Back To School Tips: Tip #4 Developing Sound Study Habits

  Over the past three weeks, Major League baseball players have used the Action Team blog to share some back to school tips with high school students. So far the players have tackled time management, setting goals and getting organized. This week, Major Leaguers Craig Breslow, Curtis Granderson and Craig Stammen are providing tips on developing sound study habits.   Craig Breslow, a relief pitcher with the Boston Red Sox, majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University, before joining the Major Leagues in 2005. Both of Craig’s parents are teachers.  

“Find a quiet place where you won’t be distracted when it comes time to study. Be fully committed to completing your assignment before calling your study time done.”

  New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago with a double major in business administration and business marketing. Like Craig Breslow, both of Curtis’ parents are teachers. Here’s what Curtis has to offer  

“Each individual is different, but the one studying tip I thought was most useful was setting aside time to study for 45-50 minutes at a time, followed by a 10-15 minute study break, then repeat. It helped so you weren’t overloading, you didn’t get bored, and you didn’t start to blank. I used this technique all the way through college, while also recommending it to friends.”

  Our third contribution comes from Craig Stammen, the son of school-teaching mom and a relief pitcher with the Washington Nationals. He attended Dayton (Ohio) University before being drafted by the Nationals in 2005, following his junior year. Despite leaving college early to pursue his dream of becoming a Major Leaguer, Craig was determined to finish up his degree by chipping away at his remaining course work. His determination paid off when he graduated from Dayton this past May with a degree in entrepreneurship. On graduation day, while most of Dayton’s Class of ’14 donned caps and gowns, Craig donned a Nationals uniform. With the ink barely dry on his college diploma, Craig offered up the following advice to high school students:  

“Let’s first be honest with each other. We have all waited until the last minute and stayed up most of the night to turn in our homework, finish a writing assignment or study for a big test. I’ve been guilty of it plenty of times early as a student.

“However, when I went back to college to finish that final semester, during the end of the offseason and first part of the 2014 MLB season, I knew I was going to have to work harder to get the grades I desired and retain what I wanted to learn.

“We are in school to learn, not just get good grades, yet, grades are important to us. My goal was to learn what I was studying, and become more educated, not to just regurgitate the information for a test. To do this, it took a small amount of dedication every day.

“I believe big things are achieved by doing a lot of little things well. I decided to set aside 15 minutes every day for each class in order to read over and study what the professor had gone over in the previous class. Fifteen minutes is not a very long time…Think of the time we waste sleeping an extra 30 minutes, flipping through the channels on the TV or continually updating our Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts.

“If you really desire to do well on exams or be better prepared for that big project or writing assignment, I suggest taking 15 minutes every day to “catch up” with what is going on in your classes. That way, when it comes time for those big assignments, you do not have to spend hours upon hours trying to cram all the information you need to learn into one night. I believe you will find yourself having less stress, enjoying more free time, and achieving better grades, all while retaining what you always wanted to learn! Best of luck this school year, and remember, it only takes 15 minutes every day to get the results you have always wanted.”

To view this blog entry, and others check out the Action Team website.