No Studying, Please, We're College Students
In the course of his polemic today against our failing high schools and colleges, J.P. Freire cites an unfortunate finding. "Don’t worry about the enforcement of political orthodoxy," he writes; "the kids aren’t listening. In fact, they’re not even studying:"
[…] the average student at a four-year college in 1961 studied about 24 hours a week. Today’s average student hits the books for just 14 hours. [...] No matter the student’s major, gender, or race, no matter the size of the school or the quality of the SAT scores of the people enrolled there, the results are the same: Students of all ability levels are studying less.
14 hours a week. That's two hours a day. If there's one thing college kids know, it's the amount of work they have to do to skate by in case of emergencies -- illnesses in the family, nasty breakups, etc. Numbers like these suggest that more and more students are learning that studying is increasingly incidental as a rule -- both to 'the college experience' and the degree at the end. And afterward...?
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May '10
Re: No Studying, Please, We're College Students
There are similar studies James showing the creep of grade inflation over that same period of time. Of course professors will quickly blame the helicoptering parents and insidious student satisfaction surveys. Combined with rising prices, it points to some serious potential break-down of the higher education system. I don't know about my kids but I'm guessing perhaps my grandkids will all be pursuing vocational instruction when they come of age -- even if it's in astrophysics.
May '10
Re: No Studying, Please, We're College Students
I can say - with equal parts shame and arrogance - that I studied less than 14 hours most weeks as an undergrad. I graduated in '05 with a 3.33... was this the result of grade inflation? Maybe. 1370 SAT, 31 ACT, and I just barely squeaked by the calculus class that was required for my business degree. With the resulting 5 hours of 1.0 in my GPA after one semester, I kind of gave up on graduating cum laude right off the bat.
I'll also note that, unless Mom and Dad are incredibly sneaky, they're not the "helicopter parents" that seem to be more common all the time.
May '10
Re: No Studying, Please, We're College Students
For parents concerned about these trends, I recommend McGill University in Montreal. McGill professors take an almost sadistic delight in deflating students' grades, handing out Ds and Fs with gleeful abandon. In order to achieve even Bs and Cs, most students must study more like 14 hours a day. Painful, but any student who survives to graduation will have the skills and confidence to overcome almost any academic challenge.
What is the world coming to when we have to turn to Canada for lower taxes and a superior educational system?
Jun '10
Re: No Studying, Please, We're College Students
Part of the drop, from 24 hours to 14 hours is probably just technology--being able to look up definitions and background information online, without much fuss. The other part, maybe, is that modern students have a shorter attention span, and can't absorb much more than 14 hours of study. It's an adaptation to new realities. Today, you don't have to remember as much as you did before. The biggest library in the World is always as close as your backpack, so why keep all that in your head?
May '10
Re: No Studying, Please, We're College Students
14 hours? I studied more than that in High School each week. Heck, I studied more than that in the 6th grade!
We are already at 5 hours a week with my son in first grade. Is a college education worth anything?