Importance of Study Habits

All that can be heard in the dead of night is the rapid clicking of the keyboard and the quiet ticking of the clock as one frantically tries to cram as much information into their brain as possible before the exam. Looking out the window to see a sliver of sunlight on the horizon as dawn approaches, one can’t help but think to themselves about how things would be different if they had studied for this test earlier instead of waiting until the last minute.

Many students find themselves cramming for exams or finishing up assignments last minute due to extremely busy schedules or simply because of procrastinating. While many students may argue that studying at the last minute helps them remember the information directly after, or that finishing an assignment under a time restraint helps them focus more, research shows that doing so may negatively affect one’s mental and physical health. Studying at the last minute tends to increase one’s stress levels and the information will be stored in their short term memory, which causes them to forget the information more quickly, whether that be during the test or right after. The brain is similar to a muscle: overworking it will lead to increased anxiety, frustration, confusion, and fatigue. The brain needs time to relax and process information.

To avoid causing detrimental effects to your health while assuring you still do well in school, here are some good study habits to follow:

1. Organize your schedule. With extracurricular activities, it’s not easy finding the time to study for exams early. Planning out what to do each day as the deadline approaches and dividing up the work among the allotted time will greatly help you get things done.

2. Think positively. Having an encouraging mindset will further motivate you to study. Think about the positive things you will get from doing well on this exam. Wanting to study will yield better results than forcing yourself to study and focusing on other things.

3. Have a study group. Surrounding yourself with others who motivate you to study will ensure that you don’t slack and you won’t feel alone. Studying together allows you to share your knowledge and receive knowledge from others with different perspectives than you. This will allow further analysis of the subject and ensure that you truly understand the material.

4. Read and review actively. Reading the textbook or finding additional sources will allow you to expand your knowledge on the subject to fully grasp an understanding of it, therefore increasing your performance. Reviewing your notes a little bit every day will allow the information to be stored as long term memory and will decrease the stress on your brain. It will also prevent you from having to cram in all the information the night before the exam.

5. Don’t overstress. Study the things that you need to and you’ll be fine. Studies have shown that long periods of overstressing can cause negative effects on your health, including a weakened immune system and high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. And remember, even if you don’t do well, it is just one grade. This does not determine your overall capabilities and intelligence. Just take a deep breath. You got this!

Remember that there are huge differences in studying hard and studying smart. Studying hard isn’t always the best choice, as it could end up with you wasting a lot of time trying to memorize information that you don’t need. Studying smart proves to be more effective in regards to performance and health. You need to establish which study methods work best for you and what information needs to be studied in depth. Remember, the point of school isn’t to memorize for exams, but to learn and understand topics that you can use in the real world.

All that can be heard in the dead of night is the rapid clicking of the keyboard and the quiet ticking of the clock as I frantically try to cram as much information into my brain as I can before my exam. As I look out the window to see a crack of sunlight peering on the horizon as dawn approaches, I can’t help but think to myself how things would be different if I had studied for this test earlier instead of waiting last minute.

Many students find themselves cramming for exams or finishing up assignments last minute due to having extremely busy schedules or simply due to procrastinating. While most students may argue that studying last minute helps them remember the information on top of their heads or that finishing an assignment under a time restraint helps them focus more, research shows that doing so may negatively affect one’s mental and physical health. Studying last minute tends to increase one’s stress levels and the information is in fact stored in their short term memory, causing them to quickly forget the information, whether that be during the test or right after. The brain is similar to a muscle: overworking it will lead to increased anxiety, frustration, confusion, and fatigue. The brain needs time to relax and process information.

To avoid causing detrimental effects to your brain and health while assuring you still do well in school, here are some good study habits to follow:

1. Organize your schedule. Many students find themselves too busy with extracurricular activities to study for their exams ahead of time. Planning out what to do each day and dividing up the work among the allotted time will greatly help you get things done.

2. Think positively. Having an encouraging mindset will further motivate you to study. Think about the positive things you will get from doing well on this exam. Wanting to study will yield better results as compared to forcing yourself to study.

3. Have a study group. Surrounding yourself with others who motivate you to study will ensure that you don’t slack and you won’t feel alone. Studying together allows you to share your knowledge and receive knowledge from others with different perspectives from you. This will allow further analysis of the subject and ensures that you truly understand the material.

4. Read and review actively. Reading the textbook or additional sources will allow you to expand your knowledge on the subject to fully grasp an understanding of it, therefore increasing your performance. Reviewing your notes a little bit every day will allow the information to be stored as long term memory and will decrease the stress on your brain. It will also prevent you from having to cram in all the information the night before the exam.

Remember that there are huge differences in studying hard and studying smart. Studying hard isn’t always the best choice, as it could end up with you wasting a lot of time trying to memorize information that you don’t need. Studying smart proves to be more effective in regards to performance and health. You need to establish which study methods work best for you and what information needs to be studied in depth.

Writer: Heather Nguyen

Editor: Katelyn Clark

Graphic Designer: Katelyn Clark

Photographer: Rebecca Chang