Author: sleepy apple

As I am now in the middle of my second semester in university, there are a couple of things that looking back were definitely a lesson learned, and I will make sure I do not make the same mistakes again. In my first semester I only really looked over the syllabus quickly and I did not make sure to note things down in a planner or on my phone calendar. I almost missed my final because I didn’t remember that the final was at a different time than the class even though it was clearly stated in the syllabus. Never again. I am making sure I stay up to date with all the information from my classes. Keeping track of things on a planner helps me keep track of assignments, quizzes and tests and especially finals.

Another thing a planner will definitely help with would be my time management. The lack of time management I had handling classes, work, and homework last semester was tragic.  I would leave things to last minute, forget about assignments, be too tired after work to do things and leave them for another day and then not do things the next day because “I finally have free time, and I want to go out with my friends.”  I also regret not taking advantage of the time I had between classes to do my work because the moment I got home I would want to relax. So I would leave things to last minute and I would have to work on things late and not turn in my best work. Where assignments are few, and the quality of your work really matters it is not something I would recommend and therefore it is not something I am doing anymore either (or at least trying really hard not to, because time management is definitely a work in progress and that’s okay).

Recently there’s been an increase of online classes being taken but are they as great as they seem? Online classes are very flexible, because you can choose them to suit your needs, you can comfortably stay home or take them from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access. I love not having to wake up extra early to commute to class especially in the wintertime. Online classes are also very accessible, now they have online classes for practically every general class. Overall, they are very convenient if you can’t have set times to do online class meetings there are always self-paced classes where you learn at your own pace taking the time you need to do your assignments.

Online classes can be very convenient, yet sometimes all this convenience can end up as a negative thing. Maintaining strict self-discipline to keep yourself on track is a must, especially for self-paced classes, and that can be quite hard especially if you’re lounging around in your comfy pajamas and taking your classes from the couch. There are always distractions around you, maybe your pets, siblings, or your phone… especially your phone. It can be very easy to get distracted on it. Also, the Internet connection isn’t always reliable, and if you tend to wait until last minute to do your assignments like I do you can only hope your internet won’t act up at everyone’s favorite time of 11:59 pm. College is also the place to meet new people and find connections, but this doesn’t seem very plausible if the maximum connections you get are through zoom meetings.