Now that syllabus week is over it’s time to put down your party hats and pick up your thinking caps. School is officially in session, leaving all of us longing for some free time and already regretting scheduling all those eight am’s.
Time is the one thing that troubles every student, and the ability to balance social life and school work into what little we have. While nothing seems as sour as that first night back in the library it is essential to a successful and happy school year. After all nothing stresses college goers more than bad grades.
That stress is trumped only by the feeling of loneliness which oft emerges after a week or weekend of disappearing into one’s textbooks just to squeeze out a passing grade.
So how can anyone balance a social life with school work? Is it even possible?
I’m here to tell you it is, and if you take a few steps at the beginning of the school year it can save you a lot of stress and lonely hours of studying this semester. There are always those people who seem to effortless make great grades and yet seem to be able to go downtown every Friday night, or hang out with you anytime you shoot them a text. So what’s their secret?
Time management is the answer to all your problems. Yeah I know those are two of the scariest, most adult words I could have proposed as your solution, but managing your time can be easy if you plan in advance. Here are five tips on how best to get through this semester with grades and keep your friends by your side.
Don’t throw away your syllabi after syllabus week. Those syllabi will be your lifeline. Transfer the dates of all your exams and project due dates onto a separate calendar, and keep this calendar handy. This way you can prepare yourself ahead of time and plan study time accordingly.
Study as often as possible, even when you don’t have any tests or projects coming up. Trust me this will save you a lot of heartache when that week comes up when you have two projects due and three tests. Studying a little bit at a time every weekday will pay off in the long run. You’ll absorb information better and won’t feel that stress of last minute cramming For example, if you study with flashcards just make a few flashcards everyday.
Make a habit of setting time aside to study. Once you start setting some time to study aside it will be easy for you to plan social events around studying. Just make sure you don’t make a habit of interrupting study time with anything else.
Study with friends. If you can’t find time to hang out with friends and study then just combine the two events, studying always seems a little easier with a few friends by your side.
Set aside time for friends. Plan time on Fridays and Saturdays as friend time, don’t try to trick yourself into thinking you’ll just go out for an hour. Plan for it ahead of time so you can study a little extra before the weekend comes.
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