Sacred Hours of Study Hall

Study hallEver wondered what your friends do during study hall or just what goes on in those classrooms? Does anyone actually do homework or are we all reading magazines, watching TV, or just staring at a blank spot on the wall?

We interviewed 50 students through an electronic survey (a highly scientific study), and they claimed their study halls were surprisingly studious.

According to a majority of the responses, Study Hall is used for focused, concentrated study time, where students get their work done as efficiently as possible. Most students get cracking sometime between 7:15 and 7:40, right at the start of study hall (but always employing mild procrastination).

A popular strategy to deal with high workload is to prioritize work; work for subjects that appear earlier the next day is completed first, then the remaining subjects. Interestingly, all the freshman responses stated “working” as the main activity.

Oftentimes there is some form of “reward” at the end of study hall, such as a small snack or hanging out with friends. Some students elect to watch TV or go to bed early to prepare for the next day.

It all sounds very productive, no?

Of course, there are those who choose not to work during study hall. Creating inventions with stationery, “goofing around” or, as one junior wrote, “I wake up from my post formal nap at 8:45, and then I brush my teeth. After brushing my teeth, I take out a packet of Easy Mac, and throw it in the microwave. I then take a long hot shower until 9:24 so I still have time to do an assignment.”

But, wait! What about Sundays?

Our 50 responders were divided: half of the students did their weeknight routine on Sundays, but the rest did something completely different.

Many students utilize the free time during the day on Sundays to work, so by study hall, most work is finished. Students then progress to watching TV, doing laundry, and catching up on missed sleep. The responders also said that study hall is much less productive on Sundays. As aptly put by a junior, “There’s a thing called Study Hall on Sundays?”

There are also those who completely forsake work once Friday rolls around and toss all thoughts of homework aside until the last minute. The predictable result, as one senior put it, is “I’m dying on Sundays.” And there’s always that one person who says “I sleep and play LoL.”

For those who don’t know what “LoL” is, ask one of the sophomore boys.

Now that you have a better idea of what other students are doing study hall, how will you spend those glorious two hours?