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NOISE AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS
The noise in a college dorm doesn't just keep you
awake, it can also be a detriment to studying. While there are always
some students who don't think studying is their main purpose for being
at college, I'm certain you realize that learning and getting good
grades is your prime purpose for being at a place of higher learning.
But if you've gotten used to studying in a quiet room, then you're
definitely going to have to adapt to studying in college.
Noise all by itself doesn't have to be a problem.
In high school you might have accustomed yourself to studying while you
had some music playing in the background. But if you did, you set the
volume, and there weren't three, four, or five different kinds of music
going on all at the same time, as well as TVs blaring, people shouting,
and someone sharing your room who has no compunction about talking to
you whenever they feel like it. And the worst part is that you'll want
to join in those conversations. You'll want to be part of the action
when it's all around you. I'm going to go back to that word again,
adapt, because that's what you're going to have to do, adapt to the
rhythm of college life.
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Now, each dorm is going to be different, so you
have to be aware of what the rhythms of your particular dorm are and
work around them. If there is so much commotion going on between the
hours of, say, 8 and 10 p.m., then you can't plan on staying in your
room and getting any work done. On the other hand, if things start to
settle down most nights around 11, then you know that if you have work
to do, you can get started then, assuming you won't conk out before you
get done. But if the quiet hour is earlier, then that's when you have to
study.
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Look for quiet areas where you can study and use
them when you have a test the next day or reading that has to get done.
If you need to use the computer in your room to get work done, listen to
a quiet CD through headphones. The music will drown out much of the
other noise. Most dorms are pretty quiet in the morning, when the
students are either at class or sleeping. Make use of that time, if you
can, to get work done that requires a lot of concentration.
If you are going to college with the intention of
getting the absolute best grades you can, or if you're on a scholarship
that requires a certain average, then you should consider living in a
so-called "quiet" dorm. It's not that these dorms are like
monasteries, where no one is permitted to speak. Rather, at a certain
time, say 10 p.m., all noise is supposed to stop, so the students can
get some studying done. Being in such an environment will most
definitely help your grade point average, which will help you throughout
the rest of your life a lot more than partying, so don't write off such
dorms so quickly.
Q My family had to take out loans in order for me
to go to college. My parents told me that as I long as I kept a 3.5
average, they'd pay off the loans, but if I fell below that, the loans
would be my responsibility. I live in a suite with five other guys, who
are really great, but none of them have to get good grades for financial
reasons the way I do, and I don't want to tell them about my arrangement
with my parents because I don't want them to feel sorry for me. The
problem is that they are sometimes a real distraction, literally forcing
me not to study in order to fool around. This is putting a lot of
pressure on me, and I don't know how to handle it
A. You are learning what it feels to have the
responsibilities of a grown-up, which while somewhat unpleasant is not a
bad lesson to learn. Eventually you may have to decide between your
friends and your GPA, but here's a thought that might be a temporary
cure. A college is a big place. There are lots of little nooks and
crannies where you can sneak away to study and you won't be found. If
you absolutely need time to study, get out of your room and go study
where you can concentrate. If you require your computer and have to work
in your room at times, then you are just going to have to tell your
friends your situation. If you could get them to study a bit more, you
would actually be doing them quite a favor, so you needn't be so ashamed
of your need to hit the books, but rather they need to grow up a little
and take their studies more seriously.
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Additional Resources on College Life include:
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