By Prof. John DeSpagna
Campus News
HELP! I have so much studying to do, I am working 20-30 hours a week, I want to be able to socialize with my friends and I am so tired. Does this sound familiar?
Going to college and trying to juggle all your activities into a single day can create a challenging situation. The transition from high school to college is a big step. Being able to balance your time to get everything done is something you can do when you properly plan out your semester and not try to do too much. Let’s go through a few things you can do to address this.
When I advise students, I listen first and then ask questions to properly advise. The first question that I ask is, “How many hours a week will you be working?” Many times the response is along the lines of, “I am going to be working 30 to 40 hours a week and I want to take 15 credits.” Stop. You are trying to do too much and then the wheels start to fall off.
Signing up for a full-time schedule of 15 credits is time consuming enough. Adding on 30-40 hours of work per week on top of that is too much to do. How are you going to go to class and do all your reading, writing and studying with all of this on your schedule? Yes, it is important to get in the hours at work so you can meet your financial obligations of car payments, insurance, college tuition and so many other areas. Please don’t try to do too much.
You also need to manage your time so you can use it efficiently and effectively. If you are a manager and have too many tasks at hand, you have too prioritize and do what is most important for you. Go through your anticipated activities during the semester. Prioritize what is most important to do and focus on those tasks. At this stage, college success should be on the top of that list.
As you are going through the semester, you need to set aside some time blocks each week for studying. One idea is to try and set aside two-hour time blocks to study in. This can be during breaks from work or family obligations. The two-hour time block will also enable you to concentrate and work in other activities. Try and schedule as many of these into your weekly schedule. They are not too long and can keep you focused.
When your term projects, labs and other written assignments are coming due, don’t wait to the last minute to complete them. Let’s try another approach. If you have a five page paper to complete, break it down and write out an outline two to three weeks before the due date. When you get to within a week of the due date, complete writing the paper. This will leave you a week to revise and make corrections. This avoids the whole wait until the last minute approach and a rushed paper, which may not be your best work.
Another point that I can offer to help get you through the semester is to get enough sleep. You need to rest and recharge so you can be at your best. Working double shifts is going to tire you out, and you will not be at your best when it comes to your studies. Getting regular exercise will also help you to stay healthy.
It is important for you to earn good grades and be successful in college. We all face the challenge of not having enough time to accomplish all that we want along with our responsibilities outside of school. Try and plan out your semester and work in some of the points made in this article to help you have a successful semester.
John DeSpagna is Chair of the Accounting and Business Administration Department at Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y.
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