Time Management
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. –Annie Dillard, author
One of the major challenges college students face is managing their time effectively. If you enter college directly after high school, you may not know what to do with all of your “free time.” If, on the other hand, you are entering college after taking some time off from formal education, it’s likely that you are also juggling the responsibilities of family and work. No matter what your unique situation is, you have 168 hours per week, and only you can decide how to spend those hours. If you want to be a successful student, though, you will need to set aside considerable time for study and homework. Here are some important ideas to remember:
1. Being a full-time student is a full-time job. College courses are designed so that you will spend two hours studying for every one hour that you are in class. That means that taking 12 units is a commitment of at least 36 hours per week (24 hours studying and 12 hours in class unless you are taking a lab class which would be more hours). If you aren’t getting the grades you want, examine your schedule to make sure you aren’t cutting short your study time.
2. Skipping class has long-term consequences. If at all possible, go to every class session. Students who miss class end up behind. Getting caught up once you are behind can be a stressful, time-consuming endeavor.
3. Procrastination is like gambling. That old saying “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” is actually very wise. Students are sometimes tempted to wait until the last minute to work on a project, but procrastinating is one way to guarantee that your child will be sick or your printer will break down right before your deadline. Don’t risk it!