Oh, the struggle of being a college student. Where do I begin? Professors say you should study 2-3 hours for every hour in class, making school a full-time job, and with added extracurriculars and making time for yourself, how does one balance everything and still make time to study?
Quite honestly, I’m not sure how I do everything I do. This is partly why I’m writing this, to begin with. I’m a premed major and I am involved in a Multicultural Greek Sorority, as well as Her Campus, Minority Association of Premedical Students, I’m a resident assistant for TCU, I work, and I participate in church and a youth group. I’m pretty booked up. So far, I’ve just been trying to do homework when I can, but I’ve realized it’s much harder than “just getting it done.”
Tip #1: Create a Second Schedule
The first thing that college students do is create a schedule of their classes. It sets aside specific times for when you have classes or work. However, I suggest going a step further and making a more detailed schedule on when to study what. I color coordinate which activity is what on Google Calendar whether it be a personal event, extracurricular, work, or studying.
My second schedule consists of when I do specific assignments. Every Sunday, I sit down and see my schedule for the next week and a half. I then go into my Google calendar and schedule specific times to work on specific assignments. If I need to read 60 pages for my multi-ethnic lit class, I schedule 20-30 minute blocks every day to read 10 pages before bed, and so on.
Tip #2: Do you like silence or noise?
One of the biggest ways to make the most of your time is by ACTUALLY using your time wisely. Picking a space where you work best is key to learning and absorbing information best. Basically the better you’re learning, the faster you’re learning, and the less time you need to spend studying. If you’re a person who needs background noise, a coffee shop or more populated places around campus may be your best bet. On the other hand, if you need complete silence, your room or library’s quiet sections are probably your go-to place.
Tip #3: Know your friends!
I loooove to talk, and most of my friends do, too. However, one of the most important time management tips is to learn which friends you can sit down, get serious with, and study efficiently with, and which friends to go out and have fun with. Understanding your friend groups and what you all have to do to get into either study mode, gym mode, or just be you is key!