OPINION: British accents boost boring books

Vanessa Garcia
Vanessa Garcia

By Vanessa Garcia

Opinion page editor

 

“The presence of a permanent dipole moment in polar molecules gives rise to dipole-dipole forces. These forces originate from…”

Bet I lost some of you readers, didn’t I?

Every college student is faced with staying focused on what he or she is studying. Studying and understanding the studied subject is a major difference, just like the saying, “I hear you but I’m not listening”.

You can catch and cook a fish, but if you don’t know how to gut it, it definitely will not be a gourmet meal. Are you listening to what I’m saying?

Staying focused on a textbook is difficult. Once I open a textbook, my mind travels into another world. I’ll be on the third paragraph and then I realize I have no idea what I read. Then, I have to reread the section over again. It can definitely be rather frustrating.

If there’s a will, there’s a way to staying focused!

I’ve learned that I must entertain myself in order to stay focused on my studies. What works for me is reading in a British accent. I get a kick out of my terrible British accent as I talk about protons and neutrons.

What also works is changing my environment. I find it easier to focus when I am at school. When I’m at home, I’d rather put in a movie and paint the day away. Find a place to study, whether it’s at a quiet coffee shop, a library, on campus or at a park.

Keep flash cards and supplies in hand. Back in high school my 9th grade English teacher was a flash card Nazi. She was a little crazy, but I learned that using flash cards really does help keep all the knowledge in my head.

Set time aside for studying. Having a set schedule will make studying less stressful. Waiting till last minute to study will cause unneeded chaos when forcing all of the information on a subject on the night before an exam.

Keep notes while reading the textbook and then go over the notes after the chapter. The human brain doesn’t remember everything the first time, nor the second time, or even the third. Reread if needed and you’ll learn something new you hadn’t the first time.

Talking in corny British accents or studying on campus may not help others. But it’s all about finding a studying method that keeps focus in the books.

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