By Lydia Dean
Procrastination goes hand in hand with the college experience just as much as exploring new territories. Thousands of college students around the United States are given an assignment ahead of time but will wait until the last weekend before the due date. This habit will continue until their time of graduation. Regarding the constant behavior, why do college students continue to procrastinate despite knowing the hardships and stress it will bring them?
BlueBanner online reported that “95 percent of college students procrastinate” because they are constantly bombarded with distractions at almost all hours of the day. If this is true, then why don’t college students try to minimize their distractions?
One fellow TAMIU student says “I much rather sit there and watch NETFLIX while having everything I need to do in the back of my mind than to actually get those things done.”
While television and other sources of media are supposed to be used as a means to relief stress, students are often using them as a form of denial. By watching or binge-watching a show, they are accomplishing something before actually completing a certain assignment.
“Time is also distorted in university.” mentions a TAMIU freshman. With the freedom and independence to begin their day at whatever time you choose, the student’s convince themselves that they are in control of time. If it is Wednesday and an assignment is not due until Sunday before midnight, the reasoning is “I have all day Sunday to finish it. There is no need to worry about it now.” But research proves that students will be stressing at later parts of Sunday evening. So why the vicious and repetitive cycle?
Another TAMIU student simply replies, “I have grown to like the adrenaline rush I get from procrastination”.
Adrenaline, in conditions under stress, can increase rates of blood circulation and breathing. This brings more oxygen and blood to the brain making the person more alert. With the right amount of adrenaline, it is no wonder that college students do not feel the need to change their procrastinating ways.
In college, survival means getting assignments–no matter how good or bad–turned in. If the work is done, college students will find no flaws in their ways. So why would they if their system works in any other manner?
Though it is not a good habit to bring into one’s adult life, procrastination has become one of the key elements to surviving in college. Much like the old adage, “you gotta do what you gotta do”.
