Skip straight to: 25/35 Details for Students & Parents | Study Success Printouts | 25/35 Details for Faculty

 

The Issue: Most College Students Don't Study Enough

High school students don’t study very much, but they are really busy with school and activities. Informal group surveys of Cal Poly freshmen suggest that most studied only 3-5 hours per week in high school. This is consistent with two national surveys:

A 1997 Brookings Institute paper reported that high school students studied an average of 19 minutes per night

The 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) reports that 55% of high school students study three or less hours per week and only 8% study 10 hours per week

However, Cal Poly freshmen say they averaged at least 15 hours/week in other activities in high school such as sports, music, publications, or employment. Considering that these students were in class 30 hours a week (5 days, six periods) as high school students, they were quite busy managing a 50 hour work week.

College students increase their study relative to high school, but still fall far short of what is needed: National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) studies show that around 45% of college students spend 10 hours a week or less studying, and only 11% study 25 hours per week or more.

Most new freshmen have no idea what the study expectations are in college. They may triple or quadruple their high school efforts and feel good because they had never studied so much. But this is not nearly enough in college. Freshmen entering Cal Poly experience quite a change. Instead of being in class 30 hours a week as in high school, class and lab time runs 15-20 hours per week. Most have not picked up an extracurricular activity. They have at least 25 hours of newly discovered time they didn't have in high school. Anecdotally, I find that many students may proudly triple or quadruple the hours they studied in high school upon entering college. Even though this may total only 10-15 hours a week, they feel good about what they are doing as they have never independently studied this much before. Yet their total time in class and studying adds to only around 30 hours per week - not even a full time job, not even as many academic hours as in high school.

Study Guides and Printouts for Student Success

At Cal Poly, the most successful students are on the 25/35 study plan. Click here to visit the COSAM Academic Success web page and download study guides, study tips and more.

back to top

Faculty Contributions to the 25-35 Program

Together we can significantly influence the academic environment. Every classroom can be a mini-University 101 academic orientation type experience but in a course and with an instructor in which the student will invest time and energy. Together we can present a common 25-35 study message focused on developing an academic work ethic. Individually we can present strategies and philosophies on learning from our own points of view. Following are some ideas for classes with new students for your consideration. Please also consider modifying this program to fit any classes of continuing students you might be teaching. Please post a 25-35 sign outside of your office.

First Class Meeting

Hold up a 25-35 sign. Talk about the privilege and responsibilities of attending college (less than 25% of the United States population and only 1% of the world's population has a college degree). Explain your academic expectations and give guidance on how to meet them successfully. Describe how to use 8-10 hours a week studying for your course. Explain what learning is and how to know if one has good understanding and has really mastered course material.

Course Syllabus

Provide a clear, complete, informative course syllabus. Make sure there is a section on academic expectations and how to accomplish. It is especially important that our new freshmen have clear and informative course syllabi. Please consider a brief section on how students might use 2hrs/unit/wk in your course, why it is important, and how to know if they are truly learning.

Early and Frequent Grading Experiences

Please help your students understand what to expect on an exam and how to study for success. Don't let your exams be a mystery. An early grading experience will give students the opportunity to analyze their study strategies and make adjustments. Frequent grading experiences (quizzes) give students multiple opportunities to understand their responsibilities without losing the opportunity for a decent grade.

Encouragement and Guidance throughout the Quarter

Take time frequently to ask students how things are going and let them know that you care. Continually provide guidance for studying and learning. Perhaps take a minute weekly to ask how their adjustment to college, independence, and new surroundings is going and whether they really are accepting the responsibilities of studying, i.e. 25-35 hours per week. New students, probably more than others, need to know that you personally care about their welfare and success so please make sure they know this throughout the quarter.

The 25-35 Implementation Timeline

Spreading the 25-35 Word: Obsession on Saturation

Here is what we do in the College of Science and Mathematics; other colleges have variations on this plan but the main items are similar.

Open House in April: briefly mention 25-35 in all college/department meetings for prospective students. Display 25-35 banners. Show you care.

Summer Advising: display signs and banners. Introduce 25-35 program to new students and accompanying parents.

August Mailing to New Students: includes yellow 25-35 poster, letter from the dean, four page pamphlet on studying and learning, list of offices/phones for student services and advising; memo on alcohol abuse; study log.

August Mailing to Parents of New Freshmen: includes yellow 25-35 refrigerator magnet, letter to parents asking them to put the magnet on the refrigerator for the rest of the summer; copy of letter to students.

Moving into the Residence Halls: lobbies of each residence hall display a 2x3 feet 25-35 banner and lots of the yellow 8.5x11 inches 25-35 posters. A 25-35 poster and refrigerator magnet are placed on each student bed before they arrived.

Fall Launch and Week-of-Welcome: WOW counselors talk 25-35 throughout week. 25-35 is part of the academic day message at college and department levels. Yellow 25-35 banners and posters are displayed in meeting sites.

Fall Quarter, First Week of Classes: display yellow 25-35 banners around campus. Yellow posters placed on bulletin boards outside faculty and department offices, in labs and lecture rooms. Faculty members implement their roles in the 25-35 program (see next section).

Fall Quarter, Third Week of Classes: email to all new freshmen encouraging them to evaluate their efforts, check actual study hours against 25-35 advice, and focus on preparation for their first set of exams.

Winter Quarter, First Day of Classes: email to new freshmen describing how their class did the first quarter. Reminder of 25-35 advice. Focus on continuity in studying and learning. Encouragement to further find that new maturity that leads to intellectual achievement and student success.

Active faculty participation in Cal Poly's 25-35 program is essential. The heart of the 25-35 program is in the classroom and your participation is very important. Please take a few minutes to read the program rationale above and the action items below that are integral to improving success of the program.

By the time classes start, 25-35 is very familiar to students. Some take it seriously, others joke, but it is on everyone's minds. The substance of the program, however, is in the classrooms, especially those populated by new students. Each course has an on-going component that might be compared to the academic part of a University 101 freshmen orientation course. The new students will hear 25-35 and a guiding and encouraging academic message from different instructor perspectives in each course and lab that they take.

back to top