VietNamNet Bridge
March. 30th, 2010

Most people believe that a long-term outlook and clear goals are necessary, but not all students think this way.

VietNamNet conducted a small university student survey at the Foreign Trade University, Law University, University of Education, the University of Technology and University of Social Sciences and Humanity, to find out how students plan their lives and studies.

When asked if they have a study plan, 48 students, (23 percent of 210 polled) replied negatively, while 36 said that they have very short-term, daily study plans. Only 24 students (11 percent) replied that they have yearly study plans. None claimed to have longer-term plans.

On exam preparations, only 35 students (17 percent) have plans to study from the beginning of the school year and during the semesters. Meanwhile, 131 students (62 percent) responded that they begin reviewing for exams after they see exam schedules or they review for their exams for just several days.

That may explain why many students get such low scores.

Hoang Van T. of Hanoi Civil Engineering University has a typical story. T. is lucky if he has to retake one or two exams every semester. T. once “achieved” a record when he had to retake six out of seven exams.

Only 44 students said that they need to prepare for exams soon, some 1-2 months before exams.

The survey also demonstrates that students’ study plans can be easily spoiled by their personal affairs. 162 students (77 percent) stated that they follow their plans for a certain period and then give up. Some commented that they seldom implement their plans, while others admitted that they just set up plans and never implement the plans. Only 48 fulfill their plans to the very end.

A recent survey by the University of California showed that student study habits in the age of I-Pod and Facebook have changed a lot, except that they continue to procrastinate.

Similarly, VietNamNet’s survey showed that many Vietnamese students put off things. Students nowadays do not study as much as in the past, perhaps because in the modern age they have many distractions.

Students acknowledged three main reasons for why they can or cannot implement their study plans: laziness, lack of patience and inability to concentration.

Some students prefer playing to studying, so they never fulfill their study plan. While some students try to learn because they want to get good jobs, others are tired of studying and pessimistic about the job market.

In general, capable students are also those who set long-term plans and try their best to fulfill them. Nguyen Thanh Trung is now studying at two universities. Prior to that, he graduated from Hanoi Medical University.

“I have to sacrifice many things for my studying, like playing games, visiting friends and other kinds of entertainment,” Trung noted.

Meanwhile, Hoang Lan Phuong, a fourth year at Hanoi University of Technology still dreams of going to study abroad, a hope she has cherished since high school.

“I have to prepare everything for my studies abroad: I must, learn foreign languages and have real-life experience to become independent,” she explained.