As a graduate student who just completed her fifth year of college — I’m here to be real with you.
I’m sorry, but college is not going to be like what you’re expecting.
I know that is not what you want to hear as you spend the summer getting ready to move into your dorm and prepare for the adventures that college will bring.
Yes, college is awesome and will be one of the greatest experiences of your life. However, what you may not have heard yet is that it will also be one of the hardest experiences. College is not 100 percent accurately portrayed in brochures, movies and even your on-campus visit. While college is truly awesome, you aren’t shown the stress, the tiredness and the plain difficulty that college brings.
Many of you are preparing to rush for a sorority or fraternity, join a sports team or band, or any number of cool platforms that college provides. That’s awesome and you will have a blast, but I’m not here to talk about all that. I’m here to be real with you about the actual reason you’re in college — your academics.
I’ve got some experience in this department under my belt, so to speak. I’ve done it for four years to get a bachelor’s degree, and I loved it so much that I came back for two more years for a Master’s degree (only slight sarcasm there). I really do love college. I have met people and heard viewpoints of people that I never would have otherwise, being from small-town Mississippi where everyone’s viewpoint is the same. If you’re like me, college will be a complete culture shock, but that’s a whole other article (stay tuned). I’ve grown as a person and into a person that I am proud of because of my time in college. I know you will experience this and grow as a person, as well.
College is a tour de force. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Once about October hits –– if you’re working like you’re supposed to –– you’ll know what I’m talking about. It hits you hard, and as a freshman, you may not know how to handle it. I know I didn’t. You’ll probably be told something to this effect: “It’ll get easier, you just have to get used to it.” No. That’s just not right.
College does not “get easier,” you have to work to make it easier on yourself.
Over the years, I have figured out how to make a situation better for myself that does not become better on its own. So, as a veteran of this college thing, I’m here to offer you some advice. I hope you’ll take heed to it because it can really save you a few (or a lot) of breakdowns.
1. Time management
There is nothing I can stress more to you people than to learn this skill. College will force you to learn it sooner or later, so best to figure it out now. Now, we all know that you technically “can” write a paper the night before, but we also know that it will not be very good and your professorwill know. Also, when did cramming for that test three hours before class get you anywhere? This is not high school, you have to begin things early. That type of behavior might get you by once or twice, but it’s not a long-term way to go about things if you want to be successful. Start your papers early and start studying early. Yes, your social life might take a hit, but Greek life is not going to get you a degree — your grades are. I’m all for extra-curriculars, but you have to remember the actual goal of college — a degree. However, if you spend your time wisely and start early, you will not have to miss social events or cram all your work in the night before. Plan it out.
2. Keep a planner.
How do you plan it out? Keep a planner. While the electronic ones work for many people, I prefer a physical one. I love my Erin Condren planner and carry it with me everywhere I go. I know that many universities include a planner in freshman orientation bags and you can also buy one basically anywhere. Use it. Lay out all of your project/paper/test due dates for all of your classes in one planner and see what overlaps. More often than not, your major assignments will all be due the week of midterms and within the last two weeks of the semester. Starting early and scaffolding assignments helps out tremendously. Start out with a projected start date, then make a weekly schedule, then even a daily schedule when it gets down to the wire. I know having a plan works for me and keeps my anxiety down. *Do not over-plan yourself in your planner, because life happens and you can’t always get to something on a certain day. Don’t let yourself fall to pieces if you have something planned out to do and then can’t get to it. Last semester, I tried to plan myself by the hour, and trust me, it did not work and just vamped up my anxiety.
3. Give yourself a break.
I know you don’t feel like you have time. If you’re really behind and scrambling to get everything done, you really may not have time. Regardless, you must give yourself some time away from schoolwork. Your brain can only look at something so long and be productive. Go for a walk, read something for fun, catch up on that episode of "Scandal" that you missed . . . do something that is not school-related. You can come back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your work with new eyes. I did not do this for myself the first semester of my graduate program, and it had very negative effects on my physical health. You must take care of yourself and realize that there is a world off of campus.
4. Don’t skip out on sleep.
I love to sleep, and am a cranky, unlikable person when I don’t get enough of it. I’m sure you are the same way. You just think that you can deal with 8 a.m. classes because you did it in high school. You’ll quickly learn that to not be the case. No sleep not only puts us in a bad mood, it’s bad for our health. Of course there will be the few nights during finals week where sleep just isn’t the priority, and that’s okay, because that’s college. Some sleep loss is just required and you can always crash after your last final. Just be mindful to not make it a prolonged thing. What I mean by that is: don’t try to do 50 percent of the semester’s work for each class within the last 2-3 weeks of school and not sleep much in that time frame. See points one and two for steps on how not to do that. You’ll like yourself more in the morning because you’ll be well-rested, and more importantly, you will be a healthier person.
5. Keep your anxiety down.
I’m really preaching to the choir on this one, because I am the world’s worst when it comes to anxiety. Part of the reason that I plan out my semester in this manner is to keep my anxiety in check. Pretty much anyone who cares about their grades is going to have anxiety about school and getting work done on time. I ask myself this question when I’m feeling overly-anxious and fearful about not getting everything accomplished, “Has it ever not gotten done before in the end?” The answer to that is “no.” Somehow, someway, I have always managed to get it done. Telling myself that has really helped me when I get crazy and anxiety ridden. Anxiety, like no sleep and no breaks, is unhealthy and needs to be kept at a minimum.
6. On-campus help.
Universities and community colleges know what you’ll be going through. They are in charge of keeping thousands of (mostly) young people, happy and healthy. There is help available to you ,and I cannot stress this enough, there is no shame in taking advantage of what is offered to you. For example, most colleges have counselling centers where you can go and sit down with someone and talk things out. As freshmen, you’ll be going through a lot of life changes all at once. It’s stressful and it is okay to ask for help. Whether you’re just stressed or even something more serious that is a result of that stress, they are there to help. Remember deeper, more serious issues can spring up as a result of prolonged stress, so keep your campus counselling center in mind if you feel the need for their services. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Also, for help in the academic area, many campuses have a writing center where students can collaborate and get help with their papers. I have personally worked at one of these, and they really are helpful — I’m an English graduate student and I still go for help. Furthermore, most community colleges and universities have some sort of tutoring system in place. If not, reach out to someone in your major’s department and see if a graduate student would be willing to tutor you.
Even though this will be a trying time in your life, you’ve got to keep yourself physically and mentally healthy. Help yourself to do that.
Like I said earlier, college itself does not “get easier,” but there are ways that you can make it easier on yourself. Just be smart about things and you will be fine. I promise, you will not be the only one that’s stressed out. It, like the fun things you are ready to do, is just a part of college.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
