#tomato timer

Not having enough time for homework or studying is a frequent complaint from college students all across the country. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you don’t find/make the time, you’re not going to succeed in school, or at least reach your maximum potential. Here are some tips and tricks about how much time you should be spending studying and how to make time for school work.

How much time should I spend?

This answer greatly varies on what kind of grades you want, the difficulty of the class, and how fast you read and write. But the general “recommended” amount of time is 2-3 hours per credit each week. So for your typical 4 credit college course, you ought to be spending 8-12 hours preparing for it a week. This semester I am taking 18 credits, so I expect to be spending roughly 54 hours a week studying, prepping, and doing homework. Yes, that is ALOT, but you have to put the time in if you expect to see results.

But, there are too many distractions.

In order to be able to better focus and study, I recommend using the Pomodoro method and taking frequent, short breaks. For my explanation of how to use the Pomodoro method, check out my previous blog post about it.

Utilize Your Time Wisely 

Use those minutes before class, and the small blocks of time between classes and activities to get more assignments done, and fit in more study time. Just make sure to make it to your next class on time!