Hey everyone,
For those that are in college, it can be a stressful time. Especially with COVID, college is completely different; students aren’t able to have face to face interactions with their professors and peers, and all of the fun events we were able to attend that made the college experience memorable unfortunately can't happen. For some students, online learning is harder because some concepts you have to teach yourself. Although things have changed drastically in the last year, I would like to share a few tips to help you be successful while in college (even in an online environment).
Be organized - When you first get your syllabus, go through your planner and write down when everything is due so you are aware of what is due, when and how much time you have. When I was completing my degree online, I kept all of my classes, and assignments in separate folders on my computer so I knew exactly what was where. For example, Database Principles was one folder and within the folder was each week of the semester. Week 1 was another folder so all of my assignments for week 1 were in the week 1 folder, etc.
Work ahead - The nice thing about taking online classes is that you can dictate your schedule to an extent; you are usually able to complete some work ahead of time, whether it’s discussion posts or readings. With that being said, try to get as much work done ahead of time that you can. That way when everyone else is stressing at the end of the semester, you’re already done.
Participate - While discussion posts are annoying, they are probably the easiest way to get points during the semester so don’t skip them. And if you write your posts ahead of time, all you have to do is go back and respond to a few other students.
Ask questions! - I cannot stress this enough; ask questions. Having face to face interactions makes it easier to get help when you are struggling with a topic. However, in an online environment you will have to teach yourself some concepts so don’t be afraid to ask for help. I don’t care if you have to email your professor ten times about the same question, ask for help. In most online classes I’ve taken, professors usually have a discussion thread solely dedicated to questions so don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Also, ask other students for help. Sometimes they can explain things in a way so it’s easier to understand.
Help others - The same way you need help, don’t be afraid to help others and answer their questions. This will reinforce you're understanding of the material so you know that you know the material.
Don’t procrastinate - Procrastination is a common practice among college students (trust me I know). While cramming seems to be a normal part of the college experience, getting work done in a timely manner will save you so much stress in the long run. When you don’t procrastinate you give yourself time to run into problems and ask for help. Some professors don’t respond to emails over the weekend so if you wait until the last minute to complete an assignment you don’t have time to seek help. If you can help it, don't procrastinate!
Divide & conquer - This goes along with the last point, but when it comes to your work, divide and conquer. Don’t wait until the last minute to try and get everything done, plan your work ahead of time. I would suggest getting the hard work done first, or whatever is going to take the longest, then working on the easier stuff last.
College can be stressful at times, but it doesn’t have to be stressful all the time. Hopefully these tips will help you have a stress free college experience.
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