Time Management in College
For many people college is the first time they are on their own and have to make their own choices. At first, this may seem great as they can now do whatever they please but if they do not take responsibility, they will run into trouble. With a lot of free time, it is their choice how to use it. It is not an easy thing to do, but time management must be learned and can be mastered if they are to stay organized and on top of their schoolwork.
As a first year in college and collegiate athlete, time management is something that had to be learned quickly. We were required to go to the library at least hours a week. This forced me to study and it helped me stay on top of my homework. Even though sports took up a lot of time it actually helped time management because I knew that if I was not organized then I would be in trouble. I knew that if I was not on top of things it would have been detrimental to my grades. From getting to practice early to the time it takes me to get back to my dorm practice takes up about three and half to four hours of my day. That is a lot when you include eating and sleeping to your day. If I didn’t stay on top of my work it would have been detrimental to success.
Rebecca Nathan,a professor, went undercover to see what it was truly like to be a freshman in college these days. She wrote about her findings in her article, “The art of College Management.” One major point she makes is that teachers don’t coordinate their work schedules, so it is key to keep everything organized. She claims, “ You would not know until you put all your dates and deadlines into your day planner how many papers were due in the same week, or how many tests fell on the same day as the Halloween party. Even with your planner, you could not predict whether the homework demands in a given week would exceed the time available; any kind of spontaneity threatened to thwart the best-laid plans” (112). The best advice I could give to a student is to get a planner. The one’s who effectively use a planner seem to be the most organized and the most on top of things. It is nearly impossible to keep track of all the different assignments going on in your head. A student is bound to forget at least one if they don’t use a planner, and as Nathan said even with a planner college can get confusing.
College isn’t all about getting your work done. Some time is needed for one’s brain to relax and have a little fun. The hard part is balancing spending time with friends, and getting work done. An article in the US News by Kelci Lynn Lucier talks about how to manage time correctly. The article claims that, “It’s an unrealistic expectation to think that you can study, go to class, and work all day, every day. Your brain needs a break, too! Make sure to allow yourself time to go to something fun in the quad, attend a meeting for your favorite club, and just hang out for an hour or so at night with friends over dinner.” Small things like having diner with friends can help a persons brain out so much. Having that time to just sit back and relax is huge to success in college. Overall success in college is dependent on how well one spends their time.
