lifehack.org: I remember a few years ago when I was gearing up to start the fall semester of my undergraduate’s degree. I was just getting into productivity, how to spend my time more wisely while working and educating, and how to get the most out of school. I didn’t get the luxury of “simply being a student”; I was a more than part time worker and full time student.
13 comments:
This article is definitely something I can relate to. I had a rough first year of college simple because I spread myself too thin with non-academic activities and didn't have my priorities set straight. On top of that, I had poor study habits and a real procrastination problem. (but lets be real who doesn't) I took a real hard look at myself this summer and told myself that this was no longer going to be the way I worked. I read up on articles such as these on the internet and although a lot of people just kind of laugh at them they sincerely help. One tip talked about here that I am really fond of is making use of your resources, and that is something I did not do. Carnegie has so many facilities, mentors, programs, etc there to help you through your college years. You should make use of these so that you get the most out of your studies in the short four years you have here.
This is such a great article to have and at such a perfect time to have it. I already practiced a few of these but was delighted to hear the others. It really is essential to take full advantage of the resources that are offered. The transfer of knowledge is the most essential part of human survival.
Getting Things Done is a GREAT book and is a must-read for anyone with intensive schedules. The next few tips are useful if applicable, which they aren't necessarily for a theatre education, such as making sure you have a high GPA. For many people in BFA programs, grad school isn't something they are looking for, so grades become less important than the accumulation of skills. Digital note taking is not as effective as writing notes, so I do not think that will make a huge improvement on productivity. Having an academic reading journal is a great idea and should be suggested more often. I personally know very little about the concept of having one. Overall, this article has some good advice.
This was a useful article and brings forth a lot of different ways to acquire and maintain not only academic success, but a less stressful way of doing so.
Something to keep in mind is though its good to learn about doing different things to keep yourself on task and reaching prime productivity rate, YOU know your strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities. So ultimately you are the best tool in aiding yourself in being successful.
As a freshman in the School of Drama, this article is extremely applicable and useful. The sixth point in particular provides a great “laundry list” of tips to surviving college as a first-year student. For many of my friends from back home, college has been a huge adjustment simply because it’s the first time they’ve been away from home. My friends have had to learn how to take care of themselves effectively in these past few weeks, and they’ve told me that this task is larger than they’ve ever imagined it would be. Luckily, I was forced (thankfully) to go to sleepaway camp at the age of 13. While I already love it here and am grateful for the supportive community, I know one of my biggest challenges this year will be how to manage my time and still get a healthy amount of sleep and stay sane. I am determined to learn not just about drama this year, but also about how to “get things done” and manage my time in a manner that I will be able to use for the rest of my life. (Also, as a freshman DP, a credit card is totally necessary.)
As a processes of coming to college I feel like many of these things were covered, have good time management, be respectful and honest with your professors, eat right and get sleep. However some of the advice on the list does not seem practical. A program you run on your computer to see if you are working hard? To me that just screams distraction. If I were to get that I would be checking to see how productive I was every 20 minutes. Another thing with the list is that number talks about not going into debt when you go to school. This seems too late to be on the list any people who are starting their first semester of college have already weighed the pros and cons of their school debts. Although this list has great ways to take notes and keep ahead in college I feel some of the methods would not work for me or to some extent do not apply.
This article is very helpful for me in terms of guiding me to navigate right way when starting college. From the first comment, Getting things done, I felt this is the most important thing for me especially. Also, based on the advice that is given in this article, I believe that graduating college with successful GPA and with specific future goal is very important to keep in mind through out four years at CMU.
Don't take notes on everything! Please! Actively listening is incredibly helpful too.
The things I have discovered that are my biggest focus problems are:
- Logging onto my computer and being distracted by doing other work than I was intending on doing.
- Not being busy enough. I struggle with having work to do, but not enough.
If I have too little to do, things fall off my radar and I don't do them. Having a packed schedule means that you regulate your time more effectively. Maintaining boundaries is important, a balance between life and work, but I like working on a multitude of different projects at the same time. Keeps it interesting. Though it leads to the first problem I listed.
There are lots of ways to focus and succeed at college, and I'm glad that this article provides multiple options and opinions.
A lot of these resources are nice if you are overthinking everything and need to root back to your basics. Like most of the "top helpful hints for __________" articles we had last year most of the help is vague and general and dont help any individual issues someone may be having. I agree with Christina that you have to make sure you embrace habits and methods that help you individually and avoid getting lost in the vague helping hints of the internet. Take the time to find out what works and what doesnt for you and then use what you have learned to help you.
I feel this article was definitely helpful because it compiled all of the things together. The list was pretty comprehensive and specifically I found the "How to Study" section particularly interesting because everyone works differently especially in regard to learning. It is also important to consider all of the work spaces we have available. We can access shop,costume, drafting, as well as any operating system we would need or programs to get our work done. I think this article really puts perspective on that.
This article was something that i really needed to read. As i sit here writing these comments i find myself breaking a lot of the steps. Also being a freshmen is always good to have reminders and advice to keep me on track.
I agree with Rane that these articles can be very general some times. In the "how to study" section it says that certain types of music can help you recall your notes, but it does not go on to tell you what types of music were helpful.
In 2012 I was entering my prime: the second grade. Life was simpler back then, I would go to school, go home and do some multiplication tables (? I think?) and go to sleep and do it all over again. My biggest problems were probably concerning what I was eating for dinner and what Percy Jackson book I was going to read next. That being said, I am sure I probably could have used this list of 17 Back to School Life Hacks! No, but in all seriousness, as an incoming first-year undergrad, I was absolutely terrified, more than I have been for anything in my life. I probably went through dozens of videos along the lines of college tips or move in hacks or how to avoid the Freshman fifteen or what to bring or what to leave or who to make friends with. Truth be told, I think the best way of learning was just by being thrown into it and coming. Even after all of the prep I did, nothing could have fully prepared me for embarking on this journey other than just committing and going with my gut. I guess its working so far!
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