Dear Abe, should I be spending exactly 2-3 hours on classwork for every hour spent in class?
Absolutely not. If you have a professor specify that, please know that they are about to assign an insane amount of homework for no reason. Of course, some classes do require a significant amount of work outside of class, but those don’t have to advertise the workload. If anything, they have to trap students in the class before they can spring the amount on the poor, unsuspecting students who sign up for the class (beware the 100-level stem courses!).
However, there is no rule surrounding how much time should be spent studying. Some classes have minimal homework. If you have a chapter of a book to read at a time or a handful of math problems, you may just spend an hour. On the other hand, if you have essays to write, conceptual math questions, or hundreds of pages of readings, then you may spend a few hours on the work. It may vary from week-to-week since some classes have breaks between essays or large exams where the homework load is more manageable.
The important thing is to get work done–on time. If nothing else, Centre loves timeliness. Plenty of professors will just be glad people are turning in work, so try to have something done. A “good faith effort” as they say (or the “old college try.” We are an old college). If you understand a concept, you shouldn’t spend more time than you need on it. If you are struggling, you should reach out for help and spend extra time on understanding it. As I’ve mentioned before, the Centre Learning Commons (with the amazing Madame Tubb and Dr. Cusato) are a fantastic resource, as are the tutoring services offered for various classes.
Overall, your personal skills and knowledge are far more important than any set standard. People have different needs for studying and, while you should aim to complete and understand the needed material for your courses, you shouldn’t force yourself to overstudy. You should let yourself have the breaks you’ve earned and relax a bit. That is just as important as studying.