When students graduate from high school, they look forward to college being a breath of fresh air: there wouldn’t be any more quizzes, worksheets or busy work. If only that were true.

Many professors seem reluctant to end class on the belief that students were actually paying attention. So they take it upon themselves to assign two worksheets due for the next class and prepare a pop quiz.

Hard comprehensive quizzes may be a good way for professors to ensure students are learning the material, but for students it only amounts to a hassle. Even easy quizzes are a waste of time because they don’t challenge the student intellectually.

College life is busy enough for students; they have work, term papers, projects, midterms and finals. The last thing students want is more work in the form of tedious worksheets and worthless pop quizzes.

Disliking busy work isn’t about laziness; it’s about not wanting to waste 20 minutes on a worksheet, which will count for very little of the final grade, if at all.

Worksheets should be optional practice for students, not a requirement. Pop quizzes should either count for more or be used as sparingly as possible.

Fewer tests, which count for a larger percentage of our final grade, allow us to better manage our lives and our time.

Larger research papers and projects take more time; many all-nighters are spent and pots of coffee consumed but at least it’s a challenge.

Students can focus on the big picture in the form of larger papers and tests. Smaller grades don’t help us any more than hurt us.

Homework, busy work and quizzes make us feel like high school students, instead of adults. It’s a waste of students’ time as well as the teacher’s time.

News editor John-Laurent Tronche for the editorial board.