Study Skills At University: Scheduling

If you are like most freshmen students starting out in colleges and universities across the country, you may find yourself surprised and overwhelmed by the amount of coursework and the level of expectations in comparison to what you experienced in high school. Even if you have been an honours student, well organized and always prepared, you may find that you are struggling under the amount of work and the higher expectations. With good study strategies, however, you can stay on top of your work and not fall behind as so many new students do.

The very first step is to come up with an organizational system that works for you. There are several tools that will help with this, the most important of which is a calendar. Use whatever type of calendar works best for you – it could be a daybook or other paper calendar that you carry with you or that is on your wall or desk, or it could be electronic, synced between your phone and computer. The type doesn’t matter so long as it is one you will actually use.

Schedule everything on your calendar – all classes, labs, group meetings, special events and most importantly, the due dates of all your assignments and the dates of any scheduled quizzes and exams. Due dates in particular can seem to sneak up on you, particularly if they are early in the following month and therefore noted on the next page rather than the page you are currently on. Count back to when you show begin studying, revising or working on a project and note those dates on your calendar as well. The visual can help you balance work, so you are aware of times when your workload may be uncomfortably large, and when you might need to start some projects earlier to adjust for this.

Update your calendar regularly, changing dates as you need to, and always ensuring that you check ahead to see what jobs will be coming due soon. Make sure that you include time for yourself in your calendar as well, for such things as fitness, hobbies, social activities or travel. If you’re going to be away during Reading Week, for instance, you’ll need to plan to bring work with you or get it done before you go.

With a good scheduling system, you will find that your days are more in your control and that you can get more accomplished.

By: Jon Ginsburg

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