3 hours of studying for each hour of class to do well?

azndude1 · 10-03-2008, 10:32 PM

that's what one of my teachers was saying...is this typically true?

galoisien · 10-03-2008, 10:40 PM

It depends on how you define "studying".

oldelecdude · 10-03-2008, 10:40 PM

no, but that depends on how quickly you can pick up the material, your major, and if you define homework and projects as studying.

sleepyman · 10-03-2008, 11:41 PM

My school is very easy, almost any test so far can be crammable with an hour or two of studying for a day or two before the test, but at orientation all they could talk about was how much more studying you'd have to do than in high school and that you get 3 hours of studying for every hour spend in class...

it all depends on the school.

Lala7819 · 10-03-2008, 11:59 PM

That is the standard 'rule' in college. Many teachers go easier on you (until the end of the semester) and some are much tougher than that. Be prepared to deal with it either way. A few classes into a semester you will be able to tell which classes you need to study/do work for that much, or more; and which ones you can do less for. That is just the guidelines most profs try to go by.

sleeper · 10-04-2008, 12:05 AM

It varies A LOT by what class you're taking. Typically an easy GE class won't take too much effort, while math and science classes tend to take longer to really grasp the material.

randomgrandeur · 10-04-2008, 01:18 AM

Depends on the individual. Some people absorb the material quicker, while others have to take 23984749842 hours just to get down one chapter.

MHC2011 · 10-04-2008, 12:21 PM

Like others said, it really depends. I have some classes where I'll have three hours of reading alone to do for each meeting. For others, I barely need to touch my books. It's a good idea to compare your syllabi at the start of each semester and determine how much effort each course might take. If you think you're going to be completely swamped with work, you might want to make schedule changes.

hikids · 10-04-2008, 01:58 PM

Depends on you, depends on class (and related to class, major).

skp · 10-04-2008, 07:55 PM

Well, I studied two hours every day for about two weeks prior to my chem test and got a D on it, as I used the wrong studying technique. It depends a lot on how you use your time (as I found out, simply writing notes from the book almost ad verbatim in chem is not very helpful).

GoldShadow · 10-05-2008, 02:49 AM

Depends, but I've never followed the rule (I've always done less) and I've been very successful. Personally, I think 3 hours outside of class per hour in class is way too much. I wouldn't have any free time if I did that.

mikemac · 10-06-2008, 01:13 PM

2-3 hours of outside work for every class hour is a rule of thumb. It doesn't apply to every class, and at some schools the rigor isn't that high and perhaps no class will require that or perhaps only a few majors.

Piterbizon · 10-09-2008, 01:53 AM

This varies wildly by class.

CaseSpartan10 · 10-09-2008, 08:49 AM

^^Agreed.

I also found that as a freshman/first sem. sophmore, I studied way more than i needed in order to do just as well in my classes. ie, as a junior, I put in wayy less time, certainly far less than 3 hrs/class hr, and perform at the same level that I did as a freshman.

king bender · 10-09-2008, 06:40 PM

Find a studying technique that works for you, and you can cut hours off your study time. If you're a visual learner, try drawing pictures. I can relate and remember abstract concepts by drawing the most bizarre cartoons that, on the surface, have nothing to do with the material.

This doesn't work so well in math classes though... But seriously, an hour of efficient studying is worth 5+ of "brute force" study.