Studying on Sundays

[Kamaduck]

While this is technically one of those “is this a sin” questions, I’m posting it here instead of moral theology, because I’m really looking for practical advice more than anything.

I’m a college student now. Woo! Excitement! Also, apparently, exponentially more studying. Everyone here is insisting that you need to spend 2 hours studying for every one hour of class time, and given that I’m going to spend 18 hours in class each week, that’s kind of a lot. Now, I don’t know if the rule of thumb is accurate (especially for me, since I know I have a really good memory and I’ve always been good at tests), but I want to hit the ground running instead of underestimating the amount of effort required.

So, in an attempt to be responsible and organized, I made a schedule. The problem is, the schedule doesn’t work without at least seven hours of studying on Sundays. It just flat-out numerically doesn’t work. Now, sure, I could cut out plasma donations, or sleep, or the one free afternoon I’m going to spend with my best friend, but for various reasons I really don’t want to cut that stuff. I could adjust the studying-to-break ratio, but I think that’ll make the studying less effective, so I don’t want to do that, either (although given that the current schedule doesn’t allow for co-curricular activities, there’s a chance it’ll happen anyway).

Now, obviously, I’m not too crazy about spending every Sunday afternoon studying. But I think it’s got to be done, and I’m trying to figure our how I can do it while still making Sunday a rest day. Do you think it’d be OK if I save my favorite classes for Sunday and work on them then? (Calculus is going to be a chore, but I’m really looking forward to Bio and Medieval History, so maybe those won’t be work at all? Maybe?) Or am I worrying about nothing, and studying on Sundays isn’t really a moral problem?

Part of it is that I’m not really sure how to follow the spirit of the “honor the sabbath day” commandment (essentially, how you know if something is work), so if someone could explain it better or link to an explanation, I think that might help. Or if you’ve got any practical advice about time management and college, that’d probably help, too. Time management has always been an issue for me before- probably the biggest issue for me education-wise, so I want to make sure I don’t blow off studying for non-reasons. If studying doesn’t count as work, then I’m just going to go ahead and leave the schedule as it is.

Anyway. Thanks in advance for any and all advice, guys.

 

[Kal2012]

1. It depends on the college you are going to. Some aren’t academically challenging, while others are.

You really have to ‘wait and see’ what the class will be like before you try to schedule your time. Sometimes, the ‘easy’ class turns out to be your hardest class that semester.

1. Realize that your professors (for the most part) only care about the workload for their class, not all your classes combined. At more competitive universities, student burnout is a common problem that nobody really talks about.
2. Some people need to study more than others. That is just the way of things. Figure out what works for you and don’t try to be someone you aren’t.

If you need to Sunday to get your stuff done, then you need Sunday to get your stuff done.

My “rest period” in college tended to be Friday night because that’s when all the good sci-fi shows were on TV and it was a good time to take a break and order some pizza with my peeps. Again, this was before we had internet in the dorms…that happened my senior year. (I know…back in the ancient days of yore, right?)

Also, if you aren’t going to go to graduate school, then your grades really aren’t going to matter too much after this point. Maybe passing is all you need to do to complete your degree. The school I went to was ultra-competitive and graduate school was always on the radar for most people there, so it was always about getting into a medical or legal program or the PHd program after 4 years. So, stressing yourself out to get the top grades might not be a top priority if you don’t see additional schooling in your future.

Just some things to think about.

 

[Xantippe]

If you have an exam on Monday, it’s advisable to study on Sunday.

 

[Todd977]

Is spending Sunday afternoon with your friend a possibility?

 

[pianistclare]

Don’t wait and see.
Study hard. Thank God for your opportunity and show your gratitude buy making the most out of this opportunity. Your diligence is an offering and a prayer.
Don’t miss Mass. Take your breaks as necessary and during those times, offer quiet meditation and your personal prayers for your fellow students and your family.
Once you have gone past the first quarter, you may find that you can relax a bit more on Sundays.
It’s about “NEGLECTING” the Lord… you can honor him through necessary work.
Otherwise none of us would be able to receive treatment in hospitals, call 911, or seek the assistance of the police on Sundays. Remember, do small things with great love.
Good luck in your academic endeavors.

 

[SuperLuigi]

You need to make sure you get to Sunday Mass. That’s a solid obligation.

Studying is not the kind of labor talked about to be avoided on Sunday, and I think you are more than okay to study on Sunday because it obviously isn’t your intention to offend God.

