{"id":43339,"date":"2020-12-07T04:59:10","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T09:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=43339"},"modified":"2020-12-11T18:03:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T23:03:00","slug":"why-every-student-should-attend-a-virtual-study-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2020\/12\/07\/why-every-student-should-attend-a-virtual-study-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Every Student Should Attend A Virtual Study Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Self-motivation is arguably the most important aspect of a student's life. In university, no one will force you to attend classes or complete your assignments. Thus, the required willpower, resilience and self-discipline all have to originate from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But...what happens when you start to fall behind? Nothing quite brings on a feeling of helplessness like watching heaps of assignments pile up, as you struggle to find the motivation to complete them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personally, I started off the fall semester of 2020 strongly, thanks to my handy agenda which helped me keep track of assignments and develop a study plan for tests and exams. However, now that we're in the final stretch of the term, I'm finding myself falling prey to the pesky procrastination bug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"616\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.50.58-PM-1024x616.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43340\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.50.58-PM-1024x616.png 1024w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.50.58-PM-300x180.png 300w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.50.58-PM-768x462.png 768w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.50.58-PM.png 1061w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, I decided to sign up for and attend two <a href=\"https:\/\/studentlife.utoronto.ca\/program\/study-hubs\/\">virtual study hub sessions<\/a>. I signed up through the University of Toronto's <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/clnx.utoronto.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">CLNX website<\/a> and promptly received a confirmation link to the zoom meeting, as well as a worksheet to help me set the goals I wanted to accomplish during the study session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students are encouraged to make a SMART goal or a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, rewarded and timely. Initially, I was nervous about how much I could accomplish in one session, so I made sure to set a goal that I knew was achievable: translate my Spanish notes into English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"702\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.56.34-PM.png\" alt=\"smart goals worksheet\n\" class=\"wp-image-43343\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.56.34-PM.png 819w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.56.34-PM-300x257.png 300w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-01-at-4.56.34-PM-768x658.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Before attending, I genuinely doubted the effectiveness of a <em>virtual <\/em>study hub. I had previously viewed virtual study hubs as a \"last resort\" that I would lean on if I found myself lacking the self-discipline to accomplish assignments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, now, having attended two sessions, I regret not having attended  virtual study hubs more consistently throughout the semester. For me, attending a virtual study hub was nearly as effective as studying with friends in the library or at a coffee shop. The simple act of studying nearby other people (who are also studying) really zapped my brain back into motivation mode. I found myself accomplishing more within the two-hour period, than I'd accomplished in my previous study sessions alone in my apartment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/IMG_5606-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"my study notes on my laptop\" class=\"wp-image-43341\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/IMG_5606-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/IMG_5606-225x300.jpeg 225w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/IMG_5606-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/IMG_5606-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2020\/12\/IMG_5606-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don't Be Afraid To Set Bigger Goals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the end of the first hour of my first study hub session, I was nearly done translating my Spanish notes. Consequently, I made sure to set a bigger goal when I attended my second virtual study hub. I've found that creating achievable but large goals actually motivated me <em>more<\/em> to try and accomplish all that I could within the two short hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you're like me and you enjoy challenges, feel free to set yourself a lofty goal and work hard to accomplish it. While you may not complete everything you planned to, you'll likely complete a whole lot more than you would have during a regular study session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Warning: Don't Be Late!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to a previous commitment, I had to arrive late to the second study hub session, and as a result, I found it much less helpful than the first session. If you arrive late, you'll miss the introductory part of the zoom meeting where the peer mentor allows you to set goals for yourself and decide what you want to achieve during the study session.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\n<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nSelf-motivation is arguably the most important aspect of a student's life. In university, no one will force you to attend classes or complete your assignments. Thus, the required willpower, resilience and self-discipline all have to originate from you. But...what happens&hellip;\n<\/div><div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2020\/12\/07\/why-every-student-should-attend-a-virtual-study-hub\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Why Every Student Should Attend A Virtual Study Hub&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2020\/12\/07\/why-every-student-should-attend-a-virtual-study-hub\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Why Every Student Should Attend A Virtual Study Hub&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":392,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[35628,27712],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43339"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/392"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43339"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43363,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43339\/revisions\/43363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}