<p>How do those Asian foreign exchange students manage to make 100 on tests?? Do they not have stress or something?? Do they never watch TV?</p>
<p>This whole thread makes me wonder about grad students. They have no lives, right? Do they watch TV? Do we even have any grad students coming to College Confidential? Can you take 6 hours a semester if you want to as a grad student?</p>
<p>blue alien, i dont know what watching tv has to do with anything. I haven't watched TV since elementary school. you can take whatever you want as a grad student. a lot of grad students work full time and just one or two classes a semester.</p>
<p>bluealien:</p>
<p>Re post #39: This is his current high school schedule. He seems to enjoy himself. But he figures that college will be less time-consuming than high school if only because he will be in class for half the time (15 hours or less rather than 30) and he will have greater flexibility in deciding when to do the homework.
One of the biggest problems college freshmen encounter is the lack of structure to their day. They were used to be in class by 8. Now they can hardly get themselves out of bed for a 10 am class. They may have a total of 2-3 hours of class per day instead of the 6 hours they had in high school, and no one to remind them to do their homework. So they do a lot of socializing and get heavily involved in ECs. Many college students fall prey to last minute panic and inefficient cramming.
I'm hoping my S has enough experience with college classes to avoid this particular pitfall.</p>
<p>60 hours a week in high school?? I don't know how anyone could do that, but more power to anyone who can. I freak out over almost everything. I cannot handle stress.</p>
<p>That's the thing, bluealien, he is a laidback kid who does not stress easily. If he were, I would have nixed the college classes. They happen, however, to be the ones that generated the most homework but were also the most enjoyable. A lot of high school is makework and seat time.
The trick is not to allow yourself to get overwhelmed. And part of it is starting things early so that you don't get into panic mode the day before an assignment is due.</p>
<p>I try, but I get overwhelmed the day things are assigned. I hate syllabi. When I look at them to me they say: Look at the stuff you have to do all at once. It takes me forever and a day to do things also.</p>
<p>Define long term memory someone. Do you have to remember everything from every class?? I swear I don't think I have a long term memory.</p>
<p>bluealien:</p>
<p>Are you in college already? One of the good things about college assignments is that they are usually given a week in advance, so you can decide when to tackle them. For example, my S last semester had problem sets that were due on Wednesday and Thursday each week. He did them on Saturdays because weekday afternoons were devoted to his ECs or just socializing and weekday evenings he had to do high school homework that invariably was handed out the day before it was due. Doing the problems early also allowed him to feel he could revisit them if he was stuck or check the accuracy and completeness of his answers over the next few days. It gave him great peace of mind that he would not have had if he had spent the same amount of time on the problems, but done so the day before the problems were due.
You can get overwhelmed if you see that you've been assigned 200 pages to read. But if you break down the assignment and do not attempt to do all that reading in one sitting, it becomes more manageable.</p>
<p>Just some random and assorted thoughts that I have after skimming this thread:</p>
<p>I'd have to agree that by far the major determinant in workload and stress in the individual student. Even so, I can't spend all day studying, so I like to keep myself occupied with other activities as well. </p>
<p>currently, I'm involved in a DivI Varisty sport which occupies 15hrs a week plus weekends gone for traveling, doing research in a lab approx 20 hrs a week, starting up a student organization on campus, and taking 4 high level science classes (I'm getting both a bs and a masters when I graduate). </p>
<p>My parents have always told me that in college you have the three S's. Sleep. Study. Socializing. Choose two. </p>
<p>In response to marite:</p>
<p>just because we're in college now doesn't mean we suddenly have enormours amounts of free time. Sure, classes take up much less time, but the amount of work that you need to do for each class is much more. Additionally, the speed at which the material is covered is also much greater. When I first got to college, I also thought it'd be a breeze, because in high school I rarely studied and did homework, was heavily involved in extracurrics, and took 11 APs during that time. What couldn't I handle? However, my first semester at college proved to me just how wrong I was. College was a major adjustment for me. The source of the problem really isn't in finding time to study, but in finding time to do what you are passionate about. There is so much to do in college and while we are there to learn, its not what college is all about. It's just that in finding these activities, you usually take from your time for studying.</p>
<p>Susan- Congrats to your D and her teammates! Please do keep us posted.</p>
<p>chyln:</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>It's just that in finding these activities, you usually take from your time for studying.>></p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Well, yes, exactly. And that's why you need to prioritize.</p>
<p>I am fully aware of college students workload--I have 30+ years' experience.</p>
<p>My S's workweek is based on his two college courses, plus 2 APs, plus one senior English class, plus two advanced foreign languages. When he gets to college, he will have 4 classes per term, the equivalent of his two college classes plus two APs. That's three fewer classes.</p>
<p>I still agree with Marite...college courses are a LOT of work but still you are IN class for far less hours than in high school, thus allowing more hours for homework (on top of ECs and social time). </p>
