Social Studies Homelessness in Edmonton

Why you should

Written By: Gregory Choi Designed By: Janet Dhanoa

study alone

Whether you are typing away on a laptop, writing your lecture notes with pen and paper, or merely recalling a lecture, as students we all have different methods of studying for our classes. However, when it comes down to it, we either prefer to study on our own or with others in a group. So, what is the more effective option? Here we ’ll discuss the benefits of studying on your own.

One of the major advantages of studying on your own, is the fact that you can control and minimize your distractions. I' m sure you have all experienced setting up a study group with friends only to have gone hours getting to know more about the party that occurred last weekend than the course material in front of you. Studying on your own can minimize these distractions and while it definitely does come with the requirement to find that accountability to get started, once you can get past that barrier, effective studying can begin.

One way to get past that barrier is to choose your environment carefully. Your environment plays a large role in the effectiveness of your studying, especially during remote learning where your classroom is often the same as your bedroom. Finding a space in which you feel comfortable yet alert is important. This can come in the form of in your covers in bed with a hot drink, headphones in at a busy cafe, or a quiet space in a library in view of others doing the same. At the same time, however, your study environment should be void of distractions. Finding the motivation to study is difficult, so giving yourself the time to design an environment suited for you is vital. After all, if you hate noises, you will not be motivated to go study at a busy cafe.

Lastly, it is important to take intentional breaks. Rather than getting distracted from a study group ’ s conversations, you have the freedom to begin and end your study break. This intention ensures that you use your break wisely. Drink water, stretch, look away from the screen for a bit (that includes your phone!) and just relax. This will help you re-enter your studying with a slightly fresher mind.

Studying is a skill that requires trial and error

with a study group

Midterms are fast approaching and like the diligent student that you are, you want to plan ahead so that you can ace your classes. But even if you have a study plan, you might be struggling with implementing it. Sometimes the hardest part about studying is getting started. With this issue in mind, joining a study group may be the best solution to get you up and running and have you fully prepared to take those exams! Read on to find out why you should consider joining a study group.

While studying in a group comes with many benefits, its main purpose is to foster accountability in its members. We typically put more effort when there are others involved—when we ’ re not only responsible for ourselves. As mentioned earlier, getting started is sometimes the most difficult part about studying. By setting up multiple meetings so throughout the week to review, you can establish an accountability system that prevents you from procrastinating and cramming the night before a 5% midterm. As well, preparation is key. By planning what chapters or concepts you ’ll be discussing together, there ’ s an incentive to begin reviewing the material before the meeting. After all, nobody likes to show up unprepared and unable to understand or participate in small group discussions.

One of the many benefits of joining a study group is that you will be exposed to different perspectives on how to you to observe how your peers may prepare for exams— what method they use, how long they study, and if they ’ re willing to share, what results they get. Organized notes, flashcards, chapter summaries, problem solutions and the like are all study materials that people generally don ’t mind sharing, as long as you also have something to contribute.

You ’ ve probably already heard this phrase reiterated countless times: “Joining clubs and student groups are a great way to meet people who have the same interests as you ” . Well, a study group is no different. With some classes being delivered fully remote, joining or forming a study group is a great way to make a few friends in your classes and get to know them more than just an alphabetical letter on a Zoom call.

Overall, there are many benefits to be gained from joining a study group. Some of those benefits include helping with procrastination, expanding your own knowledge, learning new study methods and habits, and meeting new people. Study groups don ’t need to be large. Oftentimes study groups that are too large end up being counterproductive. Having even one study partner is sufficient to gain the benefits of being in a group. You might study effectively on your own but there is no cost to having someone else to share ideas with and expand your own understanding of a subject—it can ultimately lead to getting better grades! Try out a study group this semester!

understand and approach an idea or problem. Putting multiple minds together is indeed better than one. Hearing someone else explain their understanding of a subject can help to strengthen your own understanding and fill in any gaps of knowledge that you may have. This sharing of ideas in group settings brings me to my next point. You can also share study methods! Studying is a skill that requires trial and error. From personal experience, don ’t be afraid to try a different study method if you ’ re not getting your desired results. Studying in a group setting can expose you to those different study methods and habits. It allows

Written By: Greg Choi Designed By: Harkeerat Brar Photographed By: Kevin Wilianto

Lazy Faire spoke with Colin Tran for the February issue. Colin is passionate about narrowing the gap in business education and making entrepreneurship accessible to all youth. This passion has led to the creation of NXT-GEN UAlberta, an organization that addresses business education gaps in Edmonton and area high schools through the use of experiential learning. Read on to learn more about Colin and his organization, NXT-GEN UAlberta!

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I am currently in my second year at the University of Alberta, and just began my first year in Business.. I am currently pursuing an accounting major and I’ m founder of the organization NXTGEN, helping high school youth attain barrier free access to business education.

What exactly is NXT-GEN as an organization and what prompted you to start it?

I’ ve always been a believer that there needs to be a certain degree of specialization. Our focus is unique in that it is targeted at high-school students which differentiates ourselves from other groups in the school of business who focus on the post-secondary experience. From this, I found it important to expand business education to get to that high-school level and having a specialized organization for that. NXT-GEN’ s vision is essentially to bridge the gap in high-school level education through a series of experiential business opportunities through case and pitch competitions, speaker series, as well as networking events that all in all support a student’ s journey in test driving an idea or career in business and really getting them into the mindset in order to be successful in their future in business.