Study breaks, study buddies to help students

For many students, one of the hardest things to bring themselves to do is to study.

Whether there's an upcoming exam or if you have to study a chapter from your textbook before the upcoming lecture in class, there always seems to be roadblocks that prevent you from studying for it. Some of these roadblocks are self-imposed, others may not be.

In this issue of Study Buddies, I'll talk about a website that outlines some of the most common roadblocks students run into when they're trying to study, and some ways to get past those blocks.

Study Buddies

We all have our reasons for not being able to, or even not wanting to study for school. Sometimes procrastination gets the best of us and we find ourselves in a bind not knowing the material and subsequently being unprepared for upcoming tests. Howtostudy.org will help you feel more prepared if this situation arises.

Howtostudy.org has articles compiled from several sources that discuss things like reasons for procrastination, and how to take in information easier and apply it to papers, tests and major projects.

The website provides information on specific subjects ranging from Accounting to Theater. It also categorizes articles based on specific needs (i.e. preparing for studying, processing the information etc.)

There's no miracle cure for any of the bad habits or anxieties people may have

when it comes to studying or test-taking. Still this website is definitely one of the few that has a wealth of great information to combat the problem little by little.

Some of the content available on the website is a few years old but it is nonetheless relevant and useful for people who find it difficult to actually study or have trouble retaining information after studying.

Study Breaks

Over the last several years there has been a noticeable influx of social networking sites beginning with Friendster and Myspace in early 2002

and 2003 respectively and leading to Facebook shortly after. However, today there are more social networks that are dedicated to specific categories.

Sites such as YouTube.com dedicated to video production and video sharing and Pandora Radio and Last.fm for music. MOG.com is another site specifically geared toward music. On MOG.com you can sign in using your Facebook login information and

listen to music based on the

information on your Facebook profile.

In addition, you can find new artists to add to your Favorites list. MOG.com provides users with a free 14-day trial for the service. Thereafter you have the option of referring new users to the site to earn more free music or you can upgrade to one of two payment options available.

MOG.com is not as well- known as sites like Pandora Radio or Last.fm but it is still just as good. The payment options available are $9.99/ month to be able to use the site on your computer or mobile device or $4.99/month to use

it strictly on the computer. The payment plans also allow you to use the software on internet- ready devices aside from

the computer as well. In addition to listening to music, you can read music-related blog posts and articles about different artists.

The site also provides suggestions based on the tastes of other listeners signed up to the website. Despite having to pay for a membership, I think this site is well worth the price to have another way to enjoy music.