How Much Should You Study In College?

You’ve undoubtedly heard plenty of stories about college students staying up until all hours of the night in attempt to study for some big exam the next day. Between all the coffee consumed and spaced-out states of conscious experienced the next day, it hardly sounds like an enviable undertaking. Yet, it’s inevitable for all college students, right? You’ll be stuck staying up extra late in preparation for a test the next day at least a few times during college.

The best answer, realistically speaking, is: probably. Even if you’re diligent about studying

and don’t procrastinate, since college life will have you busy, there will most likely be an occasion or two when you have to stay up the whole night or almost the whole night to cram in your studying. It sounds obvious then that plenty of studying is required to succeed in college. While that’s true, the extent of studying required shouldn’t frighten you, because if you take the right steps, you’ll be well prepared, even without suffering through an all-nighter the night before.

While we could tell you about the benefits of studying steadily as opposed to trying to cram everything in in one night, you can probably figure those out on your own. You simply won’t study your best six hours in at 3 a.m., no matter how much coffee you’ve consumed. But the amount of studying needed in the first place can vary. Don’t think that there’s some secret formula to succeeding in college without ever studying, because there isn’t. Yet by studying effectively, you won’t need to study as much.

The first step to studying is actually undertaken right while you’re in class. If you look around the classroom, whether it’s a big lecture or a small class, you’ll be surprised to see how many students are just sitting there or are doodling or even playing computer games! If you want to study more effectively and ultimately study less, you should be taking notes. By writing something down, you’ll be naturally more inclined to remember it. And, while this is obvious, you’ll need your notes to study later on.

You’ll hear many professors tell you that it’s best to review your notes shortly after they’re taken. So many say this because it’s, well, true. If you review, even if only for a few minutes, after you’ve taken notes in a lecture, you’ll help build a better foundation for remembering material. This results in less time spent studying before the big test and also makes you feel more prepared as you go. By staying up on your notes and the material, you’ll also follow along more easily with consecutive coursework. Like any class, the material builds on itself. So by staying attuned to the basics and last week’s material, you’ll be ready for the new stuff.

While it’s tough to put an exact number on how many hours you’ll need to study per class, there’s another way to lessen the overall time spent: do your reading! Teachers will constantly bring this up as well. Once again, there’s a reason for that: it works. By doing the reading for a class, you’ll be more familiar with the material presented in a lecture. No, you won’t be able to read a couple dozen pages and magically be an expert on a topic, but you will be better prepared for the next lecture and you’ll gain only more familiarity with the subject. When review and study time come around, you’ll ultimately be better prepared and know your stuff better thanks to the reading.