Tag Archives: Time Management

Got Time?

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By Patara Williams

Your syllabus says, “Semester Long Project,” but of course, you were at the top of your class in high school and no assignment has ever taken you more than a few hours, even projects.

Do away with that thought.

Seriously.

College is the time to do away with procrastination, because if you still suffer from it, then it will inevitably sneak its way into your postgrad life. Don’t let it do that.

Like me, you’ll find yourself busy from sun up to sun down, only to have enough leisure time to watch Scandal once a week. Projects won’t become priorities until the deadlines approach. Deadlines are surreptitious and not to be tested (no pun intended).

Inevitably, you’ll start your project less than a week before it’s due, two days for some of you, and then the incessant questions will rush in.

Does Professor X mean like this or like that?

Do I use APA or MLA?

What the heck is APA?

How long should my literature review be?

Don’t let it get this far. Begin your semester long projects, portfolios, research papers, etc. with ample time so you can sit down with your professor during office hours and get an idea of what he or she is looking for. Do this, and:

  1. Your professor will be impressed
  2. You will have more insight than your counterparts
  3. Your project will be stellar
  4. And even if it’s not, you just got 100 cool points from Professor X for not procrastinating

Let’s just say you do indeed choose to wait.

The questions will go unanswered because you’ll feel too embarrassed to email or ask your teacher questions about a project that you have yet to start, less than 72 hours before it’s due.

Instead, glean wisdom my friends:

Procrastination is an A’s kryptonite.

Timeliness is the antidote.

Sic your semester projects!

To Work or Not to Work?

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By Brooks Goodwin

A big decision I had coming into Baylor was choosing whether or not to work while I was in school. I qualified for work-study and could have definitely used the extra money to put towards paying for tuition, room, books, etc. However, I ultimately decided to wait on getting a job during my freshman year and focus solely on my classwork. This worked well for me, and I had a successful first year in college. But, at the end of the year, I decided that I would make the change and get a job during my sophomore year.

I kept looking at the student employment job listings over the summer before my sophomore year and found one position that sounded like something I would like to do. The Baylor Admissions office had an opening for a data processor. Basically, I would deal with processing the transcripts from high school students who were applying for admission. I applied, got an interview, and ended up getting the job! I started the first week of classes and worked nine hours per week, which was very manageable. After working for a while, I found that I became a lot better at prioritizing things and staying on top of my schoolwork. Knowing that I had work made me take advantage of free time I had earlier in the week to get things done that weren’t necessarily due right away. This prevented me from scrambling to finish them the night before, after I finished work.

This semester, I have even added an extra shift at work and feel confident that I will still be able to manage my time well. If you are thinking about working during the school year but are not sure how you will handle it, let me tell you that it is very possible. You might want to take a semester or two like I did to adjust to college and see what your workload will be, but don’t let the fear of having too much schoolwork keep you from getting a job if you want or need one. You will be more than capable of handling it and find that your time-management skills will improve greatly!

In conclusion, I would highly recommend trying to find an on-campus job if you are thinking about working during your time here. If you qualify for work-study, you get first priority when it comes to these jobs. Even if you don’t qualify, there are usually spots left over. You can find more info about all of that on Baylor’s student employment website. Working an on-campus job is great, because the hours you can work are limited, which leaves you with plenty of time for studying or socializing while also providing you with a steady paycheck. This might be a little more difficult if you were to look for a retail or restaurant job, even if the pay might be a little more. Just a friendly tip!

New Year, New Habits

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By Brooks Goodwin

Coming back to Baylor for the spring semester is always a difficult thing. Not because being at Baylor is a bad thing, but because a whole new set of classes are about to begin. After enjoying a nice month of either relaxing at home or vacationing with family, coming back to campus and getting yourself back to “school-mode” can be quite the hassle. Starting a new semester can also be a bit of a blessing in disguise, however. If the previous semester didn’t go exactly how you wanted it to, this new semester is your chance to start off fresh and get things going in the right direction.

To make this semester better than the last one, I find it to be helpful to immediately try and correct some of the bad habits you had last semester. Usually, these are things that are pretty obvious and you know you can improve upon. For instance, you may need to get more sleep, so you can focus in class. Maybe your problem is making sure to eat the right amount of meals everyday. It could be anything that might hinder your school performance. Because you are coming into a new semester and will have a different routine than the previous year, it’s the prime opportunity to insert a new habit into your schedule. Then, it will be second nature by the middle of the semester.

