There are many ways to learn at college however, the most overlooked aspect of learning is self-motivation. If you only focus on classes or athletics ,you may not expand your comfort zone, along with learning new things. Here is a list of how to challenge yourself at school, in order to avoid the pitfall of getting into a routine.
1. Join a club
There are often club fairs which make it easy to learn about which clubs are out there. It is a great challenge to go and make a list of your favorite options. Try to think of ten you would be interested in and then narrow it down to five and join three of them. Once you join, go consistently—as consistently as you attend class—in order to really immerse yourself in the program. Before you know it you may be eligible to be a club officer.
2. Volunteer
Often, volunteer opportunities are advertised at school. Make it a challenge to yourself to follow through and begin volunteering. Do not let the task feel daunting. Just follow instructions for getting trained, step by step, and find your way to the work site. You may be surprised how much just tutoring a middle school student will improve your feeling of self-worth. You can have fun, get off campus and learn some new things that you might not experience in the classroom setting.
3. Talk to three new people each day
Going to class and getting around campus on time may be a challenge in itself but you must not let that keep you from expanding your horizons. While in class or at a meal, turn to someone next to you and introduce yourself. This stranger on your right may in fact be the best friend you will keep in touch with for the rest of your life, so don’t miss this opportunity to meet properly. The most unlikely seeming people can become very important contacts and cornerstones for personal growth. So just say hello and start learning about him or her.
4. Sit in a new place
The tendency is to sit in the same spot every day. If you walk into a classroom you will notice that everyone from last class is in the same place as they were the class before, and the class before. This provides a sense of security and comfort. However, it is simply creating a small comfort zone. The less you move around and try new things, the smaller your comfort zone becomes. So please sit in a new spot. This way you can get to know everyone in the class, not just the person on your left and right. It will also catch the professor’s attention, and show that you are attentive, free-spirited and eager to learn new things.
5. Speak twice per class
A lot of people think that class participation grade can only go up with the more times per class you speak; this is not true. If you speak more than five times then you are taking up the time in which another class member could have spoken for the first time. This is why it is important to make your voice heard but only occasionally. Your silent moments will translate as your deep thinking time. However, if you do not speak at all or only once, the professor may wonder if you are listening or understanding at all. So count: One, two. Then sit back and listen.
6. Play pick-up sports outside
Going to the gym is good for your health, but going outside to play a sport is more of a challenge. It challenges you physically because you must work harder to run in the heat of the sun. It challenges you mentally because you must find someone to play with. This is a great way to bond with new friends or make friends with acquaintances. You can ask someone you met in class or text someone who you just exchanged phone numbers with and let them know of your plan. You can play tag, frisbee, football or soccer. Then you must find a place to go to play.
7. Visit a professor’s office hours
When the professor announces office hours they are announcing them as an invitation. This is your chance to cement what you thought you learned in class into a concrete understanding of what is true. This is also an opportunity to develop a relationship or put a face to a name so that your professor knows who you are. Whether it is from the extra tutoring or from the social interaction, your grades will rise if you visit your professor during office hours.
8. Take a new route to class
In addition to sitting in the same place in class, most students take the same route to class. If you are doing this everyday, you are teaching your brain to shut down. It is called habituation; if the scenery and the behavior is the same over and over again everyday you start to not remember any of it. For instance, do you really consciously remember brushing your teeth this morning? Probably not, if you brush the same time and in the same way every day. This is why you must challenge yourself to walk a different route to class. Maybe it is slightly longer, or maybe you will find an alleyway which makes the route you thought was longer actually shorter than the route you used to take every single day. You will see new shrubbery, notice new people and feel more alert.
9. Read your textbooks ahead of time
Many college students offer advice to merely skim textbooks which are borrowed from the library in order to avoid spending money on books. However, even better advice is to find someone who has just completed the class you are about to take. Borrow the books from him or her before the semester even begins. Having read your textbook ahead of class will help you understand every word the professor says in lectures or discussions. It will also leave you with loads of stress-free time which you would have otherwise spent frantically skimming through a book you do not understand very well. It will be easier to complete assignments which are based on the book and your professor will be very impressed.
10. Try to organize
Organizing can be fun! You may need a planner, highlighters, book tabs or sticky notes. To begin with, write down your classes and where to go. Then begin making a homework list, including due dates. This may be helpful to color code. After mapping out homework assignments based on the information on your syllabuses, make a note of the days or weeks in which all your assignments are due. This kind of organizing may save you from situations in which other (less organized) classmates are forced to ask for extensions. Once you have planned that out, put markers in your textbooks to remind you which pages to read for next class. If you have club meetings or scheduled meals with friends, try to write it down. After accomplishing each task, cross it out or put a sticker by it in your planner. This kind of organizing can facilitate your schedule so that you are able to take on and achieve much more than you would otherwise.
