Staff Writer: Nailah Randle
Going to college can be scary for a lot of people. After going through elementary, middle, and high school where you’d go to class and the teacher would tell you exactly what you were doing for the day, giving out worksheets and setting deadlines with constant reminders of when everything was due, it can be frightening to suddenly be placed into a situation where you are entirely responsible for your own success or failure in the classroom and there’s no one to hold your hand through it. That’s why going to class without a plan is a recipe for disaster.
In college, students are expected to get all of their work done on time while also balancing work and social lives with almost no time to do homework in class. This is where having a plan comes in handy. Most students will know after their first semester that college is much more do it yourself than any other schooling, they’ve ever had before and it’s important to set aside time to do your work outside of class. Whether that’s going straight to Carlton after classes to knock out whatever the professor’s assigned that day or setting aside time after work or on weekends to finish everything up. It’s incredibly difficult to find the motivation to do so, however, if you have no plan, you’re almost doomed to fail because college is almost all homework.
Every student has experienced that one semester where they didn’t do almost any homework the entire time and paid for it at the end. College is hard, but paying for it is harder. Most students are on financial aid, and failing classes means having that taken away; having to work extra hours to afford tuition makes finding time to do schoolwork even harder. To avoid ending up in this all-too-common predicament, look at your class schedule before the semester starts and find whatever breaks you have in the day; those times should be used for studying and completing assignments. If you know usually, you’ll be working after you’ve finished classes for the day then check, do you have a big break between classes? If so, use that time to either go home, or to Carlton, or even a café or something and knock out some of the work you have due. If your schedule has no big breaks, then after work, find somewhere where you know you’ll be able to focus and get your work done!
Having a plan isn’t all about having specific times scheduled to do work though; it also includes your attendance. Everyone has those days where they don’t feel like going or everything is just getting in the way of you getting to class on time, but if you’re going to skip or be late for whatever reason, keep track of those absences and tardies and know what your teacher’s attendance policies are because usually that plays a huge part in your final grade. Of course, most people won’t be in class every single day, and most people won’t always be on time to class; that’s not an issue so long as you’re there on time most days. Appointments being scheduled during class time should be avoided as much as possible, but if not, most professors are very understanding of time conflictions.
Having your work done on time and getting to class every day can get overwhelming, no one’s blaming you if sometimes you just can’t do it but having a plan to get everything done on time and properly helps a lot. If you’re struggling with work, there are tons of resources everywhere; the tutoring center is open to all students for anyone who needs a little extra help with assignments, and tutor.com is a valuable resource when the tutoring center is closed. Even just having friends to talk to can make going to class so much more fun and enticing.
College can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. All these things: knowing exactly when to do assignments, knowing attendance policies, using your resources when needed and connecting with other students are all a part of having a plan. Even just knowing you have a plan can be helpful, so next time you’re struggling in class, make a plan so you know you’ll have a chance at succeeding.