Whether you are just starting college as a freshman or are a seasoned senior, finding tips and tricks that make your life easier, is invaluable. Long nights and empty wallets can be exhausting so it is important to find out ways to have less of them.
1. Pick A Major that Excites You Image courtesy of Pixabay
This might sound really obvious, but it’s really important. It feels almost impossible to avoid having late nights finishing projects and weekends completely devoted to studying. No they don’t happen all the time, but when they do happen it’s much easier to put in the work when your excited about the topic and what you can bring to the field. Sometimes banking on the likely-hood of you making a huge paycheck isn’t enough to get you through your 3rd all-nighter in a row.
2. Avoid Procrastination at All Costs
Image courtesy of ValueED
Procrastination is your number one enemy. Just do your sanity a favor and avoid procrastinating. The more you procrastinate the worse a situation gets. Work that you might actually enjoy if you had time to think about it you’ll find yourself hating. The less you procrastinate the easier it will be to actually start work on time. At least give it a shot!
3. Things Tend to Take Longer than You Planned Image courtesy of Pixabay
If you think an assignment is going to take you 2 weeks start 3 weeks from the due date. Treat that extra week or extra day as a buffer against all of the unplanned craziness that you know can happen. Teachers giving surprise projects, getting sick, and needing to visit home are just a list of a few things that could throw a wrench in your schedule. You know how it is. Plus this ties in with the previous point. If you don’t procrastinate and plan extra time, you are much more likely to enjoy your work instead of agonizing over it.
4. Stay Healthy Image courtesy of MaterMea
I know this one is really hard. Missing class because you were sick really sucks. It can set you back a week at a time. Colds run wild during Winter term so it’s important to stock up on your vitamin C. Try to get outside and get some fresh air, breathing the same heated air all the time isn’t the best. Plus, the cold kills germs. If you are going to miss class make sure you email the professor as soon as possible so that you still have a good amount of time to complete assignments that you might have missed them announcing.
5. Find Balance Image courtesy of Pinterest
It’s so important to find balance during your time in college. It really is going to extremes that messes up our schedules, our sleeping, our sanity, our relationships etc. It’s important to put in time on that project but to also spend time hanging out with friends. I’ll be the first to tell you that they can’t always be 50/50 but hopefully they can at least have some percentage in your life. Maybe you spend 2 hours studying and only can have a 15 minute phone conversation with your friend from back home. That’s okay! No one is asking you to be superhuman, being just human can be overwhelming by itself at times. Just try, that’s what really counts.
There is not a step by step college guide that will work for everyone, but it’s important to keep trying things until you find the best combination that works for you.