Some Reminders on Time and Study

"It's not enough to be busy.
The question is: what are we busy about?"
--- Thoreau

For many college students there just doesn't seem to be enough time to study, work, play, deal fairly with friends and family, sleep, and eat. Here are some suggestions to help you plan your semester and stay sane.

1. Make A Realistic Class Schedule. Plan on studying 2 or 3 hours for each hour you are in class (really). If you don't have the time because of other commitments, take fewer hours, so that you can apply yourself and meet the demands of the courses you do keep. You'll be happier and do better, in the long run.
2. Make A Weekly Schedule. Put it in writing, then stick to it. No one else can or will make you go to classes, study, or work on assignments. You need to do it yourself, and you need to be firm about it.
3. Go To Class. This sounds simple, but students often get into trouble because they have more freedom in college, and sometimes feel that it doesn't matter if they go to classes or not. Regular attendance in all of your classes is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your success. Be particular certain to attend classes that have no attendance policy.
4. Don't Wait for Inspiration To Strike. It probably won't. Decide that you are going to start tasks when you have them planned, and then start working. Don't make excuses.
5. Make Use of All The Time You're Given For Long Term Projects and Assignments. If you paid for 24 hour-long tennis lessons, you wouldn't cram them all into one day, just to get through as quickly as possible. You'd expect to spread them out so that you could improve and learn a little each time for several weeks. Reading assignments, papers, and other projects are all more manageable if you work on them in smaller time units over the long haul, than if you put them off until the last minute.
6. Use Spare Moments. Use the time you spend waiting for classes to start, in lines, for appointments, or for other people, by keeping some work with you all the time - it might be reviewing notes, putting together study questions, or reading.
7. Set Priorities. Decide what you really want, plan how you can get it, then follow your plans. Make daily "To Do" lists so you won't forget. For longer projects you may want lists that break them down to smaller, more manageable tasks, then prioritize them. Complete the most important things first, even if they are difficult to do.
8. Keep Aware Of The University Calendar. Watch for things like: the date of your finals, preregistration, midterms, dates to add and drop classes.