Tee
How Do I Manage my Time as a Non-Traditional Student?
I’m a non-traditional transfer student who is going from a full-time job to attending school full-time. Do you have any pointers on how I can manage my time better? I’ve been struggling for a while.
#non-traditional #student #time-management
4 answers
Deena Ganger
Deena’s Answer
expectation.The second theme is Your attitude. When on This wonderful journey that you were taking it is extremely important to volunteer in the area that holds most interest to you.It will be helpful to you to look at your list and choose the two job fields
That are most rewarding to you.You also must consider what a rewarding job Offers.
Rewarding can mean financial rewards or Emotional rewards or being in leadership roles.OnceYou have decided what your major goal is then you have to
move forward with A positive attitude as well as a set schedule.I am a very visual person. When I change careers I bought a large calendar and different colored markers.
I started each day with a positive affirmation and then I began to create my vision board. My vision board was on my calendar as it listed the different tasks that I needed to complete for that week-The next step was to research on the computer and make appointment with people who were employed in your future profession You could connect through LinkedIn or any panel or advisory board that the school has to offerCreate a resume and begin the volunteer process. Generally
Getting a volunteer job is easiest when you connect with someone that you worked with before. After six weeks of volunteering you will have a sense if this is the direction you wanna proceed with.If you feel this is not the right fit don’t be afraid just rewind and start again till you find with speaks to you and brings you joy. Good luck on your journey
Austin L.
Austin’s Answer
Hi Tee,
Great question. Balancing time and adopting time management strategies isn't the easiest thing to do, but your life will be much much better if you do adopt these strategies as your life will be much better and more enjoyable because of it. Below are some tips which should help you out and ensure that you have a more balanced and manageable time in college.
Procrastination:
Procrastination is oh so tempting but oh so dangerous at the same time. It may seem tempting to put things off for a later date, but this is a trap that will lead to tears and long nights in the library. Start an assignment as soon as you get it as the sooner you start, the sooner you will be done with it which allows you to do other things with your time. Look at your class syllabus to see when there are readings, assignments, and essays due and start them early; this will allow you to stay on top of things, be organized, and will ensure better use of your time.
Advocate:
Your professors are your friends and they do not want to see you fail and spiral, if you are having trouble with an assignment and need help be sure to tell your professor and explain to them what your situation is. If you tell your professor that you work full time and don't have time similar to other students they may give you an extension, who knows. I have found professors to be very understanding and accommodating of many students and you don't lose anything by trying.
Study Groups:
Study groups are a great way to study as 2+ minds are always better than 1. People think and learn in different ways and being in a group to learn from people is very advantageous. Your fellow students may explain things in a way that makes more sense than when your professor explains the same concept. Groups, so long as they are not too big, are a good way to tackle studying as people often understand different concept and having all these varied strengths and mindsets helps you out directly. It is always easier to not be alone so I would suggest getting involved in study groups as frequently as you can.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!!
Best,
Austin
Jackie DeCicco
Jackie’s Answer
To start off, make sure that you are organized and prepared for each class before hand so that you know the material enough to follow along on the first day. This is of key importance because once you start to fall behind it gets harder to catch up because there are other courses that will have assignments due on the same days.
Another great pointer is to reach out to your professors or schedule meetings during their office hours. Not many students attend office hours and it leave professors disappointed that no one comes for help when they are struggling. Talking to your professor about how to manage their assignments and study habits allows you to plan out each day of when you are going to study or do homework.
Get a calendar for each months and write when things are due so you are aware ahead of time. When you have time you can also organize this calendar by making sure you have other to do lists things to be aware about.
Also remember that work always comes before play. Make sure you are completing things in a timely manner rather than saving them for the last minute because in the end you may feel exhausted from trying to battle friend outings and course work
You can also reach out to your academic advisor for help in time management. Here are a couple of links on time management:
Hope this helped!
Jackie recommends the following next steps:
Christopher Jackson
