As a college student, you want to be busy. Your professors, parents, and everyone else expects that from you. Are you a lazy couch potato, who would rather spend the entire weekend watching Netflix instead of working to earn money? When you go to college, you won’t have that luxury.
You made a commitment to attend classes and study as much as possible. Successful students are also active in extracurriculars, as a way to gain more credits, make friends, and meet the scholarship requirements. For most of them, a part-time job is also necessary.
This doesn’t mean that you have to be the smartest, greatest, and most talented person on campus. We’re just saying that you should do everything in your power to be active without losing your sanity.
5 Tips: How to Be More Active as a Student without Losing Your Mind
1. Plan Your Schedule
Planning is the foundation of good mental health. When you’re too busy, your mind buzzes with thoughts about responsibilities. “I have classes to take. I have to make space for the philosophy study group; I don’t understand that stuff at all. Oh; I have a philosophy essay, too. I’ll work on that later tonight. Then I’ll study. But wait; I have that drama class in the afternoon. When will I ever find the time for that?!”
Planning a schedule can help you feel more relaxed. When you put all activities in their place, you’ll realize: “I’m busy, but I arranged my schedule to fit all activities. I can do this!”
If your job collides with your activities as a student, you can talk to your employer. In most cases, employers are willing to offer a flexible schedule for students.
2. Be Realistic with Your Expectations
You can’t expect to balance between college and work without any effort. You should do your best to study and get good grades. But what if you fail? What if you get sick and you can’t go to work today? What if you don’t manage to complete one of your essays?
Anything can happen. You’re not a superhuman. A single obstacle is not the end of the world, no matter how serious it seems. When students get stuck with assignments, they should ask for dissertation help from professionals. When they have trouble with the studying material, they should turn to tutors. Don’t expect to achieve everything by yourself, and be ready to seek solutions when you face any kind of problem.
3. Study on a Daily Basis
A progressive learning process is much more effective than binge studying. No matter how busy your schedule is, you can sneak some extra study time in between classes and somewhere throughout the day. Instead of spending an hour on social media apps, you can read through the lectures you covered in class today. The information is still fresh, so you can turn it into long-term knowledge if you repeat it before forgetting it.
This will help you save valuable time before the exams. You won’t have to take time off work just to study, since you’ll only need to refresh your knowledge with reading.
4. Write Things Down
You may have an impressive memory, but it’s not perfect. The human brain is prone to forgetfulness, especially when you overwhelm it with too much information. Throughout college, you can’t avoid that.
You can improve your memory by taking notes whenever possible. You can use an app on your phone or a simple notebook. Write the most important things that your professors say in class. Make sure to write down the details about the assignments they require (the deadlines, too). If a friend is having a birthday party and they invited you two weeks ahead, note down the event and put it in your schedule.
5. Take a Break
You won’t take the time to reboot yourself during exam week or when it’s important to stay focused on your tasks. But in between semesters, take some time to relax, unwind, and spend time with friends. Go back to a hobby you used to like.
You may be a committed student, but you’re just a human.
Stay Strong
Nobody said that college would be easy. You expected obstacles, and you still committed to your studies. Will it be a relief to know that all other students face the same issues?
You can stay calm, focused, and busy at the same time. The tips above are easy to implement in practice!
BIO: Michael Turner is a blogger, who helps students find solutions for common problems at college. He understands how the system works. Michael also understands that students struggle with their physical and mental help, so he does everything to help with his tips.
