Some students are struggling to study effectively as they adjust to changes on and off campus from the pandemic.

First-year students say that the transition from high school to college has been more difficult than usual.

“The transition from high school to college is hard in itself, but learning how to study with all the new guidelines has been strenuous,” said Lil Balogh, a first-year pre-business major.

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Students are required to wear masks at all times on campus, a requirement Balogh said is making it more difficult to study.

“I just find myself not studying for a long period of time anymore like I used to,” she said. “When I try to study in the library, I am frequently having to take breaks to breathe for a second without my mask which becomes really distracting.”

Distraction is not exclusive to just first years.

Max Owens, a junior finance major, is living off-campus this semester and said “it is just as difficult to study off campus as on.”

“I love being able to live with my friends, but it becomes very hard when I have to study for a class in my room, and I hear them all outside,” Owens said. “I know a solution would be to go somewhere else, but then I am forced to wear a mask for the entire time I am trying to pay attention in class.” 

For students looking for places to study outside of their residence, Dean of the Mary Couts Burnett Library Tracy Hull suggested the outdoor tents that have been set up next to the library.

“Studying outdoors could be a nice change of pace,” she said.

For students struggling to adjust this semester, there are numerous other study tips that can be found on the university’s Center for Academic Services website.