By CARLOS FERRAND
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Study locations can play a big role in a student’s academic success.
The environment a student chooses to study in must be a place where someone can focus, student development Professor Suzanna Borawski said.
“To learn anything, you have to be able to focus,” Borawski said.
Distractions are not limited to just loud noises. Loud colors or décor can be a distraction as well.
“I do not think students realize how important it is to have that place to go to and just be with their studies and not have a multitude of different distractions,” Borawski said.
Students need to realize how important it is to step away from other things going on in their lives to study, she said.
Environment is important when studying, but how and when students spend time on the material is equally important.
Students taking 12 hours a semester should devote 24 hours a week to studying, Borawski said.
This breaks down to slightly over three hours a day of studying.
Students should try studying for an hour and a half to two hours at a time. Take a break and come back to it later, Borawski said.
“A marathon study session for four hours or five hours is really not the best way process all of the information,” Borawski said.
Borawski also said that reviewing material within 24 hours of a class is the best way to get the information into the long-term memory.
With Moody Learning Center under construction and extremely loud at times, Borawski suggests San Pedro Springs Park.
Just across San Pedro Avenue on the west side of the campus, the park has benches and picnic tables that students can use to study.
“It is a place that someone can go to escape from campus and just be out in nature, and that kind of lends itself to calming you down,” Borawski said.
There are a few spots to study in peace right here on campus as well.
In the patio area surrounded by Loftin Student Center, McCreless Hall and the Gonzales Hall, students can find benches and tables to study.
On the second floor of the nursing complex, students will find benches, cushioned chairs and tables.
The large windows in the entrance give students great natural light to go along with silence.
Another warm and quiet location for studying can be found in the lobby of the auditorium in McAllister Fine Arts Center.
In the lobby, student can even find a few desks to sit at. The floor is carpeted in case students want to sprawl out and read.
The area is extremely quiet and much like the health complex, with large windows providing good light for reading.