GOOD STUDY HABITS CAN LEAD TO GOOD WORK HABITS

Not all surveys give true indications of the way things are, but they can provide food for thought by drawing attention to potentially troublesome issues. We hope a survey that indicates Missouri college students spend on average only about an hour a day studying is off base; if it isn't, it points to a problem that demands the immediate attention of educators and students themselves.

The survey of almost 7,200 full-time students at Missouri's 13 public four-year colleges and universities was conducted by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education during the 1992-93 school year. A total of 3,581 community college students and 3,610 students at four-year schools were surveyed.

The survey found that on average, four-year students devote 22 hours a week to course-related activities, practicums and internships. Students at the state's 16 community colleges said they devote almost 21 hours weekly to academic activities.

The survey was interpreted to mean the 22- and 21-hour figures included time spent in the classroom. It concluded that, since full-time students typically spend 12 to 15 hours a week in the classroom, not many hours are left for studying.

Charles Kupchella, the provost at Southeast Missouri State University, questioned the numbers, saying the query on which they are based may have been misleading because it inquired about activities outside the classroom. Kupchella said the students surveyed may have actually meant they study 22 hours a week. If that is the case, 22 hours is in keeping with the amount of time necessary to do well in college, he said.

We hope Kupchella's assessment is correct. Regardless, the survey raises a serious question about work ethics among students, particularly when someone like Jeff Davis, the president of Student Government at Southeast, said the numbers appear right to him. Davis said it's best to spend about three hours studying for every hour in class, but very few students he knows devote that much time to studying.

The survey rightfully disturbed Missouri's commissioner of higher education, Charles McClain. "If that's the case, it's terrible, he said flatly.

The survey covered all types of students -- the good and the bad. There are many students who spend an unending number of hours studying outside the classroom. That is as it should be, and they can be proud of their grades that reflect the time they spend "hitting" the books.

But to the students who don't, the survey should serve notice that college is a time to get serious about life. In view of the ever-increasing costs of a college education and demands of the business world, it is disturbing if a just-getting-by mentality may become the norm.

The study habits a student develops up through high school are carried into college. When they enter the business world, they become the basis of his or her work ethic.

Studying demands a great deal of self-discipline -- in short, good work habits -- that are essential to success in any career. We cannot stress strongly enough to students the importance of a strict regimen of studying.