Opinion: Studying outside comfort zone strengthens success

Midterms are just ahead of us. The days are elapsing with no regard to whether or not you are studying, but you can set a precedent for the rest of the year by studying outside of your comfort zone.

You should not study in the same building where you lay your head every night. You will text, use the internet, eat for no reason, talk to roommates and may even start being productive in other areas of life.

Stop that.

You want to have a good GPA to slap on the resume. Get out of there, abandon ship. Immerse yourself within the scholarly presence of our campus and create a platform for academic success.

Libraries are expensive to build. You should study in them. Not only did Kennesaw State put millions of dollars into the building itself, but they put a lot of expensive books and technology in there too.

The library is a convenience and an excellent focal point for your education. It’s also an escape from outside influences and encourages a new level of focus. Aptly summarized by howtostudyincollege.com, “The library creates a complete separation between your personal life and your academic life.”

Hiding in a corner on the quiet floor of the library is not the way to go. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research by the University of Illinois at Urbana revealed that having a constant level of noise boosts productivity.

In this sense, you may find that there are many public places other than libraries that benefit your study habits.

“I find that the most effective study place is the Starbucks in the Social Science building,” said Caleb Mauldin, a junior video game design and development major. “It’s motivating to see other people working hard and the caffeine from the coffee helps too.”

Another option for productive studying is the outdoors. Being a part of the natural process of life, surrounded by people, plants and animals can help you find peace in your surroundings so your brain can release chemicals that will bring calmness to your mood.

According to an article in USA TODAY College, “people tend to have lower physical measurements of stress — such as heart rate and blood pressure — and report lower levels of stress when working in such environments.”

In order to succeed academically, you must first learn to study outside of your comfort zone. We are all human beings, putting forth more or less effort than the other, so if someone else can get an A, so can you.

Studying on campus, away from home, might make you realize that you can enjoy the scholastic experience of college. You may not be perfect, but your grades could be.

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