Homework is an omnipresent part of high school life. It is met with groans and frustration by most, but it is the most important piece of work given to high school students. Homework helps students review concepts taught in class, and at a time when stress to get into college is high, homework can be the difference between letter grades.

Many high school students value independence. After all, teenagers are budding adults, and they feel the need to see the world. Homework teaches students to be responsible for their actions and to spend their time wisely, two traits that are required in the “adult world.”

Homework also exercises the mind. In class, the teacher controls and directs the thinking process. However, at home, the student must figure out his or her own way of utilizing the concept taught in class. Problem solving and troubleshooting are skills highly valued in jobs. Homework allows the mind to grow, therefore increasing memory retention and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Study habits are developed through homework. People who developed good study habits easily tune out distractions, allowing them to become more focused. Concentration and focus are vital to success in any career.

Homework also increases efficiency. Many students detest homework, so they try to get it done as fast as possible. However, the homework must be correct in order to receive full credit. This teaches students to complete assignments correctly and quickly. In the workplace, some tasks that are assigned take a long time to complete. Efficiency allows a person to cut down the amount of time required for any task while finishing the task to the best of the person’s ability.

Homework helps students review crucial concepts taught in school. Without studying, students can fail a class, thus crushing dreams to get into an elite university. College is perhaps the most stressful issue in a high school student’s life. Whether the students are pressured by their parents or are motivated themselves, not getting into a “good” college is viewed as failure and coated in self-hate. According to five different studies, a student that did homework received a higher score than a student who didn’t do any homework at all. Colleges view GPA as the most important part of a student’s transcript. Therefore, students with higher GPA will be favored more than students with a lower GPA. Homework shows colleges that a student is responsible and ready to take on the world. It shows colleges that they will benefit from the student’s attendance.

Many people say that homework is too stressful, and the consequences of the stress can be devastating. However, in a study conducted by the Associated Press in 2006, 71 percent of students did not cite homework as a cause of stress.

Families often complain that homework takes away the time children and adults can spend together. On the contrary, in the 2006 study by the AP, 78 percent of people thought that homework did not interfere with family time. Only 19 percent of parents believed that their child got too much homework.

Homework enhances the mind. It improves academic performance, creates good study habits, increases memory retention, teaches independence and responsibility, along with a host of other qualities, and it makes a student more favorable in the eyes of a college. Protesting homework is not beneficial to oneself. Homework, when used productively, can be the key to success.