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How to live efficiently in college?

I'm looking for tips on time management, maximizing storage space and saving money while in college. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

#college #college-bound #college-advice

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Thank you comment icon Checking textbook ISBN numbers and then looking at multiple retailers before purchasing your books can help save a lot of money (instead of just purchasing books - no questions asked - from your college bookstore). Also, check to see if students have organized any book exchanges on social media like facebook - that also tends to save money by allowing the opportunity to resell books to other students and/or buy textbooks you need from those students. As for time management - for some reason I manage to get a lot more homework done in the library than in the dorm (less distractions). Sabina
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Richard’s Answer

Go to class. Plan to spend 2-3 hours studying for every hour of lecture. Attend your professor's office hours and any TA review sessions. If there is a test bank, use that as a study tool to understand what your professor wants you to focus on for the test.

Treat school like a job. Get up early, get to work and when your work is done at the end of the day, you can spend time on social life or organizations.


If you can keep your expenses down (live with parents, attend community college which can be free in some cities, complete your degree at an inexpensive public institution etc) debt doesn't have to be out of control. However the typical student does not do everything they can to decrease expenses then has to be stressed during their first years of their career.
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Jacob’s Answer

Hi, Abby,


As far as time management goes, I think the first step is to get into a routine. Eat at similar times, get enough sleep, exercise, and have blocks of time for studying. There are a lot of techniques to make your studying more efficient. One I like is called the Pomodoro Technique. Let's say you are completing a reading assignment for a class or writing a paper. Set a timer for 25 minutes. During those 25 minutes, the only thing you focus on is finishing the reading or studying. Do not allow any distractions. I like this technique since it forces you to break down bigger tasks into more manageable chunks and it forces you to take breaks, which helps keep your mind fresh. If you're looking for some helpful items that can limit the number of distractions in your life, check out some of the sites and apps I linked in the suggested next steps section.


The best way to manage storage space is to not bring a ton of extra things with you to college. Honestly, I think the more clutter you have in life (whether it is physical objects or a lot of things running around your mind) the less happy you are. Take things that you think you will need with you and make it work. Lofting your bed definitely helps if you're strapped for storage space too. I think I had my bed lofted (or at least elevated) every year but one.


Saving money is a great thing to focus on. Buying used books or sharing books with a classmate is definitely helpful. You can also rent books instead of buying them. Take notes on your laptop rather than buying notebooks and paper. Limit how much you eat out. If you're paying for a meal plan, use it and make sure you understand how it works. Really dig into the details of meal plans - if you calculate out how much meals are and how the nuances of the plan work, you'll be surprised at how expensive they are. Unlimited plans, although convenient, are super expensive. A lot of times you can ensure that you have plenty of food with a significantly smaller plan. I'd also recommend building a budget. I linked a helpful article from the Department of Education below. Finally, the best way to save money is to earn it. If you don't think you'll overextend yourself, I would definitely recommend getting a job on campus.


I hope this helps - good luck!

Jacob recommends the following next steps:

https://www.rescuetime.com/
https://freedom.to/
http://offtime.co
https://www.forestapp.cc/en/
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/budgeting/creating-your-budget
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Kim’s Answer

I found that if I used my "down-time" between classes during the day to get my studying done, it left my evenings and weekends free for activities and a part-time job. I'll defer to others on the rest of the question!
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