Students procrastinate for various reasons

As a college student, procrastination is a habit I witness first hand, both in terms of experiencing it within myself and in peers around me. Why students procrastinate is a matter of complexity, especially when considering that in my major, international relations, the bulk of assignments involve extensive writing. Despite the demanding nature of the research, annotation and the actual writing process, other factors are in play with regards to procrastination.

I feel that the majority of procrastinators are those who have not yet adjusted to the relatively “hands off” academic environment of university, and they are instead relying on peers or their instructors to remind them of deadlines and submissions. Another common trait is anxiety. While our university offers workshops to help students overcome anxiety when taking exams or throughout the exam week, a deep-rooted fear of failure freezes any of their attempts at getting university work done.

Finally, as from my own experience with procrastination, I find that I put off assignments that I consider difficult, uninteresting or involving a particularly unlikeable course. While some may excel under pressure brought on by procrastination, it is not the case for me. However, because procrastination is such a pervasive method of achieving school work, I believe that it should receive more recognition in the academic realm not just as a problem, but as a legitimate method of studying or otherwise because some students might benefit and flourish from it. Despite me not being one of those students who thrive under pressure, I still find that procrastination could possibly be beneficial to unlocking much needed creativity, in some.