Studying habits as diverse as students

Some like to do it alone, others with their best friends, and a select few love to do it with a random group of people. I’m talking about studying. The big question is how to do it correctly for the best results. Is noise or silence better for the purpose of memorization? Friends, classmates, study groups or by yourself with some coffee and the book at 3 a.m., cramming before a test. Students practice all of those methods daily. Students constantly are surrounded by the need to study in order to pass. “I like to study in groups,” said Tammy Phan, a business major. Study groups are one of the many study methods people use when they need or want help from classmates or friends that are getting the lesson plan a little easier.Groups may be less intimidating compared to studying alone if you don’t understand the lesson or if you know that the only way you will study is with friends. Groups help some students as a way to study without a teacher or tutor. “I have to study alone. I need music and a whiteboard,” said Clinton Kelley, a math major. Kelley said the music helps him somehow. The reason for the unknown help is called “the Mozart Effect,” a fairly new term that describes the effect music has on a person’s memory while he or she does a task. The music calms the person down and increases focus, and while taking the test you may find keywords in questions that trigger a memory of a song that you studied to that then leads to you remembering what it is you studied. Adam Boothby, a mechanical engineering major, prefers to study alone and in silence. “Working with people can be distracting,” Boothby said. While working with a group of people may be a good option, some students may find it to much to cope with. According to a study done by Microsoft Corp., the average attention span is nine seconds, which means that, on average, we can focus on a single thing alone for about nine seconds. After that, we lose that focus and began to multi-task. Whether it’s with other students or by yourself, the campus has several areas to help you study, including the Badger Den, Lynn Library and lobby areas around campus. After it’s completed, the Ware Student Commons also will be available.