Many students will learn study habits that can end up hurting them more than it really helps them in the long run. Some of these habits can take away from a student’s consistency or encourage them to procrastinate challenging assignments, making their academic life more stressful. Learning good study habits, and unlearning the bad ones, is one of the many reasons students should think about working with their own one-on-one tutor. Tutors can help students recognize what study habits will help them improve and help them create an individualized academic plan that suits their learning style, educational goals, and their schedule outside of school.
Forgetting to prioritize
Students who sit down to do their homework assignments without thinking about which assignments need to be done first might end up spending their entire afternoon at their desk but not have all the assignments completed that they need to hand in on the next school day. Some assignments will have short-term due dates, meaning they’re due in one or two days after they’re given. While other assignments won’t be due for 2 or 3 weeks, leaving the student plenty of time to complete them so long as they have a plan of action for when to get them done.
All night study sessions
Many older students will study for exams and write important papers, sometimes for multiple subjects, the night before they’re due. This can be risky for two reasons: the student might not finish the assignment, leaving them out of luck when they get to class the next day, and because they will be extra tired when they show up for their exam or classroom discussion. Students who are stuck in a loop of all night study sessions should definitely work with their tutor to prioritize their time and break up their study into something more reasonable.
Dividing your attention
It’s tempting for students to try and get some homework done when they have a spare 15 or 20 minutes here and there, but that can be a challenge because the student’s attention will be divided right when they need to be concentrating. Additionally, students might go back and forth between different subjects without completing an entire assignment, leaving their mind going in all different directions. It’s essential for students to be able to dedicate a certain amount of time as well as a dedicated study space so they can give important assignments their full attention. Whether a student works in their home, a library setting, or with their private tutor, concentration is a key study habit.
