Listening to music threatens student grades

Print Head: Helpful or hurtful: music while studying?

UMD students chime in on how music fits into their study habits
The hours of studying are dragging on. All that can be heard is library chatter and
the flipping of textbook pages. With midterm exams on the horizon at the university, this
is a reality for many students. However, students may be sabotaging their progress by
listening to music while theyre hitting the books.
Listening to music while studying is an activity that is enjoyed by many students
looking to spice-up their time at the library, while others find the added noise distracting
to their studies. Virginia Commonwealth University conducted a study on this topic,
concluding that higher motivation and concentration were reached when students did not
listen to music while studying. When asked, students at the university differ in their
habits when it comes to studying and listening to music based on perceived differences in
their performance.

universitys nursing program said. Many students, including Tuma, agree

I was not
retaining the
information I
needed to

that listening to music while studying is detrimental to their success.

-Megan Tuma, junior

nursing student

When I listen to music while studying, I find myself paying more

attention to the song than to the task at hand, Megan Tuma, a junior in the

When I was a freshman, I would blast pop ballads while I studied which made me enjoy
my time more, but I was not retaining the information I needed to, Tuma added.

Another perspective
For some students at the university, listening to certain genres is acceptable during
study time while others are not. A freshman, broadcast journalism major, Danielle Stein
does listen to music while studying, but avoids her preferred
genre. I think the problem arises when you listen to your
favorite kind of music because if I listened to mine, I would
sing along. With more unfamiliar music, its easier to
concentrate, Stein said. Instead of her usual playlists of
alternative hits, Stein admits she breaks out the reggae tunes for
a motivating study session.
Others like junior psychology major, Hannah Willetts,
find that plugging in her headphones is the only way she can

Stein says that listening to

music while studying helps
her to focus.
Picture by: Gabriella Ellrich

drown out the noise and concentrate, I live in my sorority house and share a room with
other girls, if I ever want a prayer of getting work done, I need to get rid of background
noise, Willetts said. Kevin Do, a junior neurobiology and physiology major agrees that
music helps to concentrate him by canceling out, outside noise, he said.
Whatever the reason, students have an overwhelming response to
the topic of listening to music while studying. While some find it
distracting to their success, others regard it as their only path to an A+.
Willetts summarizes the issue as a personal preference it depends on
the person, and how youre best equip to focus.
Willetts listens to
music while
studying.
Source: Facebook

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