A Better Student

Stick to the Study Schedule Why College Kids Don't Always Follow this Rule

Kids learn from an early age that having a study schedule can do wonders for study habits. A designated study time is proven to improve students' performance in school. When students have a set aside time that they do nothing but study, it helps make sure that they actually do study. It's easy to make sure that kids stick to a study time as long as they are between elementary and high school. Once kids get to college, they are on their own and must use their own discipline and judgment for a study schedule.

Even though college kids know they need to study to make good grades in classes, they don't always stick to a study schedule. During freshman orientation, most, if not all, college kids are exposed to the principle of studying two hours for every one hour spent in class. They may begin their freshman year with the best of intentions for studying everyday for a certain amount of time every day after class. There are some kids who actually stick a study schedule that is based on the amount of hours they spend in class. However, a large number of college kids don't stick to a study schedule, but why?

For most college kids, being in college is the first time they've been away from their parents and allowed to make decisions on their own. Since there are no parents standing over their shoulders to make sure they are studying, many college students fail to do it. There are so many more attractive choices for college kids that, when given the freedom to make these decisions on their own, they forgo studying for the countless other activities that are available to them.

There are plenty of activities that look far more appealing to college kids than sitting down with a book and class notes for three to six hours a day. Most college students would much rather hang out with their friends or watch television than read over the same information they just heard in class only a few hours before. In college, there is much more to do than there was to do in high school. Friends are more accessible, the hangout spots are more accessible, and parties are more frequent. All the fun a student could ever want is at the tip of their fingertips.

When it comes to studying, most college students live by the mantra that they always have more time. When the test is over a month away, the typical college student thinks, "I have a month to study, why study now?" They develop a why-do-today-what-I-can-do-tomorrow way of thinking. To them it makes perfectly good sense. The test will only cover a few chapters, it is just as easy to read over them a week before the test as it would be to start doing it three or four weeks early.

Many college students never had to stick to a strict study schedule in grade school. There were those that were able to make pretty good grades throughout school without doing too much studying. This way of thinking carries through to college. Since they have never been exposed to college before, they don't know to take into account the difficulty of the classes as compared to high school. All they know is they didn't have study before, so they shouldn't have to study once they get into college.

College is a much different experience for kids than middle and high school. The environment sometimes isn't one that is conducive to studying. There are so many distractions it takes a lot of self-discipline for most college kids to stick to a study schedule. Self-discipline isn't the only quality that students need to have. They must also understand that there is much more information covered in college classes. To reinforce and retain what they have learned in class, it is necessary to adhere to a study schedule to review the day's notes. This is something that many college students do not understand until their second or third semester in college. Finally, students that never had to follow a strict study schedule in grade school will be reluctant to stick to one in college.