Eighty-eight percent of college students admit to putting off their school work until the last minute, according to a study done by StudyMode. As midterms approach on the PSUC campus, students must face their crippling habit of procrastination as some of their more major deadlines begin to come up.
“Procrastination can focus the mind. A certain level of anxiety is a powerful engine,” faculty advisor Catherine Manegold said. “Personally, I think I write better with a deadline looming. Some students do, too, and to miss that point would be to skip a pretty normal human trait. The problem is that a lot of students don’t give themselves space to fill in the terrible gaps left by last minute work.”
However, there are many methods utilized everyday by students and professionals alike, that alleviate some of the pressure that comes along with meeting deadlines.
“Establish a routine right away, one that is comfortable. One that doesn’t involve work all the time, but one that includes some variety of activity, and allows for enough rest.” David Hill, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, said.
It is common for students to focus more on the time aspect of deadlines, rather than what they are actually needing to do by that time, leading many to “do” the assignment, while neglecting the part where they actually absorb the information.
“I’m kind of a procrastinator when it comes to studying, and I don’t know what I’m doing, so I end up leaving it for the last minute,” junior Megan Wiacek said.
When it comes to studying, Hill suggests avoiding trying to memorize the book, but instead, truly thinking about the material being read.
“It’s still a case in our society that people with a really good memory are considered really smart, but it becomes pointless if they can’t use what they remember,” he said.
Many professors share relatively similar views on the importance of deadlines in that they are simply to keep you on track for the course schedule, preparing students for their future careers.
“I really try to reinforce the idea of being in college is for students to become professionals and respecting deadlines is an important aspect of becoming a professional,” PSUC adjunct lecturer Thomas Montanaro said. “By midterms students should already have a pretty good routine and know when they have downtime to do additional studying. You’re here to better yourselves, so do the best that you can, for yourself.”
Although the academic routines students establish such as putting everything in a planner and color coding, there are other factors that are necessary to a students ability to properly function such as eating enough food, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep. The most important thing students can learn to do to keep themselves organized through the rest of their schooling and into their career, is to find a way to balance all of their needs in a way that works the most efficiently for them.
Email Alana Penny at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
