--Original published at Garrettscollegeblog
The idea of great or poor study habits differs from person to person as well as from high school to college. What someone views as good, such as taking long breaks between short increments of studying completely contradicts another’s view of long, focused studying sessions. Also what a student could get away with in high school, like not studying at all, would easily prove a poor decision in college. I personally have adapted a very laid-back style towards studying in an attempt to avoid major stress before even receiving the exam. Although I surround myself with a quiet environment, I lack intense studying habits. My preference leans towards short reviews of material with multiple breaks after a feeling of efficient understanding. The in-depth studying lies in the textbook sections not covered in class.
I feel my approach to studying suits me the best because of how I react to stress. The laid-back style allows for all the unnecessary stress nights or even weeks in advance to be avoided. However, this approach also allows for distractions to really become prevalent. I allow myself to keep my phone by me that, although I do not receive many notifications, acts as a major distraction when I lack interest in the subject at hand. Along with the distractions, I fail to prevent the small breaks from transforming into large breaks on occasion. As for the first exam in this class I did allow distractions into my study environment. After a respectable score on the practice exam I found myself more relaxed than normal, which in turn prevented me from in-depth review. For the next exam I plan to remove many, if not all distractions from my study environment as well as direct more attention to the text sections not covered in class.