Parties Are More Fun, But You Should Probably Study At Some Point

Your first weekend at college is going to be so much fun that Monday morning will probably come as a shock to you. Wait…you mean, you actually have to go to class? Well, yes. Strangely enough, I think that’s actually what those huge tuition payments are going toward- the actual classes- and not the parties, fun, and excessive drinking you’re going to be partaking in.

By Sues

I know, I know. It sucks. Because not only do you have to attend so many classes per week (some which may be held at the dreadful hour of 8:00 a.m.), but you also have to do a little thing called studying for those classes.

OK, so maybe this doesn’t scare you. Maybe you were an all-star student in high school and had no problem coming home in the evenings and studying. Well, welcome to college.

Studying is a bit more difficult in college. Why? Well, first of all, you’re surrounded by friends 24/7; friends who want to go out drinking and partying at all times. Not to mention, there’s just always something going on, whether it’s activities your college has planned, 3-hour trips to the dining hall, walks around campus, or just hanging out in the hallway of your dorm getting to know your fellow freshmen.

Unfortunately, in order to stay at college having fun, you need to pass your classes, which means you’re probably going to need to study at one point or the other. Ugh. So, here are a few study tips to that will help you keep those grades up so you can return to college to party some more next semester (we have our priorities here):

Go to the library. Let’s face it, you’re not really going to get much work done sitting in your dorm room surrounded by your friends, the TV, the mini-fridge, etc. etc. Plus, even if you can successfully avoid all these distractions, you’ll probably end up just falling asleep on your bed. Your school’s library is most likely going to be boringly quiet and somewhat depressing, but the bottom line is that you’ll actually get work done. So, make a bargain with yourself. If you go the library for 3 hours one evening, you’ll allow yourself to go back to your dorm and spend the rest of the evening watching trashy TV with your new friends.

Form a study group. Get together with a couple other students in your class and form a study group. Studying with other people generally helps you retain the information and learn things you otherwise might not on your own. However, it also leaves room for just sitting around chatting and not getting any work done, so try to find other people in your classes you seem like they really care about their grades too. Befriend the kid who sits next to you who gets all A’s on his tests and papers. So maybe he annoys the heck out of you when he raises his hand at every question the teacher asks, but the point is, he knows the answers. And he can tell you them. Score!

Turn studying into a drinking game. OK, so maybe this isn’t the best way to learn, but if it’s the only way to get you to crack your books, then I say go for it. There are various ways you could turn studying into a drinking game. If you’re trying to learn vocab words, allow yourself a sip for every 10 words you get right. If you’re studying math, take a drink every time a certain number shows up in the answer. However, I highly recommend you only play study drinking games with other people. And try not to drink too much or you might not remember anything you learned. Not to mention, you’ll be ridiculously hung over when you try to take your test the next day. (Editor’s Note: Maybe you should swap drinking with cookies…it may work a bit better.)

Use your school’s resources. Lots of schools have writing centers and offer free tutors. If you’re having trouble in a class, or even if you just need some extra direction, use these resources. They say they’re free but since you’re probably paying for them with your tuition anyway, you may as well take advantage of them. And they help! Many of the tutors are upperclassmen or graduate students who have taken the classes before, so they know exactly what you’re going through and are there to help you.

Get your work done and enjoy your free time. Studying is extremely important, but you shouldn’t be spending all your time at college with a book cracked open. Learn how to get you homework and studying done so you can go out with your friends and have some down time. You don’t want to look back and regret the fact that all you did in college is study. Because, trust me, college can teach you so much more than any book is going to. In fact, you’ll probably learn more than you ever thought possible at Friday night’s fraternity party. Including some things your parents would prefer you never learned. And some things they don’t even know themselves.

And always remember, cute boys might not make the best study partners, but that doesn’t mean you should ever turn down a study date with one.