How do you manage your time in high school? If you’re like most teens, you don’t—largely because other people do it for you (e.g., your parents, your school, your boss, your coach).
But if you’re itching to control your own hours, consider yourself forewarned: the transition to independent college student isn’t always easy. You’ll be juggling class schedules, homework, study groups, parties, exercise, meals and sleep, among other things-—and reporting to no one. So how do college coeds take the leap to managing their minutes?
How do you manage your time in high school? If you’re like most teens, you don’t—largely because other people do it for you (e.g., your parents, your school, your boss, your coach).
But if you’re itching to control your own hours, consider yourself forewarned: the transition to independent college student isn’t always easy. You’ll be juggling class schedules, homework, study groups, parties, exercise, meals and sleep, among other things, and reporting to no one. So how do college coeds take the leap to managing their minutes? We asked students at five universities to share their tips and advice.
High School vs. College
According to Lauren Daas, a junior at Indiana University, the biggest difference between time management from high school to college is the structure you’re offered by others. “In college, your time is truly your time. It’s awesome, but it’s a lot more work. Creating a schedule and holding yourself accountable to it is the most important—but often most difficult—part of college.”
Vanderbilt University (TN) senior Brett Hass agrees. “In college, there is an excess of freedom and free time. Instead of being at school for over seven hours a day, one typically has about 15 hours of class a week. Counterintuitively, having so much free time can actually be a problem, since many students need to feel the pressure of a time crunch to be focused. Time management in college requires a lot more self-discipline than in high school.”
“Additionally, practice schedules, club meetings and hours spent studying are very different from week to week,” explains University of Pennsylvania sophomore Sarah Vanderwagen. “Therefore, you must plan very specific times to study because it’s a lot easier to procrastinate.”
Although procrastination is certainly a big issue, so is a lack of prioritizing. “In college, my biggest mistake was thinking I had more time to get things done when I didn’t,” explains Blake Jachman, a freshman at the University of Maryland. “I had to learn to pick and choose which events I could attend to still get my work done.”
University of Florida freshman Michael Fortini points out that college classes require much more work and studying outside of class. “In high school, I felt as though almost all of the material was covered in class. However, in college, exams are a very big deal and require weeks of preparation—something I never did in high school. My biggest time-management mistake was not studying in advance for my chemistry exam. Like with high school, I thought that I could merely study the night before and do well—that didn’t work out so hot. For the exams that followed, I improved upon this by studying days and weeks ahead of time.”
Time Management Methods
So now that you’ve got some idea about how important it is to manage your time in college, how do you actually do it?
“I realized that in between classes and other commitments during the day, I often had anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours of downtime that was being wasted,” says Hass. “By spending small amounts of time doing work in these gaps throughout the day, I have been able to significantly make a dent in the amount of work left over at night.”
Hass adds that technology plays a major role in helping him manage his time. “I use my calendar religiously. I put every major assignment and commitment on my Google calendar, and since I almost always have my computer or phone with me, I can easily check it throughout the day.”
For other students, a mix of technology and “old-school” methods does the trick. “I organize my schedule of classes, meetings, practices, interviews and social events in my iCalendar on my Mac, which also links to my iPhone,” says Vanderwagen. “I enter in date, time and location, so that when I am headed to the event, I can easily look up which room number to go to on my phone. Additionally, my planner helps me stay up to date on homework, tests and papers. At the beginning of each semester, I use my syllabi to enter all of these dates into my planner.”
“I like placing sticky notes on the wall above my desk so that I will constantly be reminded about [the things I need to do],” says Fortini. “Also, I enjoy using notes on my phone whenever I want to jot down a reminder for later. Luckily for University of Florida students, we also have online software that complements our classes; it contains a calendar that lists all of the upcoming assignments and exams.”
Finding Balance
“I read an article before I got to school that said, ‘Academics, social life and sleep. In college you can only pick two,’” says Jachman. “I didn’t truly comprehend this quote until I was actually living it. In high school it was so easy to do it all. But in college you can’t do everything. You need to find the balance between activities and studying.”
While everyone’s activities are different, one common tie that binds at college is academic stress. “It’s important to have ways to manage this stress,” advises Fortini. “I have made a lot of friends on my dorm floor, and I like relaxing with them by hanging out, watching sports or playing video games. I also happen to have a sound bar in my room, so I spend a decent amount of free time listening to music.”
Even for those who don’t consider themselves athletes, exercise seems to be one of the best ways to fight stress. “I joined a fitness organization that plans workout activities at various times throughout the week,” says Daas. “It’s been a great way to allot time for exercise.”
A Little Advice…
On studying: “In high school, I did a good job of doing homework in my bedroom, but this is not very practical as you will be living with many of your best friends in college,” says Vanderwagen. “I am able to get more work done when I am by myself in the library.”
On getting involved: “Don’t get involved with everything right away,” advises Jachman. “It’s difficult to balance everything at first. There will be hundreds of clubs, organizations and sports teams trying to recruit you. Look around for the first semester and don’t make any commitments. You should spend the first semester getting acclimated.”
On seeking help: “Take advantage of the resources offered in college,” suggests Fortini. “From studying help, to mentoring, to other counseling services, there are many ways to seek guidance and assistance with managing your time.”
On prioritizing: “I firmly believe that you should feel passionate about where you’re spending your time,” says Daas. “I try to balance this with the desire to be involved and build my résumé. For example, I have an interest in politics and public policy, so one semester I spent time interning for a local mayoral campaign, and I’ve also been involved with political groups on campus. Align your obligations and passions, and you’ll feel like you’re building your life, not just managing your time.”
Managing your time in college isn’t hard if you know what to expect and you apply some of the advice from students who have been through the transition. If you stay organized, prioritize and avoid the temptations of procrastination, you’ll no doubt enjoy better grades, less stress and the freedom to enjoy some R&R without the guilt!
