What are the problems student face in their studies and How to Deal with Them.
There are too many distractions
There are so many external stimuli these days that it’s little wonder that many students feel distracted. Social media, friends, phone, television, video games and outings all have a part to play in wreaking havoc on students’ ability to focus on studying. If you feel your productivity is suffering from a multitude of distractions, it’s time to change your working environment to one more conducive to studying.
Creating the right environment for learning should be a relatively easy solution that will help you overcome the power of all these external distractions. Eliminate the things you know to be your weaknesses from your workspace. This could include your phone, the internet, the television and so on. Limit your socialising to weekends, and consider installing a browser app that stops you going on Facebook or your other favourite sites for certain periods of time (such as LeechBlock). If you need to use your computer for writing essays, try using an app that will fill the screen with whatever you’re working on, so that the internet isn’t a distraction; Dark Room is one such app that will create a distraction-free computer environment for you.
If you find it impossible to get work done at home because of the number of distractions, try working somewhere else. The library would be a good place, as you can shut your phone away in your locker, and peace and quiet is guaranteed.
You have difficulty concentrating
Even when you’ve eliminated distractions, concentration can still be a major issue. It’s not just possible but common to lose focus and experience a dramatic drop in productivity. We’re probably all familiar with the feeling of sitting in front of a blank page, staring at it, unable to begin, our mind wandering. Procrastination is a symptom of lack of concentration (among other things); if you find yourself constantly checking Facebook or texting when you know you’re meant to be working, it’s a sure sign that you need to be taking steps to improve your concentration levels.
Like low motivation, difficulty concentrating can be caused by a number of problems. If you’re unable to concentrate because you have something on your mind, you need to try to clear your head before you start working, else it will hinder your productivity. It may help to write the problem down on paper, or to talk to someone about it; going for a brisk walk or doing some exercise may also enable you to get it off your chest before you try to start work. If it’s a bigger personal problem, talking to the school counsellor about it may help get it off your chest or help you see the problem from a different, more manageable perspective.
Another possible reason for lack of concentration is that the task in front of you feels so enormous that you don’t know where to begin. A good way of combatting this problem is to break the task down into smaller, more manageable tasks. For example, rather than putting an entire essay on your agenda, divide up the tasks into smaller, more easily achievable goals: read a chapter of a book and make notes, write the essay plan, write the introduction, and so on. You could even break it down into numbers of words to be achieved: 100 words at a time, for example.
Finding the right learning style for you may help you focus more easily, as battling on with trying to work in a style that doesn’t suit you is sure to be counterproductive. We all learn in different ways; some of us prefer to work in total isolation, while others prefer to learn in the company of fellow students; some people learn best from making diagrams and drawings, others from writing things out. Try experimenting with some different learning styles and see whether you can find a better approach to studying – one that will allow you to enjoy what you’re doing, retain information better, and focus more easily.
Finally, it’s worth noting that difficulty concentrating can also arise from working too hard. If you’ve been working yourself into the ground and not having enough rest, try giving yourself some time off. The chances are that you’ll return to your desk feeling refreshed and much better able to concentrate.
You have difficulty remembering facts and figures
A common complaint among students at any stage in their education is that it’s difficult to remember all the information necessary for answering exam questions effectively. This is difficult enough when you’re only studying one subject, as at university, but when you’re studying numerous subjects, as at GCSE and A-level, remembering all the facts and figures from each of your subjects can seem a monumental task. Learning things properly in the first place will help your recollection come exam time, but if you really struggle to retain the necessary information, learning to utilise a few memory aids may help.
You’re worrying about your career
Lots of people study for a qualification just for the joy of learning, but in truth most people also want to improve their employment prospects. If you’re worried about your career stagnating while you devote your spare time to study, try to remember to work on your transferable skills, brush up your CV or even do some voluntary work in your chosen role if you can.
You struggle to find the time to study
This is an extremely familiar problem, whether you’re studying part-time or full-time; family, work and other responsibilities all demand time and attention and the best way to overcome this problem is to make a realistic schedule, and stick with it.
You don’t understand something
We all know the feeling of sitting in a lecture hall or classroom, totally confused, but everyone around you seems to be having no problems at all. It’s a frustrating experience, but a simple one to fix: just speak up! If it’s a new topic or concept, you can pretty much guarantee that you’re not the only person struggling and tutors are always happy to explain something again.
You don’t enjoy the subject you’re studying
At some stage in your education, it’s inevitable that you’ll encounter a subject that you don’t like. Whether it’s because you simply find it boring, or you feel you’re no good at it, or it seems a pointless subject that you won’t have any use for long-term, or you have an active hatred for it, such a dislike can have a big impact on your success in this subject. Not liking the teacher of this subject, or having an uninspiring teacher, can also lead to a dislike of the subject itself.
A change of mindset will be necessary to overcome this problem. You need to be able to see the bigger picture, and how that problem subject fits into it. For a start, you don’t want a bad grade on your UCAS form that you’ll have to explain; you’ll need good marks across the board if you’re to get into the top universities. Keeping this longer-term goal in mind may help, but more immediate inspiration may be found from contemplating why we we study this subject. It’s on the curriculum for a reason, so think about what the skills are that you learn from this subject that can usefully be applied elsewhere, even if the actual knowledge itself may not be relevant to your career aims. Thinking about the importance of studying the subject, and of a good general knowledge, may help spur you on.
If you dislike the subject because you feel you’re not very good at it – perhaps a bad grade has put you off? – the answer may lie in becoming more confident in this subject. You could devote a bit more time to getting better at it and you might find that you start enjoying it more.
You’ll find more advice on mastering subjects you dislike in our article on how to tackle your nightmare subjects.
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