08/29/2019
By Nicolas Jozefczyk | Staff Writer
For any student, the start of the school year can be daunting. This can be especially true for freshmen.
Where are my classes? How do I manage my course work? Is it possible to balance work, school and also a social life? These are just some of the questions I asked myself freshman year, and some that I continue to ask myself to this day.
In all honesty, college is a lot of work, but it is manageable. There are some approaches to coursework and time-management that work better than others, and you do not want to waste your time on things that do not work. Here are a few tips regarding the dreaded, delicate school work balance.
First, find friends in your major, but also take time to find the ones in different majors. Finding classmates that you vibe with makes studying a breeze. You will always have someone to ask questions to and compare notes with.
Friends that are not in the same field of study are just as valuable. A hallmark of understanding topics is being able to explain them to people that have no prior information on the matter. If you can teach it well, you can take an exam on it.
Second, group studying is helpful, but not all of the time. It can be easy to get a group together to skim information, however the only problem with constant group studying is loss of focus. I have spent countless hours in the library learning nothing except what my friends were doing on the weekend.
Do not be afraid of the quiet floors in the Gumberg Library. Floors one, two and three are the perfect areas for individual studying. Studying alone will allow you to realize what you understand and what you still have questions about. Group reviews are the perfect supplement, after you work to master the information. Things that you do not understand, a person might be able to explain to you, and vice-versa.
Third, ask your professors for help if you need it. I know, the idea of going to a professor can be an absolutely terrifying experience. In full transparency, there were plenty of times I was advised by a classmate or upperclassman to not bother a professor. Now, I can say that advice was awful.
To be frank, you pay tuition to go to class and one day receive a degree. Why not take advantage of being a college student and receive as much information as you can from your professors? Professors have a wealth of knowledge in both life and education that they can bestow to you.
The most important thing to remember is that you need to have fun. Take time for yourself and go to a show, movie, event, etc. You cannot study all day, every day. There are people that want to make you believe that college is just for studying until you receive your degree, but college is way more than that. The years that you spend here can be some of the most marvelous times of your life, so shape your experience to be that way.
