Author: Jayden Reed

I had a few hurdles to get over since starting college. One aspect that I needed to worry about was designating time to studying. I got through my high school classes never really having homework. I could finish all my work during class or do it in a study hall. College is the complete opposite. I’m majoring in Human Biology so almost every class that I have taken in college so far has made me take multiple hours outside of the actual class to study and review the material. These classes were lecture classes which meant a lot of studying time outside of class was needed. Finding time to study when I have different activities such as clubs, intramurals, and keeping a healthy social life along with other classes going on throughout the day is the biggest struggle. I had to take a step back and prioritize schoolwork over other things to make it work.

Another aspect that was a struggle to adjust to since coming to school was not knowing how to study. In high school, I never had to study outside my classes. The topic either came easily to me or we had enough time in class to have the teacher walk us through the material. College is different in that they expect you to learn the material on your own. They essentially do this by having everyone come to class just to receive the material, and the time outside of class is to learn it. Also, you can only ask short questions during lecture or else the professor will tell you to meet him on your own time. I was not used to that so when I had boat loads of information thrown at me, I had no idea what to do with it. Some classes can leave you staring at a full notebook worth of information before an exam. It took me a lot of trial and error along with taking advice from other people to find a method that worked for me to deal with this situation. A combination of quizzing myself and making flashcards has been the strategy that worked best for me. My grades struggled at first but now I think I have it down.

Online classes have lots of amazing aspects, but they also have a few downfalls as well. Taking online classes helped me create a schedule that worked for me. Online classes are very good ways to add flexibility to your to-do list on a day-to-day basis. Along with weekly assignments, they provide you with all the same learning material that someone in the in-person class would get. I’ve heard that sometimes the professors even put out the whole lesson plan for the semester so you can work ahead. Another benefit I’ve experienced comes with being able to find whatever extra time you have available to work on it. You’re not confined to an hour-long lecture every three days. There were some classes where I would work on the assignment and go through the lecture slides whenever I had a thirty-minute chunk of time. When it comes to tests and quizzes, my online classes gave a few days long period to complete quizzes and exams, which allowed me a lot more time to study and get prepared.

Some other parts of online classes aren’t as glamorous, such as trying to understand the material. Most people, including myself, are used to a high school environment where teachers would help you through their work and answer any questions they have. My online classes did have the option to email the teacher questions and they are available for virtual office hours, but it took a while for them to respond. I learned that it’s not the same as having a teacher physically in front of you being able to add extra insights to the material and answer questions in real time, so you never fall behind. I took Chemistry 1 online and then Chemistry 2 in person, and I understood topics a lot better and quicker in Chemistry 2 despite it being a more advanced class.