I always joke with students that there’s “real life time” and there’s “college time.” College time seems to move by twice as fast. Sometimes, you can look up and 6 or 7 weeks of the semester have already gone by. All of a sudden, it’s time for midterms.
With COVID and virtual schooling, it seems like a semester should drag by, but we are finding quite the opposite to be true. First semester flew by and second will too.
With that in mind, here are a few tips so students don’t let second semester blow by them:
Create a list of weekly tasks- The first week of the semester, students should pore over the syllabus of each class and make sure that they iron out exactly what the weekly tasks are for each class. Their list should include all school activities: readings, textbook chapters, reviewing notes, quizzes, assignment submissions, etc.
Commit time each week to exercise- College students have plenty of downtime, but this can quickly morph into video games, tv, and phone time. It’s important to stay physically active and on the move throughout the week. It’s important to designate time, set goals, and stick to them when it comes to physical activity. This will pay off in the long run and is more important than ever as we become more and more stationary.
Find somewhere to go- It’s really easy to fall into a routine at the start of a semester. A student starts trying to study and work in their dorm room, and then, that ends up being their new normal. It’s important for students to get out to libraries, classrooms, Starbucks, or wherever they can safely study and be productive. This is even more challenging with COVID, indoor restrictions, and mask requirements, but college students can still successfully solve this problem and get out of their dorm room to do work.
If college students set this weekly structure for themselves, they will be able to slow down the semester, make sure nothing slips through the cracks, and stay on top of each big and little assignment.