COLLEGE SUCCESS TIPS
Study Skills
Manage Your Most Valuable Asset: Time
Independence can be a double-edged sword. In high school, your in-school time was most likely
managed for you; every school day was broken up into the same block periods, and started and
finished at the same time every day.
After-school activities took place from approximately 2:30 to just before dinner time, and you
juggled the occasional sporting event or evening play practice that took place after dinner. You
had to get to bed at a reasonable time every night, or you would not be alert in the morning when
your alarm rang at 6am or earlier.
Time for studying might have seemed scarce, especially if you juggled multiple after-school
activities, sports, and social events, like many high school students nowadays. However, you
always found small pockets of time – an hour or two after dinner, a morning study hall, the
half-hour before homeroom in the morning – to get your work done. This was key.
In college, there is a lot more unstructured time at your disposal than in high school. Here are
some keys for making the most of this time:
1. Keep A Schedule.
This will help you to keep track of appointments, long-term deadlines, and your
priorities. Use this planner to keep all of this essential information in one place,
so that you know where to find it when you need to recall an appointment,
birthday, or important lecture that you don’t want to miss.
2. Make A List.
Start by making a list of everything that you need to do, including the date that
each task must be completed.
•
Assess Each Task
.
Make a quick estimation as to how long each task will take you.
If you have a task on your list that will take multiple hours to complete, you might
want to split it up into smaller chunks. This will help you to focus on the details
without getting bogged down by trying to imagine the big picture all at once.
•
Prioritize Your List
. Number the tasks on your list in an order based on when each
needs to be completed and how long each will take.
•
Pat Yourself On The Back
. Cross each task off of your list as you complete it. Revel
in the feeling of accomplishment as your list dwindles down to nothing.
3. Don’t Procrastinate.
Now that you have a filled-in agenda book and a prioritized list of tasks that
need completion, there’s only one thing left to do: get started!
Work first, play later.
If you get your work completed, you will feel
much less stressed when it is “down time.”
EGE SUC ES TIPS
Study Skills
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