The first few weeks back at school can be overwhelming to say the least. Some may enjoy the parties and carefree lifestyle of syllabus week and not having any homework. However, more and more frequently are professors bypassing the whole “take the entire first two classes to go over what we’ll be doing this semester” method and jumping headfirst into content and assignments immediately. Less than a month into the semester and I couldn’t help but notice a trend amongst some of the comments I’ve heard regarding my peers’ professors and even some of my own. Some of the remarks include things about unusually high expectations and large time commitments for single classes. I’ve even had a professor who insisted that we do not bring up documents or readings—ones that can range anywhere from 10 to 50 pages—on our computers, but rather print them out. When you’re free print quota is 100 pages per semester, it’s pretty simple to do the math and realize that unless you have your own printer, you’ll be exceeding your quota very quickly. I’m all for diving into the material right away and having high expectations placed upon me. I think a decent challenge is good for students to keep them on their toes, but what I don’t think is appropriate is when a professor seems to think that his or her class is the only thing that matters. That is where I draw the line.

It’s understandable that as college students, we should be held to a higher standard of accountability than we were in high school. That is a given. With more independence comes more responsibility. However, professors seem to forget that our lives as college students do not revolve solely around their individual classes. I don’t know how many times a professor has told a class “expect to have around 2 hours of homework or more per class.” That could consist of readings, problem sets, study guide questions, lab write ups, papers, or a combination of them. But then take into account the fact that your average college student is taking somewhere between 15 and 20 credits—four to five classes—each semester. So when the professor assigns around 2 hours of homework for every class—give or take 30 minutes—that can very quickly add up to 8 to 10 hours of a college student’s time, multiple times a week. The argument could be made that because most college courses take place on an alternating schedule, meaning they’re only meeting two or three times a week instead of everyday, that it should actually be easier to get homework done. But just because a student has an extra day to complete the 80 pages of reading and 20-something physics problems does not make his or her workload any lighter, when just as quickly as the due dates approach, new assignments are getting loaded on.

Professors also often overlook the fact that many full time college students are also part time employees elsewhere; spending a large chunk of the free time they do have working for the university or an outside business, just trying to make a dent in the student loans they’re going to have to repay after graduating. And although it is never a requirement to bite off more than they can chew, a large portion of students are also involved with clubs, organizations, sports teams, and other groups either through or outside their school. Many employers look to see that a recent graduate and potential candidate for a position has experience, leadership qualities, volunteer work, etc as well as a degree, so how can a professor tell his or her students that the homework for their specific class should be their number one priority when grades only make up part of the full package that people are looking for?

I understand that the need for commitment to academics is indisputable at the college level. Grade point averages equal scholarships and scholarships equal being able to afford the education itself and so forth. I understand that the professors probably stress the importance of homework to students because understanding the concepts and lessons they’re teaching is an integral part of taking the course. What I don’t think they understand is that the extremely competitive world that exists outside their offices today, requires students to be so much more than just students. It requires them to be secretaries, youth group leaders, babysitters, team captains, board members, waiters, mentors, and more. At least if they want to have a good shot at a job.

Fortunately not all professors are like this. The best professors are the ones who understand the demanding schedules of their students and work with them, dedicating time to helping them succeed, rather than against them. And for those of you who have professors that try to convince you that your world revolves around them, it doesn’t. And you’re not alone.