This past Friday, I had a brief chat with a friend who’ll be starting dental school in Houston and just found a place to live near the Texas medical center. During the last year of undergrad, he moved to a new apartment and found it incredibly difficult to study due to the new venue.
I had never thought about how much I’ve grown accustomed to studying at home. I have to study while on my bed Facebook-ing, Twitter-ing, Digg-ing, and/or eat-ing. Sometimes I’ll play Counter-Strike Source while studying the day before exams. Joining a really large server, rushing to my death early in the round, and then studying for a “solid” three minutes as my teammates either accomplish the objective or get murdered by the other team has worked successfully for years. 😉
But it’s not my room or playing computer games that enables me to be efficient. It’s just the psychological aspect of being home. Not having to worry about loud neighbors, utilities, and other unnecessary distractions enables me to focus to a degree which can’t be duplicated elsewhere. This realization helps affirm my decision to endure the one hour commute from and from Baylor Med each school day. 🙂
Do any of you have atypical venues where you study?
Wow. You know Rishi, I’m surprised at the survey results. More than half my friends study at starbucks and/or Barnes. I just don’t get how. I have to get slowly accustomed to every single little sound, even the drip in the faucet before I can study.
Heck, If I could have it my way, I’d study in an 8 x 10 plain white room. 🙂
I usually study during 30 minute lunchtimes at my full-time jobs or at home with my 4 year-old niece and 5 year-old nephew running around and screaming/ crying. Dude, I have no idea how I manage to get stuff memorized at times. I actually wish I could focus just entirely on school, just school someday, to see if my grades improve…
Starbucks is too loud
The library is too quiet
During class I have ADD
Outdoors, nature distracts me
Home, family distracts me
School, girls and Facebook distract me
… I can’t win. 🙁
Haha, if that’s the case, don’t change anything. 😀