Back to School: How to Relearn Study Habits You Lost During Quarantine

By Olivia Pfeiffer

Ah, back to Villanova. Back to friends and Holy Grounds and the Oreo and…wait, studying? As much as we are all thrilled to be back, I doubt I am the only one who feels a bit of whiplash returning to ‘normal,’ even if this normal is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Despite the fact that this new normal is filled with online classes, masks, and portable chairs, there are still syllabi to review and assignments to begin. As weird as the world is, there will somehow always be midterms and finals. 

I don’t know about you, but struggling to adjust back to school after the summer is hard enough in a normal year. This year, however, it’s been more than six months since we were last on campus in March, and needless to say, not a ton of school-related productivity occurred during that time. As fun as the quarantine bread baking and Netflix-watching was, it did not prepare me to resume late night studying or reading Aristotle. My good study habits have been all but entirely lost, so I’ve had to try to figure out how to concentrate on 18th-century texts when I was reading murdery mystery novels all summer. Below I’ve compiled a list of five study habits specifically for the post-quarantine student who has lost good study habits and student motivation. 

1. Start Small

When looking at the work looming ahead of you, it can be tempting to panic and push it all off until the night before the due date. Though the amount of work can seem overwhelming, ignoring it only makes it worse and more painful to get through. If the ethics text in front of you seems to be written in Ancient Greek, try reading two pages at a time instead of ten. I’ve also found it really helpful to switch between assignments. I will do a math problem or more intensive assignment for a bit, and when I feel tired or tempted to quit, I read a few pages of a literature or philosophical assignment before taking a break. Starting small and jumping between classes makes it all easier to deal with. 

2. Take Advantage of the Extra Time 

Unfortunately, most of student life has been considerably slowed or flat out removed this semester. Club sports are cancelled and most student organizations are moved online. While this is incredibly frustrating, there is also opportunity to be had. Time that is usually spent in student life meetings, Greek chapter, or event planning can now be used as homework time. I’m not suggesting that you spend all of that time doing your work, but in previous years I was usually too busy all evening with meetings and events to do work and ended up starting homework around 10 pm. With fewer meetings in the evening, I now find myself more productive with that time. 

3. Reach Out To People In Your Classes

Another particular challenge of zoom classes is the inability to get to know the people in class with you. Even if teachers try and facilitate ‘get to know you’ virtually, it’s not the same. You feel like you don’t know anyone in your classes and have no one to text when you don’t understand the content. Though it might feel awkward at first, reach out to someone via email to be study buddies. At worst, they don’t respond to you and you try someone else. At best, you’ve ‘met’ someone in one of your classes who you can ask questions to and work together with on any difficult assignments. 

4. Don’t Do Work While On Zoom 

I know, I know, it’s so tempting to do work for a different class while you are on Zoom. It seems like the easiest way to finish all of your work, and it’s not like what the teacher says is super clear or audible anyways. But trust me, it ends up hurting you in the long run, especially as you try and do work for a unit you didn’t pay attention to. As tempting as it is, focusing on what is in front of you will end up making studying easier.

5. Work Outside Your Dorm (Safely) 

This is easier said than done with the limited study spaces on campus. However, we are already spending a significantly higher amount of time than normal in our dorms this year. Spending all of your time in one place quickly becomes frustrating and mind-numbing, which is not conducive to productive studying. If you can, just moving outside and sitting in a tent by your dorm for a bit provides you with a change of scenery. You might be less distracted in a space where your bed isn’t 10 feet away. Additionally, since many classes are online, more classrooms than normal are available to use as a study space. Just make sure you wear a mask and bring sanitizer!