Serious question. How many hours a week do you spend studying?

Admiral
Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:47:58 +0000

Hi BaddyCaddy09,

I’ll have to give the world’s most boring answer- it depends. It depends on your concentration, it depends on the semester, it depends on your class selection, and it depends on how well you want to do.

I myself have had both extraordinarily busy semesters (in which I had perhaps 5-10 hours a WEEK free outside of work and sleep) and extraordinarily laid back semesters (in which I simply took off some weekdays and did nothing but hang out and watch television). And within a semester it can vary greatly- I’ve had weeks where I had literally no assignments due and weeks in which it felt like every class was piling on whatever they could.

I CERTAINLY have had friends that are “social butterflies,” and spend only a small fraction of their time on schoolwork. Though I should note that just because some students prefer to spend less time on schoolwork doesn’t mean they aren’t being productive- many become involved in sports, extracurriculars, jobs, whatever.

Most importantly, this does not apply to Harvard alone. At any college you can find courses and majors that will take up all your time, or you can plan your undergraduate experience such that you have a lot of time free.

Good luck in your application!