Shark – College Life

Help!

For 13 years, school has been a central part of my life. From pre-school and up, I’ve been in classroom after classroom with fellow students. As I got older, the academics became harder, requiring more of my time and dedication. As my parents always say, “With more freedom comes more responsibility.” They use this phrase in response to my younger self explaining her desire to grow up, because adults got to do whatever they wanted, right? However, now that I am in college, and legally an adult, I have to say I am filled to the brim with stress, and boy, was younger me wrong. My college life has been difficult to balance, to say the least. Balancing my homework, relationships and work is no easy feat.

My overly ambitious self took 6 classes this semester in hopes that I could crank out some General Education requirements; however, this course load matches its amount of homework. I frequently am trapped in my dorm, pounding out discussions, essays, studying and whole art pieces for hours on end. One day, fairly recently, I sat down after class and did homework for six consecutive hours! Due to the time the homework consumes, I have to be conscientious of my work schedule. I have a part-time position at Ulta and we get the busiest on the weekends, so normally, I work the entirety of it. I like to plan out all my work so I can complete it before Friday, because I don’t want to do more work after my shift. In addition, I want time with my friends of course, so I have to forge the time myself, by putting off homework. All of this is quite stressful for me, but at least I sound impressive taking 6 classes. If you couldn’t tell though, I’m counting down these last seven weeks.

For Better or for Worse?
Online courses seem easier, more convenient, right? They can be done anywhere as long as you have a computer, and they mostly go at your own pace. There are downsides though, depending on a person’s learning style. Some people learn better in a classroom, where a teacher is talking to you and guiding you through the coursework. Others prefer to do it on their own, with no one bearing down on them. Also, online courses can be rigorous, even more than in-person classes. Some teachers give out much more material for their online

courses because they go by the week and are not confined to a class period. I have a mix of in-person and virtual classes this semester, and they are quite different. I favor my in-person classes, but I can see the positives in my virtual ones. Online classes are appealing to students that lead demanding lives, as the classes can be done remotely and on their own time. One of my managers works full-time, and online classes work the best for her. She doesn’t have to worry about meeting time or the demands of in-person class where it calls for your full attention.

I have to say, though, there are a few cons for me with my virtual classes. I’ve learned this semester that the classes are more intense than I expected. There is more homework, and much more reading material. Also, I prefer to be in an environment where a professor is speaking in person. That kind of classroom setting, I’ve learned, keeps me accountable because I can put a face to my professor, and because they can see me, I want to pay attention. It also gives me a sense of ease when it comes to reaching out for help, because I can talk to them face-to-face after class. This kind of setting makes it much more difficult for me to procrastinate, as I have to be face-to-face with the teacher, I didn’t do the work for. Also, for my online classes, they are asynchronous, meaning there is no meeting time at all. Due to the fact that there’s no teacher to talk to, it makes it extremely easy to put off work, to get distracted, and to let time get ahead of me. A number of times I have let time slip and before I know it, it’s already Sunday and I have 2 articles to read yet and a discussion to do, for example. I have to have a lot more self-discipline with my virtual classes and it stresses me out often.