How can I focus better when I sit down to do HW/study?

Everyone’s most effective approach is a little different, so there’s a lot of advice available. The Wall suggests running a few simple experiments. 1) Some people need absolute quiet to focus, others like some background hum. Try doing the opposite of what you usually do for a bit and see if it’s better. 2) Some people cram immediately before exams, others space it out in smaller chunks thorugh the semester. Most people have done the first; try the second if you haven’t. 3) Take care of your body and mind. It’s really hard to focus if you’re hungry, or falling asleep, or stressed out. You can also talk to my friends at the Connors Family Learning Center down one floor–they can get you set up with an academic coach to give you more detailed advice. http://bit.ly/BC-connors

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.