The challenges that this pandemic creates for everyone, but in particular students, around the world have been difficult to express.  As a student, the force of making my home a classroom was depressing.
 
Are you familiar with the quote: “There is no place like home?” Well, my home is my sanctuary - where I am free from the outside world. However, that changed rapidly in March of 2020 when Covid-19 officially became a national emergency.
 
The act of recreating my living room – where I sat to laugh, binge watch Grey's Anatomy, eat, and relax— into a study and work space was difficult. It quickly became a space of discomfort and stress. The force of replacing my couch with a desk chair, my coffee table to a work desk, and my entertainment center into a printer and file cabinet, was a struggle that was difficult to escape.  I felt like Covid-19 stripped away my experience of being a student, which is the experience I’ve had for the majority of my life.
 
This change has been a curse to my academic progress. But students like myself have mixed feelings about the transition.
 
For example. My classmate, Khadijah Tucker, stated that "being a student during a pandemic has been difficult, but it's been a learning experience. I've had to learn how to study, maintain the information, and take exams while being home with my family." While
 
On the other hand, my friend and fellow law student, Ke’dazia Barber, said that “to be a student during Covid-19 means to be a student who can quickly adapt. It has been challenging yet eye-opening to adapt to an environment that may be the norm for a while."
 
And still, fellow Journey to Esquire students, Breanna Coleman noted that “being a student during Covid-19 had been a representation of susceptibility to change. Transitioning online as a student has prepared us for life as an attorney in an ever-changing society. It has forced me, personally, to be comfortable being uncomfortable and still succeed."
 
Do you feel the same? What are your feeling about being a student during Covid-19? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me at info@journeytoesquire.com or follow us on Social Media @JourneytoEsquire on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

 Our Bar Prep Seminar is scheduled for March 13, 2021 featuring our Bar Prep Partner, Jennifer Duclair The Bar Exam Mentor and Class of 2020 Alum Kishnee Theus, Esquire. Sign up here. 

• All you need to do is follow the Study Cycle and used Focused Study Sessions every time you sit down to study. Trust me it will take you less time than staying up for nights before the exams.
• Preview: Before class, skim the readings; look at the note headings, bold face words, review summaries and chapter objectives, and note the questions you have based on this preview.
• Attend: GO TO CLASS! And make sure you are actively engaged and not scrolling through social media. Ask questions and take meaningful notes.
• Review: within a day, look at your notes, fill in the gaps, and develop new questions.
• Study: Repetition is the mother of learning. Ask yourself questions to stay engaged, like: "Why is this important?"" How does this information help me?" "What does this concept remind me of?" Have three to five focused study sessions per day. And on the weekends read your notes and make corrections.
• Assess: From time to time check-in with yourself to see if your methods are effective, if you understand the material, and determine if you would feel comfortable teaching it to someone else. Then make adjustments as needed,

3.   Take It a Step Further:
Focused Study Sessions - your brain needs occasional breaks to process the information you are feeding it. It also needs focus and minimal distractions. So try to stay focused for 25 minutes with a 5-minute break or 45 minutes with a 15-minute break for study sessions. 
What do you do in that time? 

• ​Connect lecture and textbook notes by creating one study tool to review.
• Develop example problems and a guide for the process behind the example for better understanding.
• Read the text/lecture notes and summarize verbally what you are reading.
• Teach the information to someone else to assess your own level of understanding.
• Develop a concept map, matrix, or outline to organize the material and link ideas.
• Quiz yourself on your with a whiteboard, flashcards, or by making a practice test.
• Reflect on your past exams and create new questions similar to your professor's style to test yourself.

Using focused study sessions will not only prepare you for all types of questions that the professor can develop, but it will also tell you what information is essential, where  you stand in terms of the exam, how to tackle different questions, and so much more.
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So, what are you waiting for?
Happy learning! 

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