This semester I needed to take 18 credits so that I could graduate on time. That meant that I needed to take 6 classes simultaneously and, pass all of them. Here is a list of my day to day schedule for classes:
Monday: 11:30 – Product Development, 12:40 – Control Systems, 3:00 – Intermediate Dynamics, 7:00 – Control Systems Lab
Tuesday: 10:20 – Heat Transfer, 3:00 – Capstone, 4:10 – Business German
Wednesday: 11:30 – Product Development, 12:40 – Control Systems, 3:00 – Intermediate Dynamics
Thursday: 10:20 – Heat Transfer Lab, 4:10 – Business German
Friday: 11:30 – Product Development, 12:40 – Control Systems, 3:00 – Intermediate Dynamics
My Heat Transfer Lab, Product Development, and Capstone all had very involved group projects which kept me busy throughout the entire semester; but even with such a full schedule, I still made it out alive. Here is how:
I used a planner to track my due dates and deadlines because it can be really easy to let small assignments get forgotten when working on larger projects. It also helped me plan my week and see what days I could use to get my homework done early so I wouldn’t have to cram. I also included exam dates and meeting times in my planner to make sure I was on track with studying and was never late to my group project meetings.
The biggest help was starting each day early. Most days I didn’t have class until 11:30 but I would start my day around 8 a.m. and get to working on projects or homework around 9 a.m. This gave me extra time to work on my assignments and gave me plenty of time to relax in the evenings. Planning ahead like this made it much easier for me to get through my homework, as I never felt like I had to rush to get it all done. That meant that I could understand the course material better and get ahead of my homework schedule.
Another helpful thing was making sure my group for all my group projects started working on things as soon as possible. It can be hectic trying to coordinate five people’s schedules to find time to work, and it is even harder once the semester gets going. By establishing times that everyone can meet early into the semester, my group projects were able to get finished quicker. Luckily, I was able to choose my group for some of the projects I worked on so I made sure to get with a group of people that I knew had the same determination and attention to detail as me to work with.
Prioritizing a good school-life balance was also beneficial to my success this semester. I found it beneficial to block out my evenings for myself so I can recharge and have time to do things outside of school work.
By scheduling my time and planning ahead, I was able to achieve my academic goals and still have fun during this semester. It might have been challenging at times, but I still made it through.