INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

    The average small business has a rough time of it. Within the first two years of business 60% or more of small companies call it quits and close their doors. What is their number one problem, according to economists? Underinvestment--failing to realize how much funding they must put into their business before they begin to see a profit. This might seem like a strange topic for an Honors newsletter, and stranger still written by a music professor. But I would stress to you that money is not the only thing that has value. As a college student, you are seeking the "profit" of a thorough education.

    One of the significant problems in higher education today is the underinvestment of student time. Many students come from high schools where homework was a dirty word, and little or no effort was expected of them outside of class time. When they arrive at college and discover that they are required to be in class only 12 to 16 hours a week (compared to twice that in high school), students quickly find things to do with their "free" time. They figure that by simply going to class they have fulfilled their academic obligations, so they dedicate large quantities of time to social relationships, recreation, or outside jobs. They might put in an extra hour or so per day to complete specific assignments, but certainly don't want to make it a habit.

    As Honors students, you are undoubtedly aware that greater time investment is necessary to assure the desired "profit." Every week has a total of 168 hours in it. Assuming you spend seven hours sleeping every night, you have 119 left. Assuming you eat 21 meals per week, and spend 45 minutes doing so each time, that leaves 103 hours. Subtract another three hours per week for doctor's appointments, necessary shopping (as opposed to the recreational variety), and similar activities. The remaining 100 hours per week is the time you have available for doing your work and living your life.

    What proportion of that 100 hours should go toward your education? For the serious student, the answer is 40 to 50 percent, i.e., 40 to 50 hours per week. Those may be surprising numbers even to Honors students. Along with three hours, on the average, in class each weekday, students should spend another five hours in study each day, six days a week (take Sunday off--you deserve the rest). Note that "study" means far more than just "doing the assignments." It means engulfing yourself in the subject. It means continuing far beyond the bare minimum requirements of the course. It means discovering for yourself the reasons why the subject is important to your life.

 Do you spend 40 to 50 hours per week pursuing your education? You may discover that you have no idea how much time you actually spend on academics. I challenge you to keep a log for the next few weeks and find out. If you find that you spend substantially fewer than 40 hours per week, then I encourage you to develop a written daily schedule and designate study times which add up to five hours a day, six days a week.

    One of your roles as an Honors student -- and as a serious student -- is to model good study habits for other students. Remember that just because you could probably get away with less study does not mean that you should do so. To get away with less knowledge than you are capable of achieving, to get away with less of a college education than you are paying for, these make no sense. Know more, do more, be more!

James W. Moore, Honoris Causa, February 1995--revised
(Campbellsville University Honors Program)