By Ava Turner
Elm Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Washington College’s Student Events Board hosted a Coffeehouse Night.
The Coffeehouse Night was intended to provide an outlet for students to study in a quiet group-like setting with music.
Senior Jacklyn Russo, SEB’s Director of Special Events, said the goal of the Coffeehouse Night was, “to basically put everyone in a study coffeehouse setting with chill vibes to hold each other accountable to get our work done … while also listening to music together.”
Unfortunately, Russo said that the event did not “have a ton of attendance, which [SEB has] been finding a lot with Zoom events.”
According to Russo SEB “do feel like it was successful with what [they] had.”
According to Claudia Ortiz-Ortiz of the Angeles Institute, group study can have several benefits, the first being the elimination of procrastination through students working together.
The second benefit is that group study can help students “sharpen study skills.” While in a group setting, a student can pick up or improve on study methods used by their peers.
The third benefit to group study is that it can help break up the monotony of studying alone. Group study adds a social element to shake up study routines with a new outlet.
The fourth benefit is that it hones in on people skills, the social communicative aspect of group study helps provide students with soft skills in communication.
The Coffeehouse not only provided a group study atmosphere but provided music as well and according to Florida National University, there are several benefits to listening to music while studying.
The first is that listening to music is proven to help reduce stress. Music helps with processing emotions and decreasing blood pressure.
The second benefit to listening to music is that it can reduce test anxiety. Listening to music helps in releasing tensions and decreasing anxiety.
A third benefit is that listening to music while studying can improve a student’s performance. It helps students focus and work through high-pressure situations.
As finals and final projects draw near, not only is it a good idea to experiment with music and group studying, but also to take advantage of the resources WC has to offer.
The Office of Academic Skills allows students to schedule one-on-one tutoring sessions in subjects ranging from French to philosophy to anthropology, according to their page on the WC website.
To schedule a one-on-one tutoring session, visit their page on the WC website.
The Quantitative Skills Center can help in math, statistics, computer science, physics, business, economics, chemistry, and psychology statistics courses, according to their page on the WC website.
The Writing Center is also an available resource for any students struggling to finish their final papers.
An appointment can be made on their individual pages on the WC website and must be made at least two days in advance.