Preparing a Suitable Study Environment for College Students

Choosing a place to study isn't as easy a task as one might think. Here is an information how to get what you want from study and what to do to be prepared.

Preparing a Suitable Study Environment for College Students

 

Choosing a place to study isn't as easy a task as one might think. Traditional thoughts on the subject are that a suitable place for study should be quiet, lacking in anything that might be distracting (music, television, etc.), and isolated away from other people. However, the truth is, for many people this is the worst possible environment in which to study. The silence is more distracting than any background noise ever would be, and, for those who thrive on human contact, the desire to be among people could be strong enough that the absence of others would distract from any useful studying. The key to preparing a study area is understanding one's own learning style and then customizing the environment to meet those needs.

 

What will I be studying?

 

This is an important question to ask before setting up a study area. Is the subject a difficult one, or one that is easy to understand? Is the subject interesting, or really boring? Will access to distractions be a welcomed break, or a reason not to concentrate on the task at hand? Once these questions have been answered, it will make finding a study location that much easier.

 

Getting everything together

 

No matter what a student's preferences are, it is important to gather all of the necessary materials before studying. These include:

 

• Good lighting. This is more important than people realize. Bad lighting causes eye strain and headaches. It can also contribute to sleepiness
• Pens, pencils, erasers, note books, text books, lap top, flash drives, etc... Getting up and down to retrieve items just wastes time.
• Book marks! Not the kind that hold places in books, but the ones that mark important web pages. It's a great idea to have the school's research database, an essay writing service or even own essay writer, and few good search engines marked as favorites for easy access.
• Ear buds and a music player. If music is too distracting, try a little white noise. This keeps outside noise from becoming a distraction, and it sends a 'do not disturb' signal to others.

 

Selecting a location

 

This may require a bit of flexibility. A small dorm room may not have the space for one person to have a dedicated study area. Two or more roommates may need to set a study schedule so that they aren't in each other’s way during study sessions. It could be that the best location to study is outside of the dorm room or apartment. Many students are able to get a lot of studying done in the cafe of their local book store or coffee shop.

 

Making a commitment

 

Once the study environment is ready to go, it can be difficult to settle into the actual process of studying. Make a commitment to study in bursts of twenty to thirty minutes. This is the perfect amount of time to absorb information, before brain fatigue hits. Follow these up with short five minute breaks for optimum use of study time and location!