Eureka College students have been studying all of their lives. When it comes to studying, students utilize a variety of different methods, such as Quizlet, flashcards, note taking, or study ahead of time.

This article by CityUniversity brings up different ways that students have found that works for them. In this article, it focuses on ways to eliminate certain things in order to study better. Students and Faculty from Eureka College bring up their ways and how it affects their lives as a student.

Addison Byers is a sophomore at Eureka College and a Communications and Media Studies major. As she has been working hard on classes since high school, she has shown different methods to studying.

“If I need to memorize key terms and vocabulary words, handwritten flash cards really help. When I need to remember a group of things, funny acronyms help a lot. But when I need to read a chapter and take notes for any class, I listen to a playlist of songs from musicals. It’s weird, but it’s almost the only kind of background noise that actually gets me to focus,” said Byers.

Students find different things that help them focus. Music helps some and some need complete silence.

“People always say limit your distractions, put your phone away, don’t watch a show or play music. But I need those things. The studying in silence thing does not work for me. Just reading straight through a text book chapter doesn’t work either. I need to take it like a sub section at a time and really digest the information before I move on,” said Byers.

Needing to have music is very common between students, a study habit which may have changed since high school. 

“High School came almost easy to me, so it wasn’t till College I had to teach myself how to study. I used to just do my homework and pay attention in class and I’d be fine. But coming to college hasn’t been the same,” said Byers.

College can come harder to students than it does for others, which is why allowing ample time for studying is so important to student success.

“I do actually need to study for a test, so figuring out what study methods work for me was really a lot of trial and error through my first semester.” said Byers.

Shelby Clementz is a senior at Eureka College and an Education major. As she gets ready to graduate in the spring, she is also student teaching. She loves being around kids and teaching them new things and is glad to be a part of the lives of young children.

“From previous years of practicum experience, I have seen many ways students study. I feel like most students retain information best when it’s present as a game or a challenge. Students absolutely love games. I also have found when I use “click bait” lesson titles, more of my students become passionate about what we are learning,” Clementz said.

Clementz goes on to say that passion is what drives her students when it comes to playing games.

“A lot of my students are at the idgaf point in their year. I feel like I have to keep my energy up and constantly give out praise and rewards in order for my students to stay interested in school,” Clementz said.

Clementz went on to say that she loves to keep a positive energy at school in order to keep her students engaged with their assignments.

January is a hard month for students, especially at a young age with the winter break happening and those who aren’t used to coming back yet.

“A lot of people currently teaching are dealing with behaviors currently, so it’s nice to know that I’m not alone. I love going to our seminars and reading our discussion posts for reassurance that I’m not alone in my struggles. I need to work more on my classroom management style, but I know it’ll come with time. This has made me realize it’s ok to not be perfect because I am still learning,” said Clementz.

Teachers have hard times dealing with behavioral issues with younger generations as they are usually tied to screens.

Jason Zimmerman is the director of the learning center at Eureka College and he helps with disability services, academic support, math labs, and support in the writing center.

“I’m a student success coach. We have a team of success coaches now, which everyone might not know,” said Zimmerman.

Students success coaches are those in faculty who give academic support to students who have a hard time learning or taking tests.

“We do a lot of study instructions, so we do study skills class where we teach people about time management, test taking, note taking, how to do self care, all that kind of stuff,” said Zimmerman.

Study skills classes are something that Eureka offers to help students and Zimmerman is one of those who teaches the class. Additionally, students who need extra help can request accommodations. 

“So the way that I evaluate accommodations is I will have the student provide evidence, whether that be something from their high school experience. Sometimes an IEP, sometimes it’s a 504 plan, it can be a note from a medical professional,” said Zimmerman.

At Eureka College, students have their own way of communicating that they need the extra support in order to complete their degree here. Sometimes, it’s learning disabilities that are the reason for that support.

“It can be ADD, ADHD, any type of psychological thing can be a learning disability. One of the accommodations oftentimes, is you take your tests outside the classroom, in a quieter space, you get more time, it’s a common one.” said Zimmerman.

During the students’ time here, they have found different ways to get the extra support that they need. Whether it be from their friends or faculty.