As a college student, studying takes (or at least should take) up a major part of my life. Whether it is writing essays, reading pieces and books, memorizing information, or taking notes, the act of studying can be omnipresent and consumable. While many people consider the materials they need while studying: books, writing utensils, laptop, paper- you might not realize that almost as important as the materials that you need for studying is the location that you study in.
While many people like to study in various study lounges in their dorms, outside on the quad, or even in the dining hall, many would argue that their most frequented study space is in the library. With hundreds of students each day filing into the library to put in their study hours, many students tend to gravitate toward the same general location. Us as humans enjoy routine, and study spaces are no exception to that rule. Whether it be a specific floor in the library, a specific seat in the lounge near your dorm room, or a special area of the coffeeshop you always go to, we always have a predisposition for our "usual" study spaces and oftentimes spend the bulk of our studying times there.
However, psychology tells us something different. It is actually more beneficial to switch up the places where you study: a changing environment promotes a better focus on material and information absorption. While this effect is not the be all end all to your studying, it is just one easy trick that can elevate the effectiveness of your studying. For example, instead of staying on that floor of the library, varying your routine and studying in 3 different places throughout the week can prove to reboot your focus and help declutter your studying "mind". While humans are inclined to routine, we are also inclined to burnout. Choosing a new study space every once in a while provides the refreshing change that our brains might just need, and with the increasing workload that comes every year in college, spending our studying time in an productive way in vital in promoting efficiency.
However, putting this into practice is a lot harder than it sounds. Finding a good studying space is so much more than the location: the noise level, the temperature, the distance from food, distance from campus, and location of where your friends are studying all affect where you choose to study also. Finding new locations to study is no light task. However, the effort you put in finding new studying areas might just pay off: you might be able to discover different sides of campus that you might have never found.
For example, searching for a new study space for my huge upcoming financial accounting final, I stumbled upon a park bench underneath a tree with just the right natural light and shade that would be perfect for a day of studying during the spring in Atlanta. This tree was 15 minutes away from my dorm room, and normally I would've been hard-pressed to venture that far away from my cozy bed, but the reward of finding a perfect study space was well worth the effort.
Go search for that new spot: it might open up a new dimension for you at your college.