<p>Kissy, I am sorry to hijack but thank you for your good wishes. My daughter never dreamt she would go this far this year on her college team because this particular team is made up of such top racers who come out of specialized academies (most do, but not her). She was happy to even be on the squad and chosen to race each week (never felt sure at the start of the season if she would be in the "line up" for a particular race as there were so many good kids). But she just has done very well individually and seems to be able to compete in this grouping. Her team has a lot of depth. While she may have been higher up the ladder within her team had she gone to one of her other schools such as Smith, her entire team at Brown as a team is better. Smith did not make into in the regional championships, for example. Anyway, she has done better than expected but also unfortunately two top girls on her team got injured and are out the remainder of the season, which also played a factor in her moving up. But they can only enter five racers in the regional championships and she did make that roster in Giant Slalom for Brown. They are taking seven girls but only five can race in each event and she is grateful to be chosen because they are all so good. But her team is poised to go to Nationals in Idaho and that is something she never expected to do (individually, though knew the team was in contention) and I believe they are making plans to go (pending this weekend's outcome) and she will represent Brown in Giant Slalom. She has never skied out west, something she has always wanted to do. It is kinda like a free ski "vacation", lol. Even so, I know she will be concerned to miss a full week of classes, something she would never normally want to do. And then she will have to take work with her which will be difficult as they will be up early each day on the mountain and it is also a social time but I am sure other kids will be bringing along work. Even today, a day she is AT school, she had to get up at 5:15 AM to go out of state in MA to train all morning. That is an ungodly hour for a college student so you gotta love it. She has class tonight too. I know she time manages well and I am sure it is all worth it to her. It has been a really exciting time. </p>
<p>I am missing this race as I am heading to PA to take my other D to two college auditions tomorrow. My hubby wants me to go to Idaho to see her race but I think that is an expense we cannot afford when I have all these college trips with my other D. </p>
<p>I would love to hear news of your D too.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Susan:</p>
<p>Wow! Congrats and good luck to both your Ds.</p>
<p>marite:</p>
<p>the point that I was trying to make is that classes in college actually do take up more time than classes in high school, even though you are spending less of that time in the classroom. I can assure you that in most colleges, the workload will far exceed what AP classes will require you to do, in fact, while AP classes do prepare you for the subject matter, they don't prepare you to take college level classes at all! </p>
<p>the fact of the matter is that the number of classes has absolutely no effect on how much free time you have, classwork constitutes a minimal amount of the time most people spend in college, its the other activities that makes colllege worthwhile.</p>
<p>Chyln....college may very well have more study hours needed than high school. But talking of what I see in my own kid's case...In HS, she had to go to classes for 6 1/2 hours per day. She averaged 4 hours of homework per weeknight and about 10 hours per weekend. Her ECs took from 20-30 hours per week. Now, in college, the class time averages 3 hours per day. So, even if her homework were to be doubled (and I know it is not), she'd have 8 hours per night but gained 3 1/2 hours per day NOT in class that she had in HS. Right now, my D's EC hours as a freshman in college are about 12 hours midweek and away all weekend. She was busy in high school and she is busy now. The work load may be heavier, not sure, but even if it is, there are more hours in the day available than she had before, to do it. There is more flexibility too when you are not IN class for 6 1/2 hours each day, in terms of time management. </p>
<p>I understand your point that your AP classes did not prepare you for the college classes in terms of type of work (not speaking of subject matter) but that was not the case for my kid. Our HS did not offer many APs, we mostly had Honors Classes though in her last year, they changed five classes at school to the AP designation but they don't seem to do the strict AP styles courses that I read of others speaking of on here. They don't teach to tests. Rather there is a lot of reading and writing. My D feels prepared for college style work. Her HS work was of a similar nature. And that is coming from a rural public high school. </p>
<p>So, some of these opinions about all this stuff has to do with both the individual.....backgrounds....perspectives, etc.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>chyln:</p>
<p>Please do not lecture me about college workload. I can assure you that I know far more about this issue than you. </p>
<p>Let me draw a standard college schedule:
4 classes, each at 3 hours: 12
assuming that each hour of class produces 3 hours of homework (recommended ratio), total homework hours: 36
Total study time: 48. </p>
<p>This is close to the schedule reported for Cornell students. </p>
<p>I grant you that AP classes are not as challenging as college classes. But there is no getting around the fact that the high school week is 30 hours (I'm not including the half hour per day set aside for lunch). My S's college classes are on top of these 30 hours, and the homework for the college classes are on top of the high school homework. Currently, he has 36 hours of classes, 3 times the standard college schedule. I am not counting time spent on homework. Next year, he will have perhaps 20 fewer hours of class time than he currently has. No wonder he is looking forward to being in college. He does not do so out of ignorance but out of experience over the last 2.5 years.</p>
<p>when i say that AP classes don't prepare you for classes in college, I'm referring to the fact that AP classes meet every day of the week, whereas college classes for the most part only meet twice or three times a week. So you cover a lot more material on your own and are under less 'guidance'. </p>
<p>my main point wasn't that college gives you less time to do school work, but with the activities that most people get involved with in college and all the other opportunities, school work is just one of the things that is considered 'work'. The increase in 'workload' isn't from the increase in schoolwork, but a general increase in the amount of activities and their associated 'work' that you are responsible for.</p>
<p>marite - i have taken 18 credits every single semester, and probably spent 60 hours a week on school, Plus working my job, plus my clubs on top of that. </p>
<p>I posted projections for what i thought i'd do this week, but I was wrong.. here goes again</p>
<p>WORK (2+3+2+3=10 hours)
CLASSES ( 3+3+3+3 =12 hours)
CLUBS (3+1+3=7 hours)
GROUP MEETINGS (2+3+4=9 hours)
HOMEWORK/STUDYING (6+7+6+6+whatever I do tomorrow.. probably another 4 or 5 =29-30 hours)</p>
<p>SO just for school related things I worked 50-51 hours.. plus 10 hours of work, and 7 hours of club.. which totals 68 hours this week in 5 days, which is over 12 hours per day. Plus that's not including driving time to get to and from work, or time to walk to and from classes. I usually am booked solid from 8 am till 10pm or so. (i have a little planner that i have to pencil everything into.. including when to eat lunch/dinner..) And that's for 12 credits. (and no, i'm not exagerating any of this, you could ask my roommates ;))</p>
<p>On a happy note, i leave saturday morning for spring break! I'm hoping to get a ton of work done tomorrow so i wont be sitting on the beach in florida with my laptop!</p>
<p>Does everyone spend that much time on classes/work/ECs, fendergirl? What is the average number of credits that people take at your college?</p>