A Healthy Dose of Studying

How to learn it?The idea behind college is to get a degree. That degree will, hopefully, garner a well paid career. Granted, while not many job interviews involve a careful perusal of academic transcripts, the grades in college still matter. Grades reflect work ethic, knowledge and dedication. Without these three things, a well paying job is certainly out of reach. The average college class requires a minimum of two hours studying time for every one hour of lecture. Therefore, a fifteen-credit class load means thirty hours of studying, per week. On average, most students do not come close to the thirty hour requirement.

Understanding the material presented in class is essential to good grades. Some students are blessed with a sharp mind and the ability to breeze through classes while others struggle alone for one reason or another. Judging the ability of a student to learn on purely grades will not show the bigger picture. Struggling in a hard class often means more study time or getting outside help. Known which classes to spend more time on and which one’s to leave alone will help balance out any one’s grade point average.

Major Specific
An engineering major would crash and burn if they had the studying habits of a 4.0 student in another discipline. Likewise, a business major allotting the same amount of time as an engineering is a bit overboard. Individual majors certainly demand individual study times due to the level of difficulty. According to the National Survey of Student Engagement, released in November of 2011, successful engineering majors spend an average of 19-20 hours per week. Following on their heels were the physical and biological sciences with 17-20 hours a week. Social sciences and Business majors ranked at only 14 hours per week. These students were all successful in their academic endeavors, the disciplines were different. So following the two per one hour rule is a good place to start but keep an eye on how much time really needs to be devoted.

The amount of time a student spends studying pays off with a degree. A ticket into the business world and hopefully success. However, just because a student spends thirty plus hours a week and earns a 4.0 degree does not guarantee success. An art student who spends copious amounts of time will not garner the same amount of money as an engineering student who skated by on average grades. Earn a degree that inspires you; nurture a passion regardless future monetary gain. The end product will be a happier, healthier you.

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