Hello There…Welcome Back to Life Hacks by Rose: College Edition
This week I am going to be discussing how to manage that change of lifestyle when it comes to class schedules. It is definitely something that takes some getting used to, and is quite different than a high school class day. If we are being honest, I found myself totally thrown off, kind of confused, and definitely indifferent about the college class schedule when I first began my college career in Fall of 2014. However, once I did get accustomed to it…I wasn’t sure how I lasted all day in high school classes LOL. College classes have their pros and cons, just like any other thing in life, and it is up to individuals themselves, on how they handle and attack this lifestyle.
Take Mental Breaks
By taking mental breaks, I mean, if your professors do not partake in this technique…then do it for yourself. Take a bathroom break, go fill up your water bottle, or even just take some time to stretch/crack the back. When you begin feeling restless, sometimes just a quick mental break can help relieve any frustration or stress you might be having, and you can come back refreshed and able to make it through the rest of class.
Stay Attentive with Taking Notes and Organizing Them
Having a planner and notebook, as well as a laptop if possible for you, will give you the ability to organize your class to class syllabus. By doing this, you can have folders assigned to each class, and if you have any form of OCD like me, you can choose to color coordinate your folder to your notebook per course. Note taking is way easier if you have allotted space, and can reference these notes easily for assignments, and study tools. This will completely allow you to stay on top of each class without feeling overwhelmed. This was a super great way for me to have a semi fun time taking notes, by making them look nice, neat, and organized.
Reward Yourself
Having a little reward waiting for you after you have studied hard during class, or participated extra during the lecture, is a great way to want to be attentive and dialed in during class times. It is hard being wrapped into the class without a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…right?!
Make Friends
When you make a friend in a class, there are multiple benefits. For starters, you are making a friend that could become super close to you, so that’s awesome. However, we all know what it is like to have “a class” friend. A friend to sit next to in class, a partner for group work and activities, a study partner, and more. A really really great benefit to having a friend in class, is that if you have to miss class they can lend you their notes and fill you in on all that you missed so you are completely caught up for next class.
Plan out Semester in its Entirety to Stay on Track
I briefly spoke on this in one of my previous blog posts, but to plan out the entire semester in your planner from the start will truly allow you to stay on track, and feel less stressed when trying to succeed in each of your classes. This will allow you to plan things out, and give each class your full attention and effort throughout the duration of the course.
Bring a Snack and/or Drink
At least from my experience in college classes, having a snack or drink was like a mini form of motivation. “Okay, if I have this snack I will be able to go to class and concentrate”…anybody else with me on this? Idk, maybe it is a mental thing, but it totally worked for me.
Do Not Schedule Long Classes Back to Back
Do not stress yourself out and schedule back to back classes every day. You may or may not know that in college, classes normally are M/W/F or T/TH, with the occasional once a week course. I do not suggest taking two once a week classes back to back, forcing yourself to be attentive and dialed for about a 5-6 hour duration straight.
All in all, the college lifestyle is amazing. However, make sure you don’t get too caught up on it…for that post grad life can hit ya hard lol 😉 Anyways, I hope you can find some of these ideas, tips, lessons, and more that I provided for you all to be useful. Can’t wait to hear ALL about it, and catch up next time on #smelltheroses (bye for now). Xx