One of the biggest lessons you’ll learn in college is how to manage your time so you can somehow balance participating in your sorority, taking 16 hours, having a job, having a social life, and getting enough sleep. This year it has been especially difficult for me to learn how to manage everything because it was the first time in college that I’ve had a job while being more than a full time student. These first seven weeks have really been trial-and-error and finding out what works best for me.
1. Use an agenda/desk calender
Like any other girl, I love my Lilly Pulitzer agenda. It really is a great little tool to stick in your backpack. Personally, I have a color for each class or activity that helps me keep track of when things are due. For me, this really helps to keep things from slipping through the cracks (because it would be like really, really bad if I forgot to go to work one day.) Another item that I love is my desk calender. I keep this on my desk in my room as a reminder of what I have coming up. I use the same colors that I use in my agenda so that everything flows from one planner to another.
2. Prioritize
Every day, I have a list of things that absolutely have to get done that day. This really helps to make sure that you are getting all your assignments with deadlines done. If you map out a time to do all your homework and a time that it absolutely has to be done by, it will be harder to become overwhelmed when it comes time for all your tests. In one of my classes, all of our homeworks are due the night before the exam. On our last exam, I got really overwhelmed trying to finish all the homework that I didn’t have that much time to study. If I would have done my homework earlier, maybe I would have gotten a better grade on my test.
3. Always stay a few days ahead
Some days, you are just so busy that you don’t have time to even eat. On those days, your homework just isn’t happening. Instead of taking a zero on your homework, anticipate these days and get your homework done the day before. Also, if you know that you are going to have a test later that week, make sure you set aside time to study.
4. Always ask for help when you need it
There are many places on campus that can help you out and really get you to that A material. Go to your teachers’ office hours, go to drop in labs if the department has them, and lastly, seek private tutoring if you need it. I’m terrible at math so I know that I need a little extra help. I have no shame in going to my teacher’s office hours every day before class. This shows my teacher that I really care about her class. In addition to going to office hours, I go to the drop in math lab for help with the homework problems I just can’t figure out. Lastly, I go to private tutoring (which you have to pay for in most cases) for two hours a week to go over what we are doing in class. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help, in fact, it shows that you are becoming an adult. You realize that you may not be good at something and you go out and seek the help you need.
5. Set aside a couple hours a day for studying
Lastly, I believe that setting aside a few hours a day to study is extremely important. Sometimes your problem is that you just don’t have time to sit down somewhere and go over what you’re learning. I always set aside at least two hours a day to sit in the science library and put my phone away and study. By just studying for an hour or two a day, you are increasing your chances at academic success and preventing yourself from getting overwhelmed.
You can do it!