Close your eyes and picture this. A freshman shows up at Grove City College and is having a great time. Weeks go by without him/her even noticing, but then finally it happens. The day of reckoning. The freshman’s first test. Normally this would not be a problem, but this is not high school anymore, and the freshman does not know how to study. Well, maybe he/she knows how but is having a hard time doing what he/she has been told to do. He/she has heard it all a million times, go to the library, put in earplugs, and isolate yourself from humanity, but he/she just can not get himself to do so. Now open your eyes. Did I just describe you? If so, read on for Karl’s unconventional college study tips.
Tip 1 – Drink something
The first tip is to drink something. Anything. If you are like me, you probably think that studying is boring, and you would be right. It is. Sometimes you can not seem to stop your mind from wandering, and it feels like you need something else to think about that will not distract you yet provide your brain with brief moments of opportunity to think about something else other than studying. I have found that drinking something helps me focus on studying for longer periods of time precisely because of that. My personal favorite things to have while studying are non-caffeinated versions of drinks that wake me up, such as tea and coffee. You may find that although decaf coffee does not actually provide any caffeine boost, it reminds you of a time where it did and helped you feel truly alive, rather than feeling how you are right now in the middle of the night studying for a test.
Tip 2 – Just start
Studies have shown that people are more likely to finish a task they have started than if they have not started at all. This may sound silly, but there is something about the human mind that wants to finish something as soon as it is started. Instead of lying in your bed and thinking about studying, try sitting at your desk and opening your textbook. As soon as you do this, you are much more likely to actually study than the person who is thinking about studying in their bed.
Tip 3 – Study for 15 minutes WITHOUT DISTRACTION
When you first start studying, you will notice that it is easy to distract yourself in the beginning. Whether it is your phone, your computer, or your pesky roommate ripping Beyblades onto your head, it all seems more distracting in the beginning. Believe it or not, there is an element of momentum to studying. Once you study for about 15 minutes without letting yourself be distracted by anything, the next hour will fly by. Try it out, it feels amazing. Just make sure you do not let yourself get distracted by a single thing for those first 15 minutes or it will not work.
There you go, three study tips that I bet you have not heard before. Hopefully these help you study in the upcoming years, but hey, there is a possibility they will not help. The most important thing is to keep trying until you figure out what works for you! Never forget that.
