise to strongly consider studying outside your dorm room.
To add onto the possible problems of studying in your dorm room, it is very difficult to control what your roommate will do, who will visit you, or who will call you. The best way to not worry about such factors is to avoid them completely. Study outside your room if these factors are potential problem factors for you in your dorm room.
So should you study in your dorm room? I am not telling you should or should not do, I am simply raising a few points to consider in discovering whether you can and should study in your room. Take this as a trigger to consider and take notice of what works for you.
The goal is to find (or as much as possible to create) a study environment that will help you to concentrate on studying. Everyone is different, so please find what works best for you!
Used with permission.
