Hours spent studying

jess.mont, ADN, RN · Sep 29, 2018

For me, it's about 20 hours a week with studying and procedure prep.

SDboyy · Sep 29, 2018

The general rule is to expect to study 2-3 hours per week outside of class for every unit of in-class time. So for a typical 4 unit class, this would be 8-12 hours of additional time per week, per class. I think most students who do well find themselves somewhere in this range, probably on the lower-side, to be honest, as there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do more, if you want to eat, sleep, etc. I haven't looked at ADN programs recently, but 18 months and 11 week quarters, while do-able, would be a roller-coaster ride. I would expect to cry alot.

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Sep 30, 2018

You study until you've learned enough that you're comfortable with the information. Not enough, it's obvious what happens. Too much, and you get burned out and start procrastinating, which leads to not studying enough.

The best trick to studying is to stop worrying about how much you do it. Time is 100% irrelevant. Instead, focus on what you study and how you study it. Set goals for what you want to work on that night.

Realistically, to succeed in college, some weeks are going to take 40 hours of studying, while others are going to take 20 minutes just going over something you didn't understand.

Krb5, ADN · Sep 30, 2018

You study until you've learned enough that you're comfortable with the information. Not enough, it's obvious what happens. Too much, and you get burned out and start procrastinating, which leads to not studying enough.
The best trick to studying is to stop worrying about how much you do it. Time is 100% irrelevant. Instead, focus on what you study and how you study it. Set goals for what you want to work on that night.
Realistically, to succeed in college, some weeks are going to take 40 hours of studying, while others are going to take 20 minutes just going over something you didn't understand.

This is gold! Thank you!!

SNgirl21, BSN · Sep 30, 2018

My advice- study as much as possible without sacrificing your sleep. Prioritize nursing above other activities, but still make sure you have time for a good night's sleep. This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. I was getting only 4 hours of sleep for about a month straight at one point. Trust me, lack of sleep affects your memory, productivity, competency, and your entire outlook on life and it's a vicious cycle. Realistically, some nights you're not going to get 8 hours, but getting 4 is just not healthy. You'll focus much better and be much happier if you balance your studies and sleep. Good luck! Start off strong! :)

Krb5, ADN · Oct 1, 2018

My advice- study as much as possible without sacrificing your sleep. Prioritize nursing above other activities, but still make sure you have time for a good night's sleep. This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. I was getting only 4 hours of sleep for about a month straight at one point. Trust me, lack of sleep affects your memory, productivity, competency, and your entire outlook on life and it's a vicious cycle. Realistically, some nights you're not going to get 8 hours, but getting 4 is just not healthy. You'll focus much better and be much happier if you balance your studies and sleep. Good luck! Start off strong! :)

Thank you!! Great advice!

shasta13 · Oct 2, 2018

My advice- study as much as possible without sacrificing your sleep. Prioritize nursing above other activities, but still make sure you have time for a good night's sleep. This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. I was getting only 4 hours of sleep for about a month straight at one point. Trust me, lack of sleep affects your memory, productivity, competency, and your entire outlook on life and it's a vicious cycle. Realistically, some nights you're not going to get 8 hours, but getting 4 is just not healthy. You'll focus much better and be much happier if you balance your studies and sleep. Good luck! Start off strong! :)

This. I know I can't function well without sleep, so I always made sure I was getting to bed at a time when I knew I'd be getting at least 7 hours of sleep. (Most nights, I got 8 hours of sleep.) There may be nights when you can't sleep because you're too worried or too stressed or heck, even too tired, but at least plan for a night's rest.

With that said, I did a 12 month BSN program (four 12 week quarters) and I studied nearly every minute I was not in class (and not asleep, lol.) If I was lucky enough to go out, I literally took study material with me. It's what *I* had to do. Not everyone in my class needed that.