First thing first, is to remember why you are in college in the first place. If you can’t answer this question in one sentence, then definitely take a moment to figure this out. Students often tell me the following: “I need a degree to advance in my career;” or “I want to change my career,” or “I am doing this for myself and for the sake of learning.”
Your goal likely requires you to get a degree, something that will likely take a while to get. To succeed, you must be able to prioritize school along with the other priorities in your life. Do you find yourself starting each quarter off strong and then losing steam by the end? Or, do you find yourself withdrawing from classes often, or do you get lots of C’s, D’s, or F’s?
If so, read on!
Your chances of getting your degree are much greater if you earn at least a 3.0 your first quarter. If you didn’t get a 3.0, this doesn’t mean you *won’t* graduate, but it means that you need to figure out what isn’t working for you. Students who get good grades report are just as stressed about money, time, lack of support, and as burdened by family. So what’s the difference?
Students who graduate:
Attend classes on a regular basis. They read the lecture notes, participate in the discussion board, do the papers, and the quizzes.
Spend more of their free time studying instead of relaxing (watching tv, spending time with friends, etc.)
Ask for help when they need it (from their professors, tutors, counselors, etc.)
Know how to say no to items that are unimportant to them.
1. Write down all your due dates on a large monthly calendar
Online learning requires self-discipline and a clear road map. Print out all your syllabi for your classes and look at your due dates. Write down these items on a large calendar. Use a highlighter to mark big projects that will require more of your time (research papers, exams, group projects, etc.)
2. Keep separate binders for each class
Keep your syllabus in the very front of each binder. Print out as much course material as is necessary to help you study and keep them in date order. If you can get tabs or different color paper, separate your binder into sections such as 1) readings/handouts; 2) lecture notes; 3) book notes; 4) quizzes/papers.
3. Create your ideal study environment
Get what you need to have a comfortable study environment –lighting, your internet connection, your chair. If there are a lot of distractions at home, see how you can eliminate it. If it is practical, get headphones and find a website that will play white noise in the background to drown out the other noises. Obviously, you can’t do this if you have people you must care for.
Prepare members in your household that you will need to study and cannot be disturbed. Let them know the importance of what you are doing, what it means to you, and how the family will benefit.
Study at a regular time so that people around you become familiar with your routine. Your routine will become a part of their routine. Tell your friends as well so that they don’t expect you to pick up your cell phone to chat, text, or call. Shut off even more distractions by looking ONLY at websites related to your academics. No Facebook, You Tube, Candy Crush, or anything else.
When it is crunch time –around midterms and finals – be sure to plan for non-essentials to fall to the wayside. Do not schedule appointments around this time. If at all possible, get friends and family to help you with the household – cleaning, cooking, picking up kids, etc. Getting a degree involves everyone, not just you!
Instead of telling yourself, “I can do it” or some other type of affirmation, ask yourself. “Am I really going to do it?” This gives you the possibility that it might not happen. If you truly want to get something done, then you won’t accept it if you can’t.
In addition to asking yourself a question, be sure to make your question specific. So instead of saying, “I will study for an hour tonight;” ask yourself, “Will I review the lecture and do my discussion board post tonight?” Here’s another example: instead of saying, “I’m going to study for 3 hours today”; ask yourself, “Will I read my accounting chapter and finish the homework questions tonight?”
5. Find a trick to motivate yourself at the end of a hard day
After a long day of work and taking care of the household, you may have to pull deep within you to commit yourself to your academics. The article, “Top 10 Time Management Tips for Online Students” (http://tinyurl.com/66azjmv) recommends the following:
- Set a timer for 30 minutes or an hour—and don’t stop reading until it goes off. Post a dream job offer in your study space to help you remember your goal.
- Have energy-boosting snacks nearby, such as nuts, crunchy veggies, or a healthy smoothie.
- Give yourself 10 minutes of a favorite activity to give your brain a rest.
Getting a degree takes such a long time (even if it’s only 18 months) that you need to set up some immediate goals that help you feel like you are accomplishing something.
One thing I did in undergrad and graduate school was to look at all my course requirements and make a chart of each quarter I was in school and what classes I wanted to take during those quarters. At the end of each quarter, I would cross out what I finished. You can even calculate how much further you are to your degree then you were the previous quarter.
You can do this too. Look at your Degree Progress Report, figure out how many credits/classes you want to take each quarter, and create a bunch of columns labeled with each quarter (Summer 2013, Fall 2013, etc.) Start your calendar from when you started Berkeley and fill in the classes you have already finished. Then cross out the ones you have already finished. Do this each quarter and calculate the percentage of credits you have left. I bet you will feel pretty good at the end of each quarter as you look at how you are getting closer to your degree (even if it’s just 6 credits at a time!).
If at the end of the quarter, you find yourself not able to perform well in your classes, take a step back and see what’s going on. Feel free to call a personal counselor to get some support or answers.
Do you have other tips that help you perform your best? What concerns do you have that prevent you from succeeding academically?
Katherine Wu is a Licensed Professional Counselor at the Online Campus. If you wish to speak to her, email [email protected]. Look for the webinar, Organize your time! How to find time for your classes on July 24 at 12:30 p.m.