Coming into this semester, I knew my biggest problem was studying. I usually stayed in my room to study, because that is what I had done since my freshman year here at Baylor. First off, I know that pretty much everyone will tell you to NEVER study in you room, because it’s distracting and near impossible. However, I had never had problems with it up until last semester. But something changed. I don’t know if it was the difficulty of the material or something else, but my old study habit didn’t seem to work as well. Yet, I didn’t change it. So, this semester I decided to find a new study spot and even schedule in some study time to make sure I was getting it done. My roommate actually had the same problem, so we looked for some places to go this semester.

study spot 1

The first week of classes, we found this quiet study area tucked away by the Armstrong Browning Library that we never knew existed. As long as the weather is favorable, we decided to give it a shot as our new study spot. So far through the first two weeks, we have made it a point to go there on Mondays and Wednesdays right after lunch to study and get extra homework done. This seems to be working so far, and I can already tell it’s helping my study skills. Only time will tell exactly how well this will work this semester. The good thing is that I set this up so early in the semester. Now this habit has time to sink in, which will hopefully be very helpful.

Basically, all I am trying to say is that each new semester is a new chance to do better than before. If you fell short of your expectations in the past, don’t make the same mistakes you did then. Instead, set out to fix them, and I am fairly certain you will see better results.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

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By Parmida Schahhosseini

Never have I been more excited to begin a new semester. It’s not because it’s my last semester of college, but because it’s a chance to start fresh. Last semester, as much as it pushed me, was overwhelming. I worked for more than 40 hours a week while taking 18 hours of class (most of them junior/senior level classes at that) in addition to serving in three leadership positions.

As I began applying for jobs and preparing for graduation, I realized that I needed to lighten my load and enjoy life. It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying life last semester; I just didn’t have time to take anything in. Everything felt rushed, and while it was exhilarating and pushed me to greater limits, I realized that I was too consumed in my work. I had teachers telling me to get a social life. Yes, it was that bad. I did quit one of my jobs (one of three) and while I miss it, I’ve felt more relieved than ever. I miss the job, but not the long hours.

However, through it all I became stronger. I’ve learned more about myself last semester than I had during my previous existence. Despite the circumstances, my GPA didn’t suffer, and I have great job interview material to work with. The point of this story is not to brag about myself, but to remind you all not to get discouraged during the tough stretches of college. Yes, it will be stressful and sometimes you may have to sacrifice things, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Remember that there is nothing that God puts before you that you and God cannot handle. Many people ask me how I survived last semester, and it all goes back to God. I will brag about God because He continues to test us to make us well-rounded individuals. While this semester may present challenges, I will always remember how I came out stronger after my previous challenge. These experiences happen to teach us more about life, ourselves and God.

This semester as I focus on the job hunt, there will be different things I have to deal with such as rejection or having to make choices between multiple offers (if that were to happen). It may require me to take a leap of faith and have faith that the Lord has great plans for me. While it’s exciting, it’s stressful because I don’t want to be unemployed, living with my parents. The thought of unemployment has crossed my mind, but I just to remember that God will deliver us. He only wants the best for us.

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The Final Stretch

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By Aaqila Rasheed

Breaks are very convenient for the average college student, especially Thanksgiving break. This break comes at just the right time because many projects and exams have already consumed the little bit of social life that you have left. Thanksgiving break gives you time away from school that is needed to maintain your sanity and, more importantly, to finish the semester strong. After you’ve eaten as much turkey and stuffing that you can possibly fit in your stomach, including the leftovers that your mother insists that you bring back to school with you, it’s time to get your head back in the game because school is not over just yet.

The most important thing to remember is that after Thanksgiving break usually lies the most important assignments. Teachers strategically organize the syllabus to include major tasks that could disrupt the A that you hold in the class as a test of endurance in my opinion. Projects can sometimes weigh the same as an exam grade or even heavier. New information is still being taught and attendance is still extremely vital. I made the mistake freshman year of letting up on my study habits after Thanksgiving break. Needless to say, I received some unwanted grades.

My advice would be to use the break as a chance to start assembling study reviews for finals. The school designates two “dead” days for studying for finals; however, the 48 hours never seem long enough. Using the break as a head start to finals gives you the opportunity to maximize the dead days for studying alone and not waste the time making reviews, notecards and other studying materials.

