Where do you usually go to study? There are many places you can study, including your home, the library, and cafes. Your personal preferences and study style will dictate where you choose to study. Some people prefer to study at home, while others prefer to study in another location. Here's what some Sookmyungians have to say about their favorite places to study.
- Debate Topic -
Studying at home vs. Studying outside of home
1. <Studying at home>
(Kim Chae-lyne, Division of Business Administration '19)
Hello, I'm currently majoring in the Division of Business Administration. I prefer studying at home as my study environment is personalized to me. There are some basic things that I need when studying: a reading table, writing utensils, and an iPad. Of course, I can take these with me when I leave home, but there are always unexpected variables. You might need extra sheets of paper, or something to print in a hurry. At home, I can usually handle all these situations, but when I'm away, it's more challenging, and even if I can manage, it often interrupts my study flow. In addition, at home, I don't have to spend time getting ready to leave. It's hard enough to make up my mind to study in the first place, but having to get ready to leave and walk in hot or cold weather makes me not want to study. I find it much more efficient to just lie down when I'm resting and then when I decide to study, it only takes me a second to get to my desk. Sure, I know that when you study at home, you might end up lying on your bed instead of sitting in your chair, which can make it harder to study. In that case, I usually set an alarm to control myself. I would recommend setting an alarm for 50 minutes of study time and 10 minutes of break time. This ensures that you're definitely sitting in your chair for 50 minutes, and then when the alarm goes off, you're relaxing for 10 minutes. Then when the alarm goes off again, you're definitely sitting in your chair and getting back to studying because people tend to slack off without that kind of control!
2. <Studying outside of home>
(Yu Hyun-seon, Department of History & Culture '22)
Hello, I'm currently majoring in the Department of History & Culture. For me, the most important thing when studying is space. I think I choose the space where I can study most efficiently and where I can concentrate well. For this reason, I avoid studying at home and choose to go somewhere else. I have a strong perception that home is a place of relaxation, so I feel like I can relax and be comfortable rather than focusing on something. When studying at home, I tend to get distracted rather than focus on what I need to do now, and end up putting things off until tomorrow. Therefore, I prefer to study outside and my favorite place to study during exams is a study cafe. This is because I feel that the mood, with a little noise and the sight of people concentrating, is a more relaxing environment to study in compared to a reading room where you must be rigid and notice every little noise. I use a study cafe when I need to understand the big picture and memorize the details of a lesson. Meanwhile, when I need to check my memorized material, or when I need to recall details or things that have not been memorized, I study in a cafe because I tend to speak out loud. As you can see, I choose my study space depending on the content and degree of studying. Identifying your learning style and attitude towards studying is important. However, the key is to study in a space that enables optimal efficiency and maximum concentration, depending on what you're studying.
