I felt like a third grade brat when this topic came to my mind but the more and more I think about it, I once again find myself strongly standing against homework in college. Students are struggling to multi-task schoolwork, work and having fun in college. Let’s not forget how important sleep is when it comes to being a student. With so much happening after school, sleep is the last thing on a student's mind. It is not that I do not like homework or am too lazy to do it, I simply do not think homework is beneficial in any way.
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In college, I learned the definition of “busy work." Professors and TAs will assign you loads and loads of busy work that will not help you in any way. I see students seeking short cuts or spend hours online looking up answers for the “busy work” that is assigned and 90 percent of the times when I get assigned “busy work," my goal is just to do it as fast as I can. I do not understand why professors will assign this since we have so much other stuff on our plate. All “busy work” is doing is creating plagiarism and wasting valuable time when we could be doing something more beneficial.
Now don’t get me wrong, when I get assigned math problems, it helps me a lot before a test. Practicing the same type of problem two or three times does really help. But sometimes professors assign the same type of problem five or six times. And with that, the confusion starts to hit me and my patience slowly dies down. Practicing too much can fry someone’s brain, so practicing bit by bit and little by little is the way to go.
Something that I wish we had as “homework” is going out into the real world and actually doing the activity that is fit for my major. Internships are really important when you start your junior and senior year but why not start earlier. The university reminds us every day how important it is to get an internship during college, so why are we not doing that instead. After doing two internships in the past two summers, I can definitely say that I have learned more about my major in those short months compared to my two years of college.
Companies like to see hands-on experience from students. Just because you can get a 95 percent on an accounting test, does not mean you know how to handle a customer. Getting out into the real world and practicing the skills that you learn in the classroom is the most important thing and I believe that universities and professors should help students by directing them toward those opportunities and better prepare everyone for what happens after college.
The dream here is that one day homework will turn into internships. Instead of wasting time doing “busy work," we can be busy at work in a real company, making a real difference.
