Being a college student is almost never easy, but it is extra complicated when you are also working and possibly taking care of a family. Obviously, careful time management is essential to balancing all of these elements, but there are also some very concrete and specific tips to making sure you balance them well.
Look ahead at class and work schedules
At the beginning of each semester, look through the course schedule that will be a part of your syllabus. Record in your calendar all due dates for minor and major assignments. Next look at any information regarding your work schedule and calendar. If there are any conflicts such as a big school project and a mandatory conference at work, make arrangements so that they will not conflict. Maybe you will have time to work on the school assignment and turn it in early or maybe you can ask for an extension for the due date. Taking classes online can avoid a lot of time conflicts since you are not required to be inside a classroom at certain points. You can even get higher degrees by doing this, like an online analytics master’s. It’s important to find options that work for you and your schedule to be successful.
Plan specific study and writing time
Life can get in the way pretty easily, and work will almost always ask more of you than what you are doing. But when school is also a priority, you have to carve out your own time to make sure that work gets done at a quality level as well. Maybe you can get in an hour of study time before work in the morning, or plan to do homework a couple hours before bed.
Always have your schoolwork available to you
If you always have your schoolwork on you in some capacity, any spare time you have spontaneously can become time you have to work on your assignments and reading. Many textbooks are available online now, so making sure you have access to them on your phone can be very helpful. If you are able to carry a laptop with you, any unexpected downtime can be time spent writing your papers.
Overlap as many credit requirements as possible
Often classes will count for more than one piece of your curriculum and graduation requirements. Plan your schedule carefully to maximize your class load. For example, if you are a communication major, you may be able to take an advanced public speaking class that will count as both an elective for your major and double as the general education requirement for speech classes. Do your best to never take classes whose credits will not count anywhere. That is wasted time and money.
Inquire about work study programs
Work study programs do not always have to happen on campus. Your own job may count for credit! You would just have to write papers about it relating to a certain field of study and likely have an advisor. Or perhaps your job could double as internship credit as well. It sounds too good to be true, but you don’t know until you ask.
Going to college while also juggling the rest of your life isn’t easy, but also not impossible. It is temporary chaos that can be controlled with some simple changes to your routine.
