To start, the things that really helped me succeed with my quarter making onto the Dean's List was not by lollygagging, but by efficiently utilizing ALL the time I had the whole 24/7 allotted time. Many people waste their time by doing silly things such as partying every week or laying around doing nothing. Now, don't get me wrong, hanging out once in a while and partying once in a while is healthy and a MUCH suggested reward you should work for and ONLY get when you have achieved whatever it is you needed to accomplish that week.
This year, my 21st birthday landed on a Saturday. Of course it's all fun and games right? Literally, that was my busiest week ever. All four midterms landed within that week, and I prioritized everything so I would have Friday night and Saturday off without worrying about completing any assignments or assigned readings.
If I were to give tips to my future self and or to any college student, I would say a couple of things…
The weekly view with additional memo space to the right for a more detailed/lengthy to do area.
The monthly view to allow me to see things in retrospect and how much time is actually allotted for everything.
- Your planner is your best friend. Now, it does not have to be an expensive planner nor a cheap one… but as long as it suits your needs and helps you best keep track of things, then you will be built for success. Personally, the one's I prefer are black leather ones, with a monthly view in addition to a weekly view, with memo's on the side for additional tasks and little quotes to inspire me to keep on keeping on. Writing goals, reminders, homework assignments and always scribbling down things to do will help for an easier school year. The brain can only retain so much information on top of studying and such… Pen down when you should start studying, when you should start your papers… I color coordinate things too, so the major papers, the major exams and such are always in RED, things with highlighter marks are pressing assignments to be completed and the other assignments need to be completed, yet aren't as pressing.
- Social media will always be a distraction. Realizing that before hand and having a ton of self control will allow for you to effectively utilize your time. Many times, I have found myself on Instagram and Twitter scrolling through endless posts only to waste two hours of time that could have been used in completing assignments. Being able to allot certain times to social media (preferably when you're commuting home and or taking a TIMED break from studying) is fine. Breaks are much needed. Sometime it helps to deactivate your Facebook… just a tip. And to let your friends know if they want to reach you, text or phone calls WOULD be the best option since a social media hiatus is called for when the busy time of the school quarter comes around.
- Friends come and go. Your true friends will understand that you are busy and not rely on petty shit. In addition, they won't waste your time arguing with you about some ridiculous mistake that was clearly made in the past. Do not spend time moping around about how you lost someone or how they were not who you expected them to be. Just know, if they're still playing that, "oh you're not a good friend because you don't make time for me," card when you know damn well you make time for them compared to a handful of other people, then that friendship between you guys is NOT worth it. Clearly, they're still on that high school shit. You being in your university career, know what you're looking towards and striving for. It's best to surround yourself with people who are driven and motivated because then they will allow for you to be driven and motivated and looking forward. Friends should never drag you back nor should they hinder your success, instead they should be cheering you forward. Of course, if your friend is depressed or contemplating suicide, take some time out of your day to be there, but if they expect you to help them with some stupid ass quiz… it is NOT in your job description as a friend to do so especially when you have a ton of your own stuff to worry about. College is all about burning bridges with people who drag you back and moving forward with people who inspire you to be your best. As college students we are ALL old enough to have civilized conversations without curse words, and bringing up past mistakes, and voicing whatever is bothering us… we are all old enough to USE our words to convey how we feel. As college students, we DO NOT have the time to try to read the other person's minds. So if a "friend" is playing these mind games with you, telling you, "you should know why I'm mad at you and you should know why you're a bad friend because you did this, this and this in the past," and talking shit about you with other people… do not waste your time. I learned this the hard way by giving one too many fucking chances to someone who used me for their benefit and took advantage of the friendship we had. As hard as it may be, cut them off; and FULLY cut them off. Not their half-assed ignoring you bullshit. YOU literally go and BLOCK them on everything. They aren't worth it. What's that phrase? Cut off the cancer otherwise it'll be deadly to you…? Yeah, it applies with people too, cut off the people who hinder your ability to become a better person.
- Take care of yourself. There's not much you can do, study, or retain when you're exhausted. Okay, a few all nighters are alright, but if you're pulling them five days in a row… then your body will over work itself, trust me, I know. Power naps are good… in addition to making sure you EAT. I know it takes some serious time out of your day to prepare meals and such, but think of it as a break from studying. Your body needs fuel… it's fuel is food and rest. If you cannot provide that for your body, then your body won't be able to provide you the ability to take your exam to the best of its ability…
- Break times are good. Not a break like going to a party for two hours every week kind of break. More of a, "I'll watch one youtube video," "my commute home is a break," "shower time is me time," "dinner time is time to spend with the family," and "this nap time will help me study better," kind of breaks. Being able to TIME your breaks helps a lot with studying.
- Never compare yourself to the people around you. Your friends should be motivation to you, not competition. For a while, I've spent my time comparing myself to this guy who was in most of my classes… of course when I did well I was ecstatic, but when I did poorly compared to him, the mood I felt was so negative that it made me question my ability… Questioning yourself in a college environment is NEVER a good thing because it won't help bring you forward, instead it'll negate you backwards. I believe, that everyone needs to believe in themselves and TRULY try their best… the only person people should be focused on being better than, is the person they were before.
- Truly try your best. If you're going out more than you are studying, if you are starting your papers the night before it is due, if you are studying for exams the day before, and if you are skipping lecture and NOT TRULY trying, and sacrificing time to RETAIN information, then you are NOT trying your best and you have NO EXCUSE. If you question why you got a certain grade, you need to think about WHY you got that grade and NOT make the same mistake over and over again. Many times, I've taken classes with people who literally do NOT do shit, and then have the audacity to question the TA's or the professors on the grades they received. You get what you put forth. You put forth squat, you get squat. That's a simple lesson.
Now, of course there are more lessons/tips to add, and I'll occasionally come back and add more by editing this post, but for now this is all I have learned over the many quarters I've been at my University. Now, I am treating myself to sleeping in, hanging out with family and friends, and rewarding myself by going shopping and such. Trust me, hard work pays off. If you sacrifice your quarter and devote yourself to your education, wonderful things will happen, and of course, when winter break, spring break or summer break rolls around, the free time will be worth the wait. It truly is a reward to a hard working quarter.
Much love, xo, Jennifer.
