It’s always good to have friends by your side. But sometimes you need time and focus to get your studies done. What do you when your friend(s) won’t stop talking to you while you’re to study?
First, make them aware that you’re busy:
Be Blunt
Be upfront about it. A firm, “Sorry, I’m busy right now,” should work. You’re both students. Your friend should know that if you’re busy, you can’t afford to chat or hangout.
Calm Explanation
Maybe you don’t want to sound harsh. Maybe your friend is sensitive to being pushed away. If either of these are the case, calmly explain that you’re trying to finish your work. Maybe offer to catch up some other time.
Are they still there?
Then it’s time to take it up a notch.
Insist
Repeat yourself and make sure they understand that you really need to finish your studying. If they’re going to be pushy about sticking around, you can be equally pushy about sending them away. Just don’t take it too far, they are still your friends after all.
Ignore
If you friend or friend group insist on being near you, you can ignore them. It sounds rude, but they’ll rather get the hint and leave, or you’ll just have to tune them out while finishing what you have to do.
Invite
Invite them to study with you. Turn your casual chat into an impromptu study session. Maybe they’ll still try to strike up a conversation from time to time, but you both have your books out, you have a better chance of being productive.
Friendship can vary a lot between people, so don’t look at any of this as hard and fast rules. Stand up for yourself when you need to focus, but there’s no need to strain your friendship while doing so.
Whether it’s for writing a paper, studying for an exam, or simply getting homework done, a study space is a must have for every college student. Finding your ideal study space takes time. You need to scout out different places and know which works best for you. Your study space should be very accessible, have all your necessary amenities, and have minimal distractions.
Accessibility
Can you be there as much as you need?
A study space is best if you can reach it at any time, very easily. If you have to make a long trek every time you want to study, you’ll lose a lot of time in travel alone. Decide whether you want your study space closer to your dorms or your classes. Depending on when you want to study, the difference in proximity can have a major impact on your decision.
Also make sure that your study place is available at all the times you need it. How early and late in the day can you be there? Is the place usually open to the public, or is frequently used for events? Look at the availability hours to make sure it will suit your needs.
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Amenities
What does the study space offer you?
Everyone has some preference when it comes to studying. Some people prefer places like a coffee shops. There’s a steady supply of food and beverages, nearby people, and a constant background noise.
However, other people prefer studying in a small study room or their own dorm rooms. Isolated, quiet, and able to be set up however they want. Wherever you choose to study should have the amenities you value the most when studying.
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Distractions
Are you going to be able to focus while you’re there?
There’s a big difference between a relaxing space and a study space. In a relaxing space, if the place accessible and has all your amenities, that’s all you need. But if you’re trying to study, being too comfortable can be a bad thing.
- Are the people next to you having an interesting conversation that you can’t help but overhear?
- Is your mind wandering as you stare blankly at your laptop?
- Do you find that you keep focusing on something nearby instead of your work?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you may need to reevaluate your location as a suitable study space.
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Overall
Wherever you decide to study should be based on your personal preferences. It should be in a location that’s conveniently located and open at the times you need. Everything you need to study comfortably should be accessible. But you shouldn’t be too comfortable, make sure you’re able to use the space to get work done and take your down time elsewhere.
And if you can’t find one place that is perfect for you, find two or three different study spaces and use them as the situation calls for it!
The transition from high school to college is a tough one. The environments are quite different, and it takes time to adjust. Here are four common environmental adjustments of college freshmen:
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Size
In a small high school, it doesn’t even take you four years to memorize every nook and cranny. You know the place like the back of your hand. Going to a large college, that familiarity is replaced with confusion. Instead of you being able to navigate with your eyes closed, you may need to take a bus to get from class to the next.
If you went to a massive high-school, and you end up going to a small college, you’ll be bored and cramped. This gets worse if you’re used to being in an equally large city and your college is off to the wayside. You’ll need to find a way to make the most of the space you have.
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Location
I could say a lot about the differences in the location of college campuses. City vs Country. Warm climate vs cold climate. Beaches vs mountains. Some of your favorite outfits or hobbies may be ill-suited for the environment of your college. If your college is in a location you are not familiar with, ask some local students or upperclassmen for advice on how to adjust.
Socially
Meeting up with friends take a more work in college than high school because of people having different schedules. The good news is that your schedules will be more flexible depending on your classes and activities. Coordinate schedules with your friends for lunch or to hang out.
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Academically
College is hard. Even if you made straight A’s in high school, don’t think college is going to be easy. Never assume that your grades will immediately transfer to college. Keep your wits about you and make sure to study hard and complete your assignments.
Are there any other major differences between college and high school environments that I missed? Leave a comment below!
All high school students know that college has some significant differences from high school. But what are those difference? Let’s find out.
Attendance
If you’re in high school, unless you are sick or have a documented reason to miss class, you should be in class. Cutting class is usually only done by people who don’t care about the material.
College classes usually keep attendance, However, there are some that do not. If you are capable of learning the material on your own and don’t have mandatory attendance, you can skip class. That said, skipping class for no reason will hurt your grades.
Eating in Class
In high school, there is a set time for lunch. In most American schools, this time is a paltry 25-30 minutes, which includes the time to walk to the cafeteria, wait in line, eat your food, and get to your next class. Most teachers won’t let you snack on a granola bar in class, and for good reason. No teacher wants to pick up after a student who leaves a mess in the classroom.
In college, professors understand that there isn’t always enough time in a student’s schedule to eat lunch between classes. Depending on the type of class professors allow you to eat snack bars or sometimes your entire lunch in the classroom. They also expect you to clean up after yourself, something college students usually have learned by that point.
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Free Time
For a high school student, that’s in the evening when their homework is finished–unless they procrastinate and do it right before bed. Also, there’s free time on the weekends, assuming they don’t have weekend homework or a test on Monday.
College students, since they usually spend less hours in class, typically have a more amount of “free time”. However, due to a larger amount of out-of-class work, this time requires even more careful management.
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Punctuality
In high school, there is no “good” excuse to be late to class. You have five to ten minutes to go from one class to the next. Sometimes you have time to exchange books in your locker or take a quick restroom break, but usually you go straight from point A to point B.
In college, Students can have 10-15 minutes between classes, or 4-5 hours. They may have to cross an entire campus in order to make it to class on time. Some professors don’t like getting interrupted by students walking in a few minutes late, but if you explain your long route, they won’t be so as unreasonable as to suggest you fly or teleport to get to class on time.
MLA Format
In highschool, MLA format is required from almost every English teacher. As there are few other classes that require citing sources, it’s unlikely that high school students will even learn to use other citation formats by the time they enter college.
While the MLA format is used by college English courses, freshmen will be surprised that the majority of courses use APA format for citations.
Have any other comparisons that I didn’t include in this post? Leave a comment below!