Author: Sloth

Online classes have been something I’ve always struggled with. I find not being in the classroom learning I lack focus and occasionally struggle to understand the material. It is also extremely frustrating not having the teacher right there, so if you have questions you have to email them and wait for a response. By the time they respond to you you’ve already figured it out or just changed the whole idea. I wish I had some insight on taking online classes before I enrolled into one. So here is my advice if you are going to take an online class; you should avoid thinking that you have all the time in the world. You may get to work on that class at your own pace but it’s easy to fall behind. One should also avoid saving all the work until the last couple of weeks before the class ends, just because all the work or quizzes are due on the last day of class doesn’t mean you should hold off on doing them or that they are any less important.

Having online classes can be frustrating but it can also ease the stress and pressure one may feel while having in person classes. In my in-person classes I am surrounded by people who are better or smarter than me in that subject and it’s really intimidating. Where during my online classes I get to hide behind my computer. Online classes allow students to work at their own pace and in the comfort of their dorm room.  I for one didn’t think I would like to have online classes but that quickly changed once classes started. I can work on them over the weekend when my workload is a little less or during my free time during the week if I don’t have other more pressing homework. I had two classes online this fall semester and I was a little worried about them at first. However, once I adjusted to learning online, I noticed how self-paced and convenient they were, I am grateful that I took them.

As the middle of the semester approaches, the stress of living on my own in a new environment has really started to settle in. Time management is a struggle as the homework load for classes has increased, I wonder how I am going to stay caught up. On top of the homework there is also the stress of studying for the constant quizzes and exams that are given. I think that studying and homework all come down to time management or the lack thereof. Not only do I have to make time for school, but I also have to make time for myself. Having to plan out what to do in a day and for how long is stressful to me, I would much rather live by the seat of pants than have my life planned out by the minute.

Image: Medium

I also stress about how I’m going to pay for college. I have never had to worry financially about paying for anything because I have never made huge purchases. I also had my parents to lean on and tell me when I shouldn’t be spending money. Now the responsibility sits on my shoulders and it’s scary because I honestly don’t trust myself with this responsibility, and every time I think about it, it gives me anxiety. There are always going to be stressful things in life, but we just have to keep going and always do our best, no matter how much weight we are carrying on our shoulders.

My life had a solid routine that hardly ever changed and now that I’m in college everything has turned upside down. I have always had someone to lean on in high school to help me stay on track, and that is not the case now. I must learn how to be my own person or boss. Now that I am in college, it is stressed by many of my professors that I create a schedule, and learn how to manage my time, which was something that wasn’t a huge focus in high school for me. I must get my assignments done and in on time because professors aren’t as lenient as teachers in high school. I must learn to make time for homework, eating, and even time for myself, which has proved to be much harder than one might expect.

Source: Health Coach Insitute

Being my own boss now has its ups and downs. In high school, my mother constantly told me what to do and when to do it. If I ever wanted to do something I had to ask permission. When I turned 18 and my parents gave me more freedom and I still asked permission to do anything. Now that I am in college, I oversee my own schedule, meaning I don’t have to run everything by parents. I’m allowed to go out on the weekends or go out to eat dinner. I also don’t have to listen to my mom harp on me whether my homework is done and turned in, which is nice. However, I now oversee my own finances, I don’t have my dad telling me not to go shopping because I don’t have the money, especially now that I not currently working and must pay tuition. Also don’t have my parents as my safety net to help me get back on track if lose focus on my schooling. College is an adjustment, but it is preparing me to become the best boss of my own life for the rest of my life.