Do you remember how your parents always told you to find your “study space” and do your homework there each night? As it turns out, that isn’t the best advice for getting your work done efficiently.
According to a recent article in the New York Times by science reporter Benedict Carey called “Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits,” students are more likely to recall information after they’ve studied in multiple locations, rather than just one.
The idea behind this theory is that information you study becomes associated with wherever you studied it. If you only study in your dorm room, the information you learn there becomes associated only with your dorm room and becomes harder to recall in different places (such as in a lecture hall during a test).
However, studying in multiple locations allows that information to be associated with more than one location and is therefore easier to recall on test day. After all, as much as we’d all love to take tests in the comfort of our own room, that is rarely the case.
Studying in different locations not only helps your retention rate, but it can also increase your concentration and focus, allowing you to finish your work faster.
According to the Student Academic Services Department at California Polytechnic State University, where you choose to do your work has a huge impact on how distracted you become while trying to concentrate. It may seem like the desk in your room is the best place to get focused, but with a computer, television and roommate nearby, that might not be the case.
Angelica Rovelo, a speech and hearing science sophomore, likes to do her work in different places depending on the situation. For example, she completes her regular class homework in her room but goes to the library for big projects or to study around finals time.
“I like the cubicles they have over there,” Rovelo said. “They keep me from becoming distracted.”
The library isn’t the only alternative to your dorm room. Bring your work to a coffee shop and sip a latte while you’re reading. When the temperatures cool down, bring your studying outside. ASU is huge. Go exploring on campus and find a new and different place to do your work. If you studied in the library one day, go find a spot in the Memorial Union the next day. You may be surprised how much more focused your brain is in a location you don’t visit very frequently.
Don’t let yourself become stuck in an unproductive studying rut. A change of scenery could be just what you need to kick-start your study habits and use your work time more efficiently.
Reach the columnist at emily.muller@asu.edu
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