I’m sitting in my room, notebooks open, scrolling through class slides, flipping through flashcards, asking ChatGPT to make even more practice problems. We’ve all been there. The grind right before the test. And suddenly, I have an epiphany: studying is the worst. Personally, it is my least favorite part of school by far. To me, it feels daunting, unexciting, and simply tedious, even more so than writing a 10-page history essay! After some reflection, I think I finally understand why. 

To start, studying has no explicitly set goal. The result of studying is that you have more knowledge of a topic, but it’s not something that you can easily see. By contrast, once I’ve finished my math homework, I can hold up my graph paper and show it to someone. I can say, “Here, look, I did my math homework, and here’s the proof.” There’s a certain satisfaction in completing tasks that have tangible results. But with studying, the only “assignment” that is turned in is the test, not any of the preparation. Your grade is solely determined by your performance during the test, not the hours spent making a study guide, re-taking notes, and doing practice problems put in beforehand. Alternatively, when reading an article for history, even if I don’t need to take notes, I still come out of the experience knowing information I haven’t known before. There is a specific (slightly nerdy) satisfaction in discovering something new. However, studying is a review of topics that have already been covered. Ultimately, when studying, it is harder for me to find value in the task at hand without learning new knowledge. 

Even when you do study, there is no guarantee that it will pay off: there is no clear line between studying and academic success. While it makes sense that studying should lead to better grades, it is never a guarantee. Studying certainly helps, but it can’t stop the silly mistakes or the unpredictable headache that ruins your focus. There is no formula that says, “Three hours equals an 85. Four hours equals a 90.” To illustrate, in any class, there are four main types of scorers: the person who studied for hours and aced it, the one who didn’t study and still aced it, the one who studied hard and failed, and the one who didn’t study and failed. I usually fall in the middle of this spectrum. Still, the constant uncertainty around studying can be infuriating, especially when your score does not accurately reflect your knowledge. 

What’s worse, the studying never really ends; there is always more studying to be done. You can always do more practice problems, review your notes again, or do another round of flashcards. Hence, there is a lack of fulfillment in the task, as it is seemingly never-ending. Homework, at least, has a finish line. Once you’re done, you’re done— it has a definitive end. You usually would not redo an entire homework packet before turning it in, but you probably would when studying. There is no such thing as “too much studying,” and looking at the endless possibilities can lead to burnout. Not knowing when to stop can make even the idea of studying scary! It can get monotonous fast…which probably explains my dislike of studying! 

By now, my personal opinion on studying is clear, but beyond my own reluctance to study, what does this mean in the greater context of the school? I do not think in the slightest that teachers should stop giving assessments (but if they really, really wanted to, I don’t think anyone would complain…) or that students should stop studying. While the mantra “I hate studying” is often repeated, the roots of the issues are rarely discussed. After personal reflection, I think the best way to address the daunting task is to analyze the small things —the micro-stressors —that add up. With that said, I am by no means an expert in study motivation, and while these strategies work for me, knowing your habits and weaknesses is key to addressing them. I know that since understanding why I avoid studying, I have been able to adopt strategies that work better for me. Ultimately, studying is an unavoidable part of school, so we might as well optimize it. Happy studying!