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How much time do college students spend time on studying?

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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Marissa! Well this usually changes based on your class and the credits you are taking; the more credits and the harder classes, the more studying you will do. There's a general rule where each credit you take, you should study 2-3 hours after class for it; so a 3 credit class would require about 9 hours of study time outside of class per week. However I also would like to add my own experience and opinion on this! I think that for each class you should study every day but maybe break it up. For example if you have 5 classes one semester maybe spend Mon./Tues. studying for two classes, Wed./Thurs. the other 2 classes and Friday your last class and then on the weekend review things, finish up papers you need to do, or prepare for your exams; of course you should also be working on papers and preparing for exams during the week as well but sometimes the weekend can offer more time to tie up loose ends. Classes do change such as you may find yourself studying more for one class than another; for example I had a general education class in college called History of Broadway I would definitely study for it about twice a week, especially exam times but for General Chemistry, I was studying about 4 times a week. Therefore, simpler classes or classes that you may be more comfortable with may not require as much studying as others; this is of course up to you as a student. Sometimes courses can be more heavy workload even if they are a general education class as well; I took American Sign Language and even though it was a gen. ed. class it did require effort in reviewing terms and attending events, so therefore I was studying more for it than my other gen. ed. classes I had. I would recommend to carry a planner and be organized, write down assignments and test dates and work spaciously so that learning the material is more effective. For example, if you have an exam that is 7 chapters, I would recommend to do a chapter each day before the exam and then go over all the topics you had difficulty on a day or two before to make sure you feel comfortable with it. College may seem more difficult and it can be, but discipline to study, time management to make sure each class is attended and organization is key to being successful!

I hope this helps!
Best of luck future undergrad!
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Gloria’s Answer

HI Marissa.

That is going to depend on a combination of things:
1 - what classes you are taking
2 - what subjects you are taking
3 - how much knowledge or an affinity for the subject

For example, in my college days, I studied English which is normally a lot of reading and writing. These are two of my favorite things to do, so the homework was often a pleasure rather than difficult. However, reading books, entire books in a week, can occupy a lot of your time even if you love it. In contrast, math was always painful for me. I am not sure why. But it could take me hours to consume a single chapter in a book, because I struggled to sort out the logic of it.

I think that there are actions that you can take to maximize your study time. This will require you to focus on yourself. College is different in that school can occur during many more hours in the day than high school. In other words, there are classes at night. Some people learn better in the evening than in the morning. So take classes at a time where you learn better. How does that help studying? If you learn better in class, it makes doing the homework easier. You should consider where and how you study as well. For some people, studying happens best in a place made for studying like a library. I am terrible studying in my bedroom. I ended up just falling asleep. I actually did best in studying outside, followed by a formal setting like a library. It took away the distractions of home. (And it is one of the reasons that I have difficulty working from home now. I am too distracted by my home to focus.) Another element to consider is sleep. Make sure that you get good sleep and try to avoid studying around the time that you should be going to sleep.

Hopefully I was able to give you some insights on how to handle studying . It is not always about how much time you spend, but making the most of the time you spend. Be patient with yourself as you work out what works best for you.

Gloria
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Rob’s Answer

As others have noted, the clearest answer is 'It Depends' on several factors:
• Your studying style - there are some who can learn through lectures and those who require large chunks of alone time absorbing and re-reading content
• Types of classes being taken - science classes often require lab time so probably 4-6 hrs of study a week. Art classes require considerable studio time as well while the likes of History or English requires considerable reading time.
• Your familiarity with the subjects - for some cranking our a 10 page essay is daunting while others would rather do that then to solve math problems.

Overall, consider planning on spending an average of 2 - 3 hours a day studying. I realize that seems daunting for a college student! :P
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Jad’s Answer

Really depends on your class load and your familiarity on the subjects, but generally speaking, it’s recommended to spend about 3 hours studying a week, for each each class hour that you take.
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Sunny’s Answer

Hi Marissa,

I remember I studied at least 2 hours everyday to do my homework and prepare for the quizzes/exams. So it is good to block some of your time to just focus on school work. This can be your good study habit if you keep practicing it everyday.

I think it is also important to review what you learned after the class. If you have not understood anything during your review, you have to either meet with the professor or visit the TA/GA to get some help or ask your classmates if they can give you an answer. I am sure there are people who can help you with your specific questions.

Good luck!
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Michelle’s Answer

Hi Marissa! It's great that you're thinking ahead and planning for college! As others have said, how much you study will depend on a lot of factors, including what school you attend, your personal goals, your major, and your study "retention" (some people remember more with less time studying, others need more repetition). As you narrow down which schools you want to attend, see if there are any student ambassadors (usually organized through the admissions office) who you can talk to about their experience. This might help you get a better idea of what to expect.
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Jim’s Answer

I agree there is no rule and it depends on your goals for grades. Are you in it to achieve high marks, or just have a certificate of graduation on your resume? As a competitive person by nature, I had a hard time when I received poor grades. You have to decide on what motivates you and use it to make your goals.
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Kimberly’s Answer

When I was a college student, I always considered my studies more or less a full time job and aimed to spend no less that 45 hours or so a week between classes and outside studying, but often more. I have heard of the 3 to 1 ratio as well (if you're taking 16 credits a semester plan for 48 hours of school work total, classes and outside activities). However, at the end of the day it comes down to how fast your read and retain information; how quickly you can write and edit papers; and the types of classes, difficulty levels, and the professors. I definitely had classes that required a LOT more out of class work than others and some that required nearly no outside of class work. It's a balancing act.
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