School and Work - Some Things to Think About
Number of hours in a week: 168
Suppose one is taking a full load of courses (minimally 12 hours of credit); then what follows?
1. This would mean that one is in class a minimum of 12 hours a week.
So 168 - 12 = 156 hours.
2. If one were to consult any number of publications which speak to how one should study at the college -level, that is, recommendations on the amount of time needed for study, all of these guides recommend one should study from 2 to 3 hours per each class hour depending on the course. For reading and writing intensive courses like Philosophy, History, English, Political Science, Psychology, Anthropology, Literature, not to mention Language Studies, well, for nearly all college-level courses, probably 3 hours of study per class hour would be best. Keep in mind, this amount of time is predicated on the idea that one wishes to excel in his or her studies. Mediocre or poor work will require much less time.
So, if one uses the 3 hour suggestion, then if one takes minimally 12 credit hours, one should study up to 36 hours per week. Thus, 156 - 36 = 120 hours.
3. Now, suppose one has a job because one is one’s sole support or because one has managed to find oneself in debt. [Here, I am excluding those individuals who have jobs in order to earn "extra money" for things not necessary or merely for one’s wants.] Let us imagine a worse case scenario. Imagine one works 40 hours a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Then, 120 - 40 = 80 hours.
4. So far what has not been considered are those mundane, everyday things that all people engage in and or have need of, such as sleeping, eating, bathing, transporting oneself to and fro, and leisure activities. If one sleeps the recommended 8 hours a night, what follows is this: 80 - 56 = 24 hours. Now, one has 24 hours leftover to spread over 7 days to do all of those other mundane, everyday things mentioned above.
What is stated above is a recipe for disaster. Thus, the student needs to think carefully about his or her choices, particularly the choice to attend college. Clearly sacrifices will be needed, or the student will not be successful. Now is the time to think, and here one must think about one’s own life and choices because in the end, no one else will do this for you, and after all, it is your life, and it belongs to no one else.