Students face numerous challenges when studying, and one factor is finding a place to hit the books.

From an article on USA Today, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement’s findings, the average college student spends about 17 hours each week preparing for their classes.

While some Kent State students prefer to study in complete silence, others may like having a small distraction in the background, such as music or a favorite television show. The choice of where to study for some is traditionally the library. For others, studying in the comfort of their own home or dorm room may be preferred.

Sophomore communication studies major Rory Ziegler prefers to study in the library on the eighth floor because he can get a cubical and lay out all the work he needs to do when he is on campus. When not on campus, he prefers his house as a study spot.

“Usually I like really quiet places, but it depends on the work,” Zielgler said.

Ziegler said he would recommend the library to people to study because of the space and the fact that it is a classic place to study.

“The ninth floor of the library is where I like to study (because) they have nice tables and comfy chairs,” said Hannah Jaros, a sophomore public health major.

Jaros prefers to study at her apartment in Hickory Mills as opposed to the off-campus Starbucks, and never listens to music or TV while she studies.  

Whitney Poston, a sophomore pre-nursing major who lives off-campus, approaches studying and doing homework differently. While most wouldn’t recommend studying or doing homework in their bed, Poston has found she is able to successfully focus while doing so.

“When I study off-campus, I study in my bed,” Poston said. “It’s just more comfortable for me.”

She hates studying in groups or with friends, she said, because of the distractions, resulting in actual homework or studying never getting done.

“When I study for tests or quizzes I do not listen to music or anything, but when I doing homework I listen to music, (just) not very loud,” Poston said.

Poston recommends students to study where they are most comfortable. She says the library has many resources for students to utilize.

Alyssa Mazey, a graduate student majoring in higher education and student personnel, said that as an undergraduate student, she frequently went to the library and Starbucks to study, but those areas have since changed since graduating.

“Now I study at home or in my office. I like quiet places where there are minimal distractions so I can get good, quality studying (in) a short amount of time,” Mazey said.

She used to think studying with music playing helped but found, looking back on it, that it was more of a distraction than beneficial.

“Kent (State) has Amazon tutoring services that every single student should utilize,” Mazey said.

She also recommended the SI (supplemental instruction) sessions that are offered for courses with high failure rates.

“The best place to start for help is the professor,” Mazey said, “After all, they are the one that is doing the grading.”

For more information on the SI sessions offered at Kent State, visit http://www.kent.edu/si

Contact Paige Verma at [email protected].