Professors test college students’ knowledge with homework, essays, tests and exams. Every course comes with different due dates.
As a result, some students learn cramming, the act of studying intensly over a short period of time just before an examination.
Jason Malana, sophomore criminal justice major, crams for his courses as a result of the vast amount of material presented in each subject.
“I need to prioritize my assignments so I can get more done as early as possible,” Malana said.
For Amy Nugent, junior liberal studies major, cramming is a result of putting school work off to socialize and go to numerous school events.
If she is familiar or has previous knowledge of the subject, Nugent will prioritize social events.
“I mainly cram for subjects where I already know some of the information,” Nugent said.
Some students cram because their schedule is full, leaving little time to complete their schoolwork.
Jasmine Cruz, sophomore marketing major, is a fulltime student and works over 25 hours a week as an optical assistant and sales associate at Optique Optometry.
Although Cruz values both her education and job, at times she finds herself flustered with everything she needs to accomplish in a day.
“My schedule is so packed I don’t really have time,” Cruz said. “I manage my time as best as possible and know my priorities so I can plan my day accordingly.”
For Jonathon Lucas, sophomore criminal justice major, cramming is not always a negative method to studying.
Lucas said that cramming forces him to stay focused and disciplined when he is studying for an upcoming exam or assignment.
“I find myself producing the best work when I am under high stress or pressured to finished (assignments) quickly,” Lucas said.
Other students cram to satisfy new due dates made by professors following vacations from school.
Matthew L. Ching, junior physical therapy major, received an email from a professor explaining that a research paper was to be turned in sooner than expected, due to a mistake on the course syllabus. This forced Ching to cram for his paper; it was involuntary procrastination.
Ching, returning from Thanksgiving break, had to cram to begin researching and writing the paper.
“The paper was pushed up two whole days, so I had less time to complete it,” Ching said. “I had to use any time I had available to sit down and write this paper before it was late.”
Cramming occurs whether a student has a busy schedule or even if the student has enough time to complete assignments. Others work well when they cram while others do not.
