Although Kansas State does not have a universally recommended amount of study hours, the individual colleges within K-State have their own guidelines on how students may study best.
“I would say that for each credit hour that I am in, I would have to study at least three hours outside of class,” said Samantha Wright, sophomore in education.
Wright said if she does not follow that guideline — which she said is the amount of studying the College of Education recommends — her grades will slip at times, so she tries her hardest to study for every credit hour she is in.
However, other colleges may recommend more studying. Isabella Cesarone, sophomore in chemical engineering, said engineering majors are told they should study five hours for each credit hour they are in.
“It is really more like seven hours when I have a test that week, but on just a normal week, it is roughly five hours,” Cesarone said.
Nicole Sanchez, sophomore in advertising, said study hours vary for each class that she needs to study for, and that some classes do not necessarily require students to study the recommended amount.
Some professors do not always tell students how many hours to study outside of class for major-focused courses.
“I have never been told how many hours outside of class I should study for each class that I am in,” said Lauren Goralczyk, junior in finance. “It is more of however long it takes me to get the work done I have, or however long I feel like I need to study for a test.”
Other students do not follow recommended study hours. They feel that for some classes, they are still able to get a good grade without studying the recommended hours, Sanchez said.
“I have never studied the recommended amount for my classes, and I have never received a grade I was torn about,” Sanchez said.
According to New Student Services, some students may be better able to understand the material that is given in class, on assignments and on tests. The website cites how differences in students’ learning styles factor into how much outside studying students actually put in.
Another factor is that some students’ learning setbacks, like dyslexia or ADHD, mean they have to put more effort into studying outside of class.
