Survey shows many procrastinators have GPAs of 3.0 or above

Seventy-five percent of procrastinators have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, according to a survey released by Questia Media, Inc., an online company that helps students with research for their papers. \nThe survey, conducted by Decision Analyst Inc., polled 300 full-time college students at two- and four-year colleges who were self-proclaimed procrastinators and who dreaded writing research papers. Almost 8 percent of those polled had a 4.0 GPA. \nComparing the survey results to IU statistics, procrastinators seem to do better than the average student at IU. As of this semester, a little more than half of IU students scored a 3.0 GPA or higher. Less than 1 percent of IU students maintained a 4.0. \nBrandy Snyder, a sophomore with a 3.04 GPA, said she procrastinates on every assignment. \n"I feel that if I'm not in class, it's my own time," she said. \nInstead of working on her assignments, she chats with friends online, draws, watches movies or surfs the Internet, she said. Congruently, more than three-quarters of procrastinators polled said surfing the Internet was the No. 1 activity they did instead of doing assignments. Watching television came in second at 70 percent. \nBrian Cox, a sophomore, said there are several reasons he procrastinates -- he's either lazy or he feels he can do the assignment quickly. Nice weather sometimes distracts him from his homework. He ends up going out or hanging with friends. Despite procrastinating on about half of his assignments, he still has a 3.3 GPA. \nThe survey also found that almost half of students polled would rather donate blood than write a paper. Almost one-third would rather visit the dentist. Almost one out of every four students polled would rather pick up trash on campus instead of writing a paper. \nHank Grimes, an associate instructor who teaches X150: Managing Resources for Success, said one of the major reasons students procrastinate is distraction. New friends, surroundings and new-found freedom can compete for a student's attention.\n"Generally, if you compare a 10-page paper to a road trip, a party or a lively conversation among friends, the paper will often lose out," he said. \nFor those who find that procrastination hinders their academic success, there is hope that they can overcome their procrastinating ways. \nGrimes said students need to learn how to budget their time according to their priorities. For a student who is serious about succeeding academically, he or she should try doing three things: \n• Write down all assignments on a calendar\n• Contact instructors to voice concerns about the class, if necessary\n• Plan recreation time appropriately \n"If you approach your free time with anticipation, you will enjoy it that much more," Grimes said. "Students should look upon their free time as a reward rather than a right." \nGrimes said he hopes students will examine their academic careers as if they were going down a conveyor belt, with the teachers offering the nuts, bolts, screws and solder to the student's academic success. \nIf students don't utilize everything being offered to them, they could end up with a product that future employers will reject. \n"What students take away from their college experience is largely dependent on what they choose to put into it," he said. "If you point the finger later in life, you will still have three fingers pointing back at you.\n"We can either grab all the bits and pieces to build a Lexus, Mercedes or Cadillac, or we can pick and choose, according to our limited knowledge, and come off the line as a Pinto." \nBut if the survey holds true, procrastination can't be that harmful to academic success. Grimes compares procrastination to the two types of cholesterol -- good and bad. Just like some cholesterol is necessary for good health, some procrastination is necessary as well. \n"The word procrastination has been talked about as if it were simply a bad habit that should be eschewed or avoided if at all possible," he said. "It only becomes a bad word when students haven't grasped the concept of personal responsibility, and they put things off to their detriment."\nBut Grimes said he believes procrastination can lead to a little academic pressure, which can motivate students to complete assignments on time. But students need to find and stay within their limits, he said. \n"A little extra pressure, in the right hands, can be very motivating, but in the wrong hands, it becomes a very slippery slope that may be impossible to climb," he said. "Procrastination isn't necessarily a bad thing until one reaches the fall-off point. That is the point that lies between 'I can still get this done in time' and 'I'm never going to get this done in time."