College expectations overwhelming for some

by Sawyer Thomas, staff writer

Sometimes when I’m at home at night trying to focus on doing homework for four different classes, I wonder if the teachers secretly meet up to assign homework and quizzes on the same day.  

I recently had two tests on this one Tuesday, in speech and college algebra.  Granted, I didn’t study for either of them, and I did very poorly, making a not-so-great grade in college algebra.  But I did well on my speech test, an 87.

So, the question I pose is this: should we study less for some classes and more for others?  The general rule is that for every college hour you take, you are supposed to study at least two hours for that class.  Who has that kind of time?  I speak to all of you who are full-time students AND full-time employees at your respective jobs.  If I had more free time, I imagine that I would study, and considering what I made on my algebra test, I think I will start studying more for that class.

It boggles my mind that I can go without studying in speech, which is a somewhat challenging class, and I have to study intensely in psychology and algebra.  Maybe it is because my brain is tuned to learn certain things easily, and other things are much more difficult.  Numbers and things like that are so much harder than things dealing with communication and creativity. 

I’m just bothered that the pace of the homework, quizzes, and tests are so quick, although I guess that since we are in college now, and not in high school, that we need to step it up a notch.  Despite what I wrote previously about being horrible at guitar, I did make a 19 out of 20 on my quiz, so I am improving thanks to Brent Wheeler’s encouragement.

One thing that I can say with absolute certainty, which is in no way related to the way that my teachers teach the material, is the fact that I am lazy and that I don’t study as much as I should.  I go to class like I should, and take copious notes, but it seems that after all the note-taking, I can’t seem to make the transition to homework and quizzes. Something is getting lost in translation.  I can honestly sit down at home and be doing my homework, review my notes and they don’t make any sense.  I can’t apply what I’ve written in my notes to what I’m doing in my homework.

I guess these are just the frustrations of the mounting homework that are finally having a chance to surface.  I just wish that all the information that was required to do the homework and the notes that were written by the instructor were posted somewhere so that way we can reference them while doing homework and be more successful college students.

Another obstacle that presents itself is the time.  I work 30 hours a week and go to school for 16 hours.  All along, I am attempting to find time to study for two hours per class.  Where is somebody supposed to get the time to do that?  Pull minutes or hours from the time tree? 

I think that instructors should always take into consideration the fact that not all of us are on grants, and not all of us are here on mommy and daddy’s money.  I have to work to go to school, because I don’t qualify for grants or scholarships, and my parents don’t wish to help me.  I can’t drop out of college, but I can’t quit work either.

I feel that sometimes instructors are a little insensitive to everyone’s unique situation.  But, on the other hand, I do recognize that if instructors paid attention to all the situations that arise with all of their students, they wouldn’t be able to conduct business.  They could never have class, and never assign homework.  But I do feel that they could take a more positive approach to handling those types of situations.

All in all, school is hard.  I just need to buck up, get over it, and get everything done.  I am doing much better this semester since I quit partying, and I am studying more than I ever have in my life, even getting all of my homework done.  It just seems that I would have to give up working and any social relationship that I have just to pass algebra.

I also think that instructors shouldn’t get frustrated whenever the class isn’t performing up to par.  It is just as frustrating for us as it is for them.  If I don’t pass my classes, then I don’t get to come back to college.  So, at times, I can get just as frustrated as instructors do.

This isn’t blasting any instructors, and is not intended as a attack at the education system at South Plains College (I don’t want to have to print another retraction, so I thought I would include it in the article.)  I’m just saying that I’m frustrated, and I’m working hard as I can to pass.

I just want people to work with me, while I work out the way that I study and the way that I learn.  Not everybody learns the same, and I think that some instructors need tot take that into consideration.  Not all of us graduated in the top 5 percent of our class, you know.