 

[Peregrinans]

Remember Jesus worked on the Sabbath and He said “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27

And we, according to the commandments, are to keep holy the Lord’s day. To keep something holy is to keep it “set apart.” So there is a variety of ways to do that. As Catholics our Lord’s day begins at sundown on Saturday and ends Sunday night. We go to Saturday vigil or Sunday mass, thus setting apart that time for God. And for those who can’t make it to mass due to illness or some other valid reason they could set some time aside for private prayer, scripture reading, etc. And we are to rest if we can and spend time with family and friends. Now how much time you spend doing these things, apart from mass, is up to you. You could attend mass, rest for an hour and give a friend a call for a chat etc. And spend the rest of the time studying etc. So studying shouldn’t interfere with any of that.

 

[Kamaduck]

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

A lot of people HAVE to work on Sundays, police officers, nurses, doctors and yes, students. Your schoolwork is your job, however it is not a none-to-five-Monday-through-Friday job is it.

I know that some people do have to work on Sundays. But I guess I have trouble seeing studying in the same category, since I’m theoretically the one in charge of how I spend my time. But it IS really important, and like I said, I don’t want to blow it off if it’s something I need to do.

1. It depends on the college you are going to. Some aren’t academically challenging, while others are.

I’m at the most rigorous college that accepted me, so I do think it’s going to be tough. I can do it, but I don’t want to underestimate the courses.

You really have to ‘wait and see’ what the class will be like before you try to schedule your time. Sometimes, the ‘easy’ class turns out to be your hardest class that semester.

Yes, I know that. But the schedule isn’t that specific- I was just making sure that I had enough hours total for the suggested amount of studying. I didn’t want to add other obligations on top of school until I knew how much time I had, and it turns out I don’t have very much. I don’t want to be over-committed and burn out. And while I certainly *hope *that my memory is good enough that the planned amount of studying is excessive, I don’t want to count on it. I want to do as well as I can.

1. Realize that your professors (for the most part) only care about the workload for their class, not all your classes combined. At more competitive universities, student burnout is a common problem that nobody really talks about.

1. Some people need to study more than others. That is just the way of things. Figure out what works for you and don’t try to be someone you aren’t.

If you need to Sunday to get your stuff done, then you need Sunday to get your stuff done.

Thanks. I’ll keep this stuff in mind.

Also, if you aren’t going to go to graduate school, then your grades really aren’t going to matter too much after this point. Maybe passing is all you need to do to complete your degree. The school I went to was ultra-competitive and graduate school was always on the radar for most people there, so it was always about getting into a medical or legal program or the PHd program after 4 years. So, stressing yourself out to get the top grades might not be a top priority if you don’t see additional schooling in your future.

My plans do involve graduate school, so I want to get the highest grades possible. But yes, thanks for all of this.

Is spending Sunday afternoon with your friend a possibility?

You know, I actually hadn’t thought about that. That’s a really good idea. We’ve already got plans this week, but maybe in the future we can meet up Sunday afternoon and use that as our break time. I’ll discuss it with her.

Don’t wait and see.
Study hard. Thank God for your opportunity and show your gratitude buy making the most out of this opportunity. Your diligence is an offering and a prayer.
Don’t miss Mass. Take your breaks as necessary and during those times, offer quiet meditation and your personal prayers for your fellow students and your family.
Once you have gone past the first quarter, you may find that you can relax a bit more on Sundays.

I hope so! And yes, I’ll do my best. I’m trying to take my emotional needs seriously at this point, since last year was a disaster in that department. That ultimately means that I need to study effectively, which for me involves breaking work down into little chunks and spacing those chunks out. So I don’t have a lot of “free” time, but a fair bit of the “study” time is actually scheduled breaks. If that makes sense. I could cut out most of the ten-minute breaks in order to take an all-day break Sunday, but I know that’ll be less effective, so I want to avoid it.

You need to make sure you get to Sunday Mass. That’s a solid obligation.

Agreed. That’s not going to be a problem.

Studying is not the kind of labor talked about to be avoided on Sunday, and I think you are more than okay to study on Sunday because it obviously isn’t your intention to offend God.

Yeah, I was wondering whether studying even counted as “labor”. It’s certainly not a leisure activity, and it is something that I need to take breaks from, but it’s not the same as physical labor, so… I’m really not sure.

Remember Jesus worked on the Sabbath and He said “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27

And we, according to the commandments, are to keep holy the Lord’s day. To keep something holy is to keep it “set apart.” So there is a variety of ways to do that. As Catholics our Lord’s day begins at sundown on Saturday and ends Sunday night. We go to Saturday vigil or Sunday mass, thus setting apart that time for God. And for those who can’t make it to mass due to illness or some other valid reason they could set some time aside for private prayer, scripture reading, etc. And we are to rest if we can and spend time with family and friends. Now how much time you spend doing these things, apart from mass, is up to you. You could attend mass, rest for an hour and give a friend a call for a chat etc. And spend the rest of the time studying etc. So studying shouldn’t interfere with any of that.

Good to know. In that case, I won’t worry about it, as long as I’m taking care of myself and setting time aside for God. Thanks!