Dorms and Greek houses can be a bit crowded, loud, and obnoxious. Let's face it, it's not a great place to study.
Your environment definitely has an impact on your work. Obviously, if you're trying to do your studies with loud music or a party going on, it's going to reflect in your work and concentration.
You'll want to find a nice relaxing environment to study in, where you can focus and concentrate well.
Bonus: See America's Best Study Spaces
Here are some ideas for great places to study and do your homework for a more effective study session.
- The School Library - Everything you need: free high-speed Internet, a nice quiet environment, and a load of resources.
- A Local Coffee Shop - (Also a great place to meet others.) A coffee shop provides a relaxing environment that can increase your productivity. (A little caffeine helps with that too!)
- Out at Lunch - A great way to multitask by feeding your stomach and your brain at the same time. (Just don't drip any sauce on your homework.)
- In Class/Lecture - Doing homework in class is a great way catch up on work. Just make sure you keep an ear open to the lecture going on or else the teacher may call you out.
- Park or Courtyard - Get outside and get fresh air (weather permitting).
- Student Union Building / Student Center - Though it can get a bit loud and social at times, it can be a great place to collaborate with classmates in a study group.
If your workload at night is overwhelming, between classes can also be a good time to catch up on homework. Take a look at your study schedule and see when you can pencil in additional study time.
With the amount of reading required in college, you better learn to speed read or read summarized notes, which isn't a big problem with all the latest note taking tools available for students.