Being proactive instead of reactive can ease the stress from your brain, leaving enough room to cram everything in from the semester.

How to Enjoy Thanksgiving Break and Still Get Homework Done

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By Courtney Roberts

Unfortunately, there’s only one week of classes between Thanksgiving break and the study days before finals. Often times, that last week of classes is the last push before finals, and many classes still have tests. I realized last week that I have two tests and a 5-page essay due during that week. How am I supposed to enjoy my Thanksgiving break and sufficiently prepare myself for these exams?

For my 5-page essay, I tried to pace myself through a 250-page book about Communist China for my world history class. I actually started this book the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so I blame myself for that one. It was a dense read, but I annotated and highlighted important lines as I went. By Friday night, I had an extensive outline typed. I may not have completely finished it, but it’ll be smooth sailing on Monday afternoon when I start putting the essay together for Tuesday.

As far as my other two tests, Italian and Organizational Behavior (a management class in the business school), I’ll just have to put together study guides and study groups on Monday. I’m not worried about it because those are later in the week, and the essay is my first priority. But for right now, I feel pretty accomplished!

As for enjoying my break, I definitely still got to spend some quality time with my family. I ran errands, shopped with my brother, cooked with my parents and decorated the Christmas tree. To me, Thanksgiving break feels like a teaser for Christmas break. But at this busy point in the semester, it was much needed!

Five Tips to Surviving Finals

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By Torie Abbott

When I began my college journey, I was so nervous about that dreaded word: finals. It’s been exploited by pop culture for years. We have all seen it: those sad, sleep-deprived college students with messy hair, who are surrounded by junk food and buried in text books as they crams for those ever so important tests before the freedom of Christmas break or summer vacation.

Personally, I would like to think that that entire image is over-exaggerated for the Hollywood depiction of college. Having said that, finals are no walk in the park. Now, the difficulty of finals varies depending on the course, the major and your preferences for studying. However, in my own experience, there are five tips to studying that can help you survive finals.

  1. Get sleep! This is honestly the best medicine and stress reliever, and it can also help your memory! The more sleep you get, the better your brain is going to process the information. An all-nighter the night before an important final is probably not the best approach.
  2. The test are hard, but doable! That’s right! They are so doable; I promise! It is easy to psych yourself out, especially when you know that these tests are important. But always remember, you can do it!
  3. Find your study spot! There are so many places to study both on and off campus! Moody Library is always a good option. Need to feel inspired? Armstrong Browning overflows with creativity. Outside studier? Cameron Park or the backyard of Common Grounds are also super popular! Are you someone that needs silence? Upstairs in the SUB is usually super quiet and not over populated.
  4. Shoot for your personal best and set realistic goals! As I said before, the tests are doable, but they are still challenging. Most of the time, previous tests in the class are a good gauge for the level of difficulty of your final. While this last test grade can bump your grade from a B to an A, it will take effort!
  5. Breathe. It’s the end of the semester! Get through these tests, do your best and then you’ll get a break! You deserve it!

 

The Art of an All-Nighter

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By Courtney Roberts

The fact that I know the “art” to pulling an all-nighter should tell you I’ve pulled way too many. I thought I learned from my irresponsible freshman ways, but here I am again, in my senior year, doing it again. Between classes, an internship, sleep, organization meetings and other homework assignments, there isn’t always time to study in advance. When you have three or more tests in one week, all-nighters (or at least partial ones) can be unavoidable.

Here are some basic rules I follow:

  1. Always nap in the afternoon. It sounds counterproductive, but you’ll need it! I usually try to sleep for an hour and a half, so I can stay up later that night.
  2. Get organized. Make a list of everything you need to do for that day, no matter how small. You’ll definitely feel more focused. Is there any time in your schedule to multitask?
  3. Get out of the house. The worst thing you can do (and I do this a lot) is get too cozy at home. I have the tendency to avoid studying, give up and go to bed. All-nighters take a special kind of commitment! I like to go to Moody Library in a relatively quiet, well-lit area where I can see other people studying.
  4. Take breaks. This is the best part of the night! I’ll admit that I usually get distracted by something and tend to take longer breaks than anticipated. Give yourself 10 minutes or so at the end of every hour to walk around, get refreshed and take your mind off your upcoming test.
  5. Give yourself rewards. I try to make goals for when I want to have certain parts of my studying done. For example, read chapter one by midnight, read chapter two by 1 a.m., etc. If I finish faster than I planned, I allow myself longer break times, or I tell myself I’m going to get my favorite coffee drink at Starbucks before my first class.
  6. Listen to music. It’ll help keep your brain alert and (hopefully) keep you from drifting off.
  7. Get some sleep. Reward yourself with a nice, long nap when it’s over! Some sleep is better than no sleep.

