Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Adjusting to College

For many of us, coming to college is a time filled with anticipation, anxiety, and stress. Packing up everything you’ll need for the next year to leaving friends you’ve had for years can be nerve racking. Then comes August, where you can’t wait to start and move in. The first weekend is always a fun time to go out with your new friends and explore the new area. And then, classes start. Now that we’re really getting into the semester, work is piling up very quickly with many things due on the same day. I know that I have a lot of assignments due throughout the upcoming weeks and it really helps me to schedule when to get them done. Time management is always the first thing teachers tell you is important to do in college and I never believed them. However, now I do. I often find myself wishing there were more hours in the day to get everything done and procrastination definitely does not help. So, what are some other ways to make the adjustment between high school and college easier? How do you deal with the tons of assignments, tests, and papers that are due?

JF

5 comments:

JG said...

There is definitely a kind of reality shock that sets in around week four or week five and just gets worse until some time after midterms in October. Everybody does things differently, so I'm looking forward to hearing from some of you as to what your strategies are.

My strategy? The Nike slogan: Just Do It. That might sound stupid, but sometimes I just have to make myself do it, treat myself like a little kid and tell myself to get in there and do X. It always works. Sometimes I set rewards for myself. If I do this thing for thirty minutes, I get to do this other thing for the rest of the hour. Carrots and sticks work well for me.

Anonymous said...

The main strategy I use is to write all of my assignments down in my daily planner. After that i write a list of them, and when they're due. I start with the ones that are due the earliest, then move on. You can't imagine how good it feels to cross out each of the assignments when you've finished them. It's so relieving knowing you got something done and it's one less thing you have to deal with!

Anonymous said...

Adjusting from high school to college can be challenging and wierd at first but it gets better over time. At first it can seem alittle overwhelming and knowing you have all this freedom makes you do whatever you want to do. Time management is the most important of all though. If you want to do well in school you must have good time management skills

Anonymous said...

I am used to time management. I make a list and label the assignments for when they are due. And I try to get them done after work between 10-12 at night. I study for tests in between my classes considering I have a few hours to spare in the lair. And for writing papers I usually do them on Tuesdays and Thursdays since those are the days I have the least classes. If I do my assignments throughout the week that usually leaves the weekend open to relax and have fun.

Anonymous said...

This might sound cheesy but my planner has literally become my best friend. I write everything down and then put most important and the top of my list. You would not believe how good it feels to cross off something you have to do. I also have learned to stop procrastinating. There's just no time for it!