College life is, in a way, the first time many adolescents will live on their own and experience most of the everyday responsibilities of an adult. For some students this freedom can be overwhelming, especially when asked to maintain a grade point average while also participating in extracurricular activities. With the proper time management skills, however, any student can overcome college stress and benefit from these important years in his or her life.
Structuring Study Time is Now the Student's Responsibility
According to Dartmouth University, many college freshmen are overwhelmed at the notion of having the new responsibility of structuring their daily lives. While in high school students simply had to come to class and do minimal homework at home while teachers handled their daily schedules. In college, however, students have more freedom and flexibility outside of the classroom. Setting aside the appropriate time for homework and research is just as important has saving time for other activities.
Students Must Make the Most out of Study Sessions
Even if a college freshman dedicates a few hours each day to studying or homework, this time is wasted if the student does not fully commit to his work. In other words, the student must focus all attention on the tasks at hand in order to benefit from this study time. Clemson University suggests that students can expect to study 2 - 3 hours for every 1 hour of class time. Thus, for a 3-hour lecture course students can expect to study 6 - 9 hours outside of the classroom.
Allow Time for Relaxing and Having Fun
While college is certainly a time to learn complex theories and ideas in the classroom, it is also an important time in the social lives for all students. As such, allowing oneself time to participate in athletics, social activities, or developing social relationships can be just as important as any classroom lesson. Students must remain aware of peer pressure, however, as it is very easy to fall back into bad time management habits.
College life can be a huge adjustment for any incoming freshmen. Temptation, peer pressure, and a lack of authoritative figures offering direction can lead to establishing bad time management habits for many students. With the proper dedication and preparation, any student can succeed in college and adjust properly to the freedom of college life.
Sources:
"Managing Your Time." Dartmouth University; accessed December 2010.
"College Survival Skills." Clemson University; accessed December 2010.
Adam Fonseca - Adam Fonseca is a certified Lean Six Sigma Change Agent and an accomplished golf writer. He currently works in health care ...
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