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Organizing Study Time: The Little Things That Pay Big BenefitsMuch of what I’ve said about intensity can be said about organizing study time. In fact, being organized is a part of intensity, and the second major college study skill after intensity. If you’re like me, organizing study time doesn’t come naturally. Luckily for us, there are techniques for staying organized and products that can make it easier.The Syllabus, Papers and Class ProjectsYour professor will hand out a syllabus on the first day of class. The syllabus is a synopsis of the class, and will have a schedule of classes, test dates, assignment due dates etc.This is your framework for planning your study schedule for the semester. Om other words, refer to the syllabus when organizing study time. Here are some general rules for organizing study time for you to memorize: For term papers or any paper longer than five pages, start immediately if possible. For shorter papers, allow at least one to two weeks to research and write. For exams, allow a minimum of one week to prepare (this doesn’t include your daily review). For class projects that involve other students, break down the project into smaller units, and start coordinating with classmates (exchange phone numbers and email addresses) as soon as possible. The Terrible Truth About Class ProjectsA note about class projects. Sometimes, when organizing study time, you have to plan around the schedules of other students. Remember this: when you work with other students, there will always be contributors and slackers. Not every student has mastered the art of organizing study time or developed the intense college study skills that you have (right?). I estimate in a group of 10 students, 2-3 will work diligently, 4-5 will help, and the rest will coast, and do little to no productive work. Because believe it or not, there are kids graduating from college who have developed almost no college study skills, and have no ability when it comes to organizing study time.So why bother? Because graduation isn’t your goal. Success in life is your goal. It’s hard to do, but don’t worry about what the others aren’t doing. Take control of the project, and make sure someone elses inaction doesn’t torpedo your grade. In the real world some people have to do more work, and some people are better organized…that’s just how it is. Make the slacker aware of his inactions, but the project still has to get done. Your professor will notice. It isn't Time Management, It's Scheduling and Taking Consistent ActionThe key to college success (and life in general) is to stay ahead of the game. Don’t get in a situation where you run out of time to do your assignment or study for your exam. College is much less forgiving of your errors than high school was.Organize your time by first, doing the things you HAVE to do. Second, doing the things you SHOULD do. Finally doing the things you WANT to do. This isn’t to say that you won’t have time to enjoy the college experience. By organizing study time, and being prepared, you actually have more time to enjoy yourself. Miscellaneous ToolsGet the right tools to organize study time. One college study tool that is often ignored is to get a calendar. Get a large erasable calendar, preferably one that covers 3-6 months at a glance. Post the calendar in a conspicuous place and mark down all deadlines. Then schedule out the appropriate amount of time you need to complete the project and write it into the calendar. Review the calendar every morning. Your mom won’t be there to remind and encourage you.Laptops have become indispensable for college students. Kids will use it for iTunes, Facebook, Myspace and ebay, but laptops are also great for organizing study time. More and more kids are taking notes directly on their laptop. This is an easy way to keep your notes organized and edited for each class. Add internet access, and you have a serious research tool. Speaking of iTunes, I forgot to mention iTunes U. On iTunes U, you can download 75,000 educational audio and video files from some of the top universities in the nation. The files include lectures, pod casts and audio books. I noticed Stanford University on iTunes U! And in case you haven’t gotten to the online tutoring services section, remember that tutoring 24/7 is just a mouse click away. On a less serious note, if you’re concerned about which professor to take for a particular class, you might get some direction from ratemyprofessor.com. This isn’t a college study skill or even a college study tip, but it can be informational sometimes. I’m not sure there is any science behind their ratings, but if you’re interested in whether students seem to like the professor, look them up. They rate professors on easiness, helpfulness, clarity and rater interest. The most telling section is the user comment section. I’ve been rated on this site, and I feel it’s more of a personal opinion, “like or dislike” kind of rating. But generally speaking, if kids seem to like the professor, they’re usually easy or good (or both). Some of the comments are pretty funny, and some are actually insightful. Finding the right professor helps in organizing study time, since it’s just one less thing to worry about. This site won’t be as helpful to you as freshmen since many of your courses will be taught by the infamous professor “staff”, but if you get a professor’s name, look them up. You’re going to speak fondly of your college years. You’ll probably be telling your kids college stories. So make the stories good, and leave clear footprints for them to follow. Return from Organizing Study Time to Tutor Trend Home Page
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