How can I get more organized for college?

Question

I'm starting my second semester of college. My first semester was a minimal load- only 12 units. This semester I am taking 20. Can anyone give me advice on keeping myself organized, study tips, time management skills, and anything else that will help me through college? Any one thing that got you through it a little easier?

Answer 1

I'm not sure it was wise to hop from 12 to 20 but it is doable. Have a study schedule for the week and plan out when you want to study and do your work. Try to stick to it as best as possible but create buffers in the schedule so that if you need more time on something it won't destroy another class. Most likely, some of your classes will take more time and effort than others, so try and keep that in mind when creating your schedule.

What worked best for me was reading the chapter in question before it was covered in the lecture and taking notes off of the book. Then when the instructor went over the material, I would know exactly what they were talking about and I would be able to identify any problems if something they said didn't make sense. This way you don't fall behind and you can address problems right away after lecture.

I also wouldn't recommend joining more than one extra-curricular team or club if any as you won't have a lot of time. Good luck and try not to rush through college too much :)

Answer 2

That's a big load, so staying on top of dates will be important.  Be sure to get some sort of calendar that allows you to track what is due when.

Treat college like a job, which means you use all the non-class hours during the day to study.  Since you are taking 20 hours, you are probably going to have to "work" from 8-9am to 10-11pm, plus Saturday.  Do try to take off part of the weekend to refresh.

For big tests, I HIGHLY recommend that you study two days in advance, not just the day before.  Because you have time, you will not slip into panic mode which makes it impossible to concentrate - which sometimes happens when you "do an all nighter" right before the test.  Do your big study two days before, and then do a touch-up review the day before.

Good luck.