Hey all. I’m Maggie B., class of 2011 and SRF student. I’m an Environmental Geosciences major and Political Science minor from Paris, Illinois. For the last three years, I’ve been involved with a variety of environmental programming at DePauw, including DePauw Environmental Club and Energy Wars. I am currently an undergraduate Sustainability Intern working on DePauw’s Climate Action Plan and various worm composting projects. I love to travel. In Fall 2009 I studied geology in New Zealand and backpacked across the country. After finals, I am flying to San Francisco for the American Geophysical Union Conference and this January, I am going to China for a DePauw Winter Term trip! I am currently applying to graduate schools, all of which are outside the Midwest. After graduation, I would like to pursue a career in polar climate studies.
Archive for November 27, 2010
By: Maggie B.
Thanksgiving is over. What does that mean for DePauw students? For most of us the end of Thanksgiving break is a harbinger of bad things — an unrelenting workload, a gratuitous amount of petty assignments, and fast-approaching due dates. DePauw students only have two weeks of class left before finals (Or in my case, I have two weeks of class left, including finals! Eeek!) In the upcoming days, we will all be faced with a difficult decision: sleep or continue studying?
It is no surprise that college students have a problem with sleep deprivation. Even for the students with time-management skills, it is difficult finish all tasks with time to spare for eight hours of sleep. But how does sleep deprivation affect our overall academic performance?
A recent study from the University of Minnesota attempts to answer that question. (Lowry, 2010).
The study examined the relationship between GPA and sleep, in terms of quantity and quality. Surveys were given to students at the University of Minnesota in order to assess levels of sleep deprivation. Six variables were analayzed: 1. sleep quality as assessed by the Groninger Sleep Quality Questionnaire 2. academic success 3. the number of nights spent with less than five hours of sleep during the past week 4. the number of nights spent with less than five hours of sleep during an average week 5. The number of hours of sleep obtained in an average night 6. the number of “all-nighter’s” the students had pulled in the past year.
To no surprise, the results of the study show that quantity of sleep is significantly related to academic success. The average amount of sleep a student receives per night is positively correlated with GPA. In addition, the number of nights per week a student receives less than five hours of sleep is negatively correlated with GPA. The study did not find any correlations with sleep quality and GPA.
However, the study found no correlation between GPA and the number of all-nighters in the last year.
Another study (Trockel, et al. 2000). found that wake-up time was the most important factor in academic success. In this study, the authors looked at the affects of several variables to GPA. The survey included a random sample of 200 first-year students living in dorms at a large university. The study looked at exercise, eating habits, sleep habits, perceived stress, time management, social support, spiritual habits, number hours of work per week and gender.
Results showed that sleep habits accounted for the largest variance in GPA. In fact, wake-up time seemed to be highly correlated with academic performance. Later wake-up times were associated with lower grades. The number of work hours (job or volunteer related) was also associated with lower GPAs.
So why are college students not sleeping? It may have to do with the workload. It may have to do with procrastination. A 1984 study (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984) showed that most students procrastinate and those who do procrastinate, procrastinate frequently!
The study, conducted at the University of Vermont, investigated the frequency of college students’ procrastination on academic tasks and the reasons for procrastination behavior. In a study of 342 students, 46% said they always procrastinate on term papers, 28% procrastinate on studying for exams, and 30% procrastinate on reading weekly assignments.
Most students self-reported procrastination as a result of aversion. In other words, the study found that most students put off work because they don’t like it. The study also found that aversion correlated significantly with depression, irrational cognitions, and low-self esteem, indicating that procrastination is not only caused by bad study habits or time management, but also involves the complex interactions of cognitive and behavioral characteristics.
Side note: First-year students are less likely to procrastinate than seniors! (Semb, et al. 1979).
My advice for finals week: Get consistent sleep and wake up early during the last three weeks of the semester! Also, use your time wisely. If you choose to procrastinate, take naps! Good luck with finals and try to stay happy and productive.
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References
Lowry, Megan, et al. (2010). “The Link Between Sleep Quantity and Acadmeic Performance for the College Student.” The University of Minnesota Undergraduate Journal of Psycology. Vol 3. 16-9.
Semb, G., Glick, D.M., and Spencer, R.E.. (1979). “Student Withdrawals and Delayed Work Patterns in Self-paced Psycology Courses.” Teaching of Psychology.
Solomon, Laura J. and Rothblum, Esther D.. (1984). “Academic Procrastination: Frequency and Cognitive-Behavior Correlates.” Journal of Cognitive Psycology Vol. 33 No. 4. 503-9.
Trockel, Mickey T., Barnes, Michael D., Egget, Dennis L.. (2000). “Health-related Variable and Academic Performance Among First-year College Students: Implications for Sleep and Other Behaviors.” Journal of American College Health. Vol. 49 Num. 3. 125-31.
B.A.'s of Science 