You may ask, why I didn’t go home or to the library to study? The answer is rather complex actually. I have strange study habits, to begin with. Most people require at least a quiet environment to study or at most complete silence. I am not one of those people. If there is no noise where I am studying I get very distracted. Am I crazy? Probably, but my roommates Liesl is the same way. I outlined my personal secrets to studying in my last entry, but I didn’t discuss study environments.

Before I can really prepare myself for an exam there is a lot of tedious work that needs to be done. Reading over class notes, condensing them, and organizing them into appropriate groups takes time but not a lot of attention on my part. This grueling task usually takes place in front of the television or in the dining room of my sorority house during lunchtime. Since I don’t have to waste much brainpower to organize my class notes I need another form of entertainment, be it television or conversation, to keep me motivated. This may be opposite of a lot of people, but I find that if I am alone in silence I find other things to do rather than focus on my notes. Often class notes are VERY boring. Yesterday I went to the Student Union to study from 11 AM until 2 PM (the same as today)

After the tedious jobs are done I must move on to more important facets of studying. If I am studying for a science or math class that requires problem solving I need a quiet (but not too quiet) environment to concentrate. The best way to prepare for those kinds of tests is to do problems. If I am studying for a humanities, English, or other test that requires memorization then total concentration is needed during study hours.