“Unfeasible” and “Too Much”: How Students Really Feel About Their Studies

By Sarah McCrea

Students study. 

That’s the expectation, or at least, a university institution might think so. But for many students, there’s more to life and keeping balance than completing your weekly readings.

So, how much do students really study? Do they face an ‘ultimatum’ between their studies, making a living, and having a social life? How and why might this impact their engagement with their studies? 

Observer has conducted an anonymous survey on these very topics, and ANU students have responded with honesty, openness, and insightful observation. Seventy-two students responded, and the comments made in this article reflect those responses, and do not necessarily represent the student body as a whole. 

Students were first asked how often they attended lectures in person, with the options of ‘Always’, ‘Often’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Rarely,’ or ‘Never.’  If you skip most of your in-person lectures, you’re not alone. The most popular selection was ‘Rarely,’ with 21 respondents choosing this. And if you skip all of your lectures, you’re also not alone. 18 respondents said they ‘Never’ went to lectures, and only 7 people said they ‘Always’ attended. 

However, ANU has a hybrid learning model. Some lectures are always online, and most in-person lectures are recorded and uploaded for students to watch from home. Not attending in person no longer means missing out on content or a lack of engagement. The majority of students surveyed noted they do watch lectures online, whether part or all. 

A range of factors affected whether or not students would attend lectures in-person or watch them online, with some reasons consistently reappearing. 

Many respondents referenced work commitments, and balancing full-time work with full-time study. One person said live lectures are “amazing” but noted “I cannot afford to attend them all even if I wanted as I have to work 4 days a week.” 

Some noted the convenience of watching lectures online, with one respondent saying  in-person lectures were “pointless”. Off-campus students stated that commuting was a factor against in-person attendance, especially with last year’s raise in parking fees. 

Another student added, “It’s very easy for professors to think we are lazy or uninterested for not attending lectures when in reality it’s a complicated mix of factors.”

Accessibility issues also came up as a prohibiting factor for some students. One respondent explained, “I have auditory issues, and ADHD. Sitting in the lecture theatre doesn’t work, I miss 25% of everything the lecturer says…Watching online means I can pause, read subtitles, and go back if I missed or didn’t understand something.” Another student said “content-heavy courses are often easier to watch and understand online.”

The survey also raised COVID-19’s impact on how students feel about these online-offline learning models. 

The majority of respondents agreed that mandatory online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted the way they thought about in-person learning. The perceived convenience, viability, and widespread acceptance of online learning was brought up often. One response stated, “I realised that it’s ok to only participate when there’s a meaningful impact of the experience.”

However, some felt the complete opposite, saying that their experience of studying during the pandemic added “value” to in-person attendance. One student stated, “I realise the importance of having face to face connection for concentration and wellbeing.”

But not all is lost for attendance rates. For other classes, such as tutorials, labs, and workshops, attendance was reportedly much higher than that of lectures. 30  respondents said they attended ‘Often’ and 28 said they attended ‘Always.’ Only three said they ‘Never’ attended non-lecture classes. 

So why is there such a disparity between in-person lecture attendance and non-lecture class attendance? The gap in effort for studies appears substantial. But a perceived ‘lack of effort’ may not mean that students are just unmotivated.

Observer asked students what impacts the amount of effort they put into a course. 

A significant factor was how engaging and interesting the course was, encompassing the content, the lecturers, and the tutors. Course engagement also expanded to whether students believed their efforts had equivalent results, both for their grades and individual learning outcomes. 

One student stated that “If the teaching and assessment is complex and difficult to understand…it’s hard to find the motivation.”

Another response discussed how their effort increased when they felt teachers were “invested” in students and would “go the extra mile.” Contrastingly, the student also remarked, “I also have teachers who seem to delight in people not passing their courses, not understanding the content, and missing their classes.”

Others said their efforts were concentrated and based on whether they “need to do it to pass.” This included making less effort for smaller scale assessments such as weekly quizzes and reflections, as they were seen as less important than larger-scale assignments, work, or experiencing the social side of university.  

As one student said, “My personal life is full of challenges, financially, emotionally and relationship wise. I cannot always put uni first.”

When discussing how studying at university is different from secondary education, one student commented “your work [now] has very limited value to both you and the institution.” A high proportion of students also mentioned the effect of now working full-time. 

One response mentioned that their peers would likely respond differently to these questions, highlighting the unique challenges for international students. 

“Not everyone comes from the same financial backgrounds. For someone like me, my family relies on each grade I get. For someone that has Centrelink and HECS and other domestic advantages, they wouldn’t have to think twice about whether they’re having food that night. I am not denying that Australians can have problems but it’s just much harder when you have lesser support systems.”

The topic of economic disparity also came up in several responses, with one respondent stating, “The ANU needs to do better for students with low socioeconomic backgrounds and students who work.” In 2022, the most recent data available, ANU was found to have the lowest proportion of low socio-economic status students in Australia. 

Whether you complete every piece of work assigned, “cannot always put uni first,” or even find content and lecturers just plain “boring,” you’re not alone. University, studies, and the way students engage with them are no longer static, and students may use that to get the best out of their individual university experience. 

Disclaimer: Quotes may have been shortened for clarity and edited for grammar. The survey is closed for further responses, but you can look at the questions asked here. 

Graphics by Shé Chani

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