News Taffy

We’re not even one week into school yet, and I know I’m already feeling the strain of a new year starting. Between school and work, down-time seems to be a thing of the past these days. So, how can you as a new collegiate avoid or minimize this stress?

I’m the queen of sticky notes (really, ask any of my friends). I have used them for years to keep track of upcoming assignments, test days and of events. However, these aren’t good to fall back on for organizing yourself. Let’s face it, sometimes the sticky loses its “stick” and you forget about your exams and projects.

This semester, I’m giving a planner a whirl. I’ve never liked planners. I’ve refused to use them, but that has quickly come back to bite me. With all I have going on this semester, it is crucial that I organize my time. Frugal is not just for money anymore.

I will be honest—I’m very nervous that I won’t keep track of my planner like I should, but here are a few reasons as to why organization in college is key.

• You don’t have the same schedule every day and this gives way to procrastination. (Sidenote: The Procrastination Society will be meeting at some point. Don’t worry, you have time to prepare.) If you have an 8 a.m. class on MWF and an 11 a.m. on TR, the easiest thing to do is put off your homework for the TR class until the night before it’s due. Typically, it’s not that you intended to put it off either. You’ll probably hear people telling you how cramming and all-nighters are all you do in college, but honestly that is for the people who really don’t make the effort to get organized early on. Believe me—I’ve been on both sides of the organizational spectrum.

• Because you don’t have the same classes each day, grades are tougher and personal responsibility is much more important. If your school closes for snow for two days and you had a reading assignment due for a particular class, you may not have time to pick back up where the class left off once school starts back up. More than likely, your class won’t cover the material, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be tested over it. Though in college there are no make-up days like high school, you still will be graded over everything as if class was held every scheduled meeting.

• Don’t lose your syllabus! It’s your best friend. Use it. Refer to it. Memorize it if you have to. If you see anything like major projects or exams, keep note of them and make sure they don’t sneak up on you. Don’t wait till the night before to finish a project. Part of being in college is actually trying and thought you may have a crap-ton of stuff going on outside of one class, we’re talking about organization. You have to use your time to your advantage.

I’ll continue to keep you posted with any funny anecdotes about my attempts at using a planner. I’m sure it will be interesting. I hope all of you have had a great first week of classes and continue to keep on truckin’. It gets tougher, but I promise the fun is just about to start.

See ya around campus!
- Beth