Why Do College Students Procrastinate?

Why do college students procrastinate? Nearly every student will admit to, at times, delaying work until it is more “convenient.” Often times, these poor school habits will cause the student to become stressed and unorganized. Unfortunately, students will often fall into a cycle repeating these unacceptable behaviors. This cycle leads to sloppy work performance and lower grades. Discouragement abounds at this point and, in fact, many students give up completely. College students tend to procrastinate their work due to overestimating their own abilities, underestimating their coursework, and lacking motivation. In high school, many students put minimal effort into their assignments and still excelled above their classmates. Studying and completing homework ahead of time was a non-issue for them. Commonly, these students were convinced

For their entire lives, these students have been motivated by an outside source to complete their work. Whether it was a teacher, parent, or tutor, students were constantly reminded of the importance of completing their assignments. As college students, however, there is a need for a greater sense of self-motivation. These students have not yet developed the maturity necessary to thrive in an independent learning environment. Many students go into college without the discipline and determination needed in order to succeed. These students struggle throughout their college beginnings and become discouraged at their poor performance compared to their previous high school successes. Other times, students are caught up in the “college experience,” and begin to lose motivation. College’s social aspect is a lifelong memory. Many students, however, prioritize socializing and partying over their studies. It is a slippery slope for these students as coursework and other assignments pile up and eventually overwhelm the naive