As a disclaimer, I will say that I don’t resort to all-nighters too often. It takes about a week for me to recover. It can also make you more prone to getting sick. I only advise using this method as a last resort! Good time management and planning will help you steer away from arduous all-nighters.

All-Nighter

Planning for Success

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By Brooks Goodwin

When many students come to college, they soon find themselves behind in classes and struggling to keep their head above water, really only a few weeks into the semester. I had plenty of friends who were in this boat, and I’m sure there were plenty more aside from them. To prevent this from happening to you whenever you do find yourself in college, I have compiled a few tips that will help you plan out your college life and set yourself up for success:

My Planner

This is the planner I use called iStudiez Pro (available on the App Store), and the red flags are exams!

1. Use a Planner

Whether it is a physical planner you can actually write in, or a digital one on your phone/computer, invest in one. Once you find out about an assignment, put it in your planner to prevent last minute freak-outs of “Oh, there was homework?!”

 

2. Read the Course Syllabus

Seriously, read these. Even if you never read the ones in high school when your teacher said to, college is a whole different level. Each syllabus will list out the grade distribution, important information on how to get in contact with your professor and usually the dates for each exam, which you can now go put in your new planner.

Sample Syllabus

This is an example of a college syllabus. I highlighted the important dates to add to my calendar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Get into a schedule

This might be the most important tip, so take note. Once you arrive on campus, you will realize that things are a lot different than high school. You may be in class for a few hours in the morning, and then have the whole day seemingly ‘free.’ However, you need to make sure that there aren’t things you need to do before you go out with friends or chill-out watching Netflix for the rest of the day. The best way to do this is essentially plan out each day…

  • Block out the time of the day you will be in class.
  • Then, set a time slot where you will be able to eat lunch – this might seem silly, but it can be easy to skip a meal if you have plenty to do.
  • Next, set aside a certain time frame for you to finish up homework or study.
  • All that is really left is to plan on eating dinner, and the rest of your night is free for various activities.

I used this when I was a freshman, and I have to say it was very helpful. I threw in some time to go the SLC (Baylor’s workout facility), and even made time to nap on a few days of the week, as well. All of this might seem petty to you as you read this, and by all means you don’t have to take my advice. However, I felt that by sharing how my system created the perfect balance between school and free time for me, someone might benefit from it.

After reading through this, I hope you will take these tips to heart and use them when you come to campus your freshman year. There are other ways to be successful, stay on track of things and find a balance, but these are the three big ones that worked for me (and continue to work as a sophomore). You are obviously welcome to figure out what works best for you, but if you are nervous on how you will adjust to college life, these can serve as a good starting point! Most of all, have fun when you arrive in college. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it is just as important to get out and socialize as it is succeed in class. Hope to see you all on campus soon enough! Sic ‘Em Bears!

Time Management (by Gerald Cofer)

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Time management is a major factor for being successful at Baylor, without this skill you could find yourself becoming lost. Study study study! But lack of sleep and a decrease in grades are just two of the  side affects of not controlling your time wisely.

Unfortunately, I became a slave to those side effects as I noticed that my grades were starting to dip in a few of my classes. RED ALERT kicked in and I was not entirely sure what to do. But I’ve learned a few tips to help keep my grades (and sleep) at a healthy level.

  1. Compile each assignment from every class on one calendar. This way you don’t have to constantly juggle multiple syllabi to keep track of what you have going on.
  2. Break down big projects, like research papers, into smaller tasks. If your professors don’t have check points throughout the semester, give yourself deadlines for finishing research and rough drafts to stay on track.
  3. Schedule in rewards for finishing a tough assignment. You’ll feel a lot better about working on a paper if you know you get spend time with your friends later.

One of the best resources I’ve used to learn to manage my time is my mentor at the academic success center. Mentors are a great and very helpful. Not only can a mentor be an accountability partner, they can also help motivate you through the semester. Without my mentor to help me stay focused and to regain my confidence, I would have been lost in the sea of Baylor.