"At Kappa, we tremendously value academic achievement. We host digital study hours, assign personalized study plans for those struggling to maintain the minimum GPA requirement, as well as reward our sisters for their accomplishments in ways of gift cards (a very good incentive, if you ask me). Aside from our organized events, our chapter shares study tips amongst ourselves.
There is a well known mechanism for studying known as the Pomodoro method, and our Academic Excellence committee has decided to implement it into our weekly study hours. By studying with 100% focus for 25 minutes then taking a five minute break, our brains are able to switch on and off, allowing ourselves to rest and re-energize for the next study block. This method has proven to be extremely effective in memory retention and is able to prolong study sessions by hours.
Success in the academic world is not limited to intellect. Organization and time management is important in not only achieving tangible results, but also in keeping a clear mind. Having a planner -it can be a physical one or a digital one- is essential. At the beginning of the semester, you write down all the important due dates in a place where you are able to visualize what you must do and when to do it. No one (at least no average person) enjoys writing 3000 word papers or attending 4 hour labs, but at least this way, we will be able to subtract nasty surprises from our life.
Possibly the hardest thing to do with homework and studying is the action of beginning. The time we spend procrastinating or “resting” is not actually resting at all. Instead, our mind is weighed down by the knowledge that we have something due soon that needs to be started, but instead of tackling it head first, we tend to prolong the suffering and procrastinate until all we can muster out is a half-hearted assignment that we are not proud of. To encourage yourself to start, you need to give yourself an incentive. Let’s say you have a paper due, then you count down from 5, and at the count of 1, you get up from whatever you’re currently doing and go to a table (yes a table, not a bed!!) and whip out your study instruments. You use the highly effective pomodoro method and in the 5 minute break sessions, you do whatever you want. After getting a considerable amount done, you can reward yourself with food, shopping (within reasonable limits), or just reading or youtube (I will caution against tik tok as it negatively affects our focus abilities).
It is also important to remind you to not be too hard on yourself. Being a student is tough, and if you procrastinate sometimes or forget an assignment, it is not the end of the world. Just do your best:)" - Kappa Kappa Gamma
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