Articles

monica · Loyal Member Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 63

Bad Study Habits May Be Affecting Your Grades

If you are in high school or college, you know that you will not get the best grades if you have bad study habits. Unless you are a naturally gifted student, it takes some effort to get the grade point average you need to continue in your academic career. Even if you are gifted, bad habits can hurt your scores.

Of course, the worst of the bad habits of studying is not studying at all. Some people plan to go through school without cracking open a book. It is rare for this to be an adequate response to academia. Most people need to study.

Some people do not go to class. This is another bad habit. The teacher or professor may give you information that if not in any of the literature. To get it, it is best to go to class. You might be able to get it second hand from someone who did go to class, but there is nothing like hearing it for yourself.

Sometimes students go to class, but they go unprepared. Some do not buy the proper literature or lab materials. They try to get by with sharing or looking on others' work. This is a bad habit, as they will not get the personal experience that they would with their own literature and materials.

You can buy the right literature and lab materials, but if you do not have the right equipment and supplies. You will suffer if you do not have the right supplies to go along with it. If you make it a habit to show up without paper, pen, pencil, or even a laptop computer if needed, you will not be able to do your work.

There are certain physical bad habits that make studying harder. Studying without eating is like trying to drive a car without fuel-it does not work very well. Studying without sleep is unproductive. Studying with a hangover is very distracting.

Many students will go to class to be entertained. This seems almost reasonable because many professors have great senses of humor. However serious learning should be taking place as well. If you find yourself not taking notes, you will know you are slipping into bad habits. If you get to class and you have not read the assignment, you will be ill prepared.

Cramming for tests is a time honored tradition. Yet, if you want to retain the material beyond the end of the semester, it is a bad habit to start. Doing daily work will help you to understand the material that is being put into your brain. It will help you assimilate it in a way that will help you to remember it in the long haul.

If you are a motivated student, your bad habits may be just as unproductive, in the short run at least. You may find yourself straying in your research. You find your subjects fascinating, but you find other information interesting as well. Before you know it, you have spent hours on the internet researching something you do not need for your school work at all. It may increase your knowledge overall, but it will not help today.

You can rid yourself of your bad habits when you are studying or preparing to study. Some people choose not to. However, you might find it beneficial.

_________________