How to Make Your University Studies More Fun
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There are many things you can do to make your study sessions more effective. You can avoid distractions, create a study plan, improve your organizational skills, optimize your learning environment, and so forth. These are all important and useful strategies for getting better grades and making student life easier.
However, you might still find it difficult to stay motivated, especially with topics you don’t particularly enjoy. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to make studying not only a tolerable activity but one that is genuinely pleasant and engaging. In this guide, we explore what you can do to make your university studies more fun.
Listen to Music
Almost anything is more enjoyable when it’s set to music you love. Granted, not everyone will be able to concentrate on assignments while listening to their favorite artist. You might end up writing an essay with sentences that are half about the psychology of Hamlet and half about spending racks on iced-out chains.
In other words, the music you choose is of key importance here. You probably don’t want something with compelling or tricky vocals. At the same time, constantly adjusting playlists and trying to find specific music will cut into your study time. So, how do you make this strategy work in your favor?
Of course, opting for music without lyrics is a good start. It doesn’t necessarily have to be piano music – although it does work best for music people. You might prefer music made with your favorite instrument, be it the flute or the violin. A long compilation that ensures you don’t have to keep looking for more songs also helps. You can find these on YouTube.
Make a Game
Another increasingly popular strategy is to gamify your studies. We’ve known for a long time that learners often perform better when some kind of game is involved. This is where quizzes, puzzles, and flashcards come from. These tools help to keep you motivated as well.
A vital component of this is the presence of achievable and measurable goals. Having set objectives allow you to stay on top of your progress and give you clear milestones to work towards. The exact kind of game that suits you can depend on your subject matter and interests.
For example, geography lends itself better to creating a large board game than, say, mathematics, were applying the principles that you’ve learned to real-world scenarios such as your favorite sport, will be more effective. It might take a while to create your game, but it will be well worth the effort if you can use it over and over again to aid in your studies.
Learn Online
Many learners find that it’s not the subject they’re studying that’s boring, but rather the means by which they access the material. Having to page through endless books and tire away with pen and paper can be painful, especially in this day and age where more exciting digital solutions are so prevalent.
For this and many other reasons, students are switching to online universities, which are said to be faster, more flexible, and subsequently, more fun. They also provide more control over your time through self-paced learning, thus reducing pressure and stress. Here are a few more benefits of studying online:
- Acquire valuable technical proficiency.
- Increased independence and motivation.
- Gain a broader global perspective and cultural awareness.
- Learn virtual communication and collaboration skills that are essential to the modern work world.
There are countless online courses and accredited programs available today. You can also find accelerated programs that are designed to enable students to obtain their degrees in less time. For more information, take a look at what studying an accelerated BSN program online at Baylor University entails.
Team Up
As you might have learned in school, studying with friends is a questionable strategy. On the one hand, it can be helpful as you feel more motivated to tackle the work. You can also discuss and share ideas that you may not have thought of if you studied alone. But it’s equally possible that you end up having so much fun that you forget about studying entirely.
It depends in part on who you work with. Groups comprising certain personalities may not be good for each other, while those with at least one strict friend who keeps everyone on track will be more productive. It’s also useful in this regard to create a game to provide a general direction and goal.
Trivia-style quizzes or treasure hunts are the way to go here. For instance, you can create a sort of truth-or-dare game where “truth” means giving the right answer to a question related to the work, and “dare” involves having to write a few paragraphs on the question you got wrong. This way, there’s a solid incentive to know the work and answer correctly.
Use Good Stationery
Aside from digital solutions, there might be situations where you have to use pen and paper. You might also prefer the traditional medium for writing summaries. In any case, making use of stationery that you can delight in will prove far more enjoyable than writing everything down with a black pen.
With not much of an investment, you can arm yourself with a collection of pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, stickers and anything else you find will make your study material more fun. You might, for example, get a fountain pen that creates beautiful text and forces you to pay more attention to what you write, which will then be more pleasant to read later.
Change Your Environment
It’s no secret that where you study plays a significant role in how well you’re able to learn. Studying can also get boring simply due to the lack of new scenery. Therefore, consider changing your environment every now and then. Perhaps you can head to a shaded area in a garden or park, or head to the local library.
These strategies ought to make your studying much more fun and effective. Be sure to keep them in mind for your next session.
Conclusion
Well, if your need has been to make your university studies more fun, there you go.
This post might not have covered all that’s to be done to have fun while studying, but the ones listed are the best and most applicable.
Feel like I’ve left some, why not share them in the comment section, and also don’t forget to send one of these high school graduation messages to your high school pals.