Take a Break; You Deserve It by Caroline

Take a Break; You Deserve It by Caroline - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

Without having mastered the art of study breaks, I would not have been nearly as successful as I am today. Taking a break is the most important, and often overlooked, study method. Everyone makes the rookie mistake at some point in their lives; the day before a big assessment, they crack open their books hoping to cram the entirety of the course into their heads before the next morning. The problem is they cannot maintain focus for long enough to get through even half of the material. They thereby become quite stressed, creating a downward spiral of poor retention of information and panicking. Taking breaks, however, increases both the amount of information retained and limit stress, ultimately making the students more productive than any other study method can on its own.

To start, imagine studying for 8 hours straight with no breaks whatsoever. The idea certainly does not sound fun, but beyond that, many students physically cannot accomplish such a task. However, students sometimes believe they must study for long periods to master the information. In reality, the opposite is true, and many students do themselves a disservice by even attempting such marathon study sessions. Giving one's body the chance to move, especially doing a serious workout, can help keep a student feeling good and their mind sharp and ready to continue working. Study breaks also give the mind time to process the information it has learned up to that point. Without pausing every so often, material can quickly fall through the cracks, such as when the student can recall information properly 5 minutes after reviewing it, but perhaps not 5 hours later. Taking breaks gives the student the chance to test what he or she remembers as well as catch what he or she will likely forget before the test.

A special sort of study break, sleeping, can drastically increase performance on assessments. Some obvious reasons for sleeping include staying healthy, keeping for focus for longer, and improving morale, but the benefits of sleeping extend well beyond the obvious. Going to sleep helps solidify memories, and also consolidates them based off of importance. If a student expects to memorize a list of 100 vocabulary words for a French test, they will most likely have a much harder time if they try to do it all the day before (unless the plan on studying the morning of as well) than starting a few days before and allowing themselves the time to truly take in the information. Without giving the mind the chance to lock in important information, it does not matter how much a student can recite shortly after a study session, as the information will most likely dissipate by the time of the test.

Ultimately, taking breaks is the most effective study method because it ensures that the other study methods are not all for naught. Taking breaks gives the student time to process material, stay healthy, and most importantly, keep up their morale. It gives students a chance to clear their mind, and also increases productivity when they return. Without taking breaks, the student has no chance to escape from academia to remind themselves why they wish to do well in the first place. Doing well only means so much when the student is unhappy, and taking breaks can improve the student’s mood in the short term, while also reminding them of the bigger picture.