20 Something Lifestyle Blog
The graduating class of 2020 is experiencing something that the previous classes never experienced, graduating during a pandemic. This is an interesting and scary time that the mentors we look up to have never experienced before. The advancing technology makes it a completely different experience …
Whether you’re a freshman and it’s your first week of college, or you’re a senior and it’s the beginning of the end, syllabus week can make all the difference in your success for the semester. Why do I think syllabus week is so important? Professors …
College has been one of the busiest times of my life. There is always something going on whether it’s for class, work, sports, student organizations, friends, or family, and it can seem overwhelming at times. I have always been an organized person, but I had to kick it up a notch when I started my freshman year. I found myself struggling to meet deadlines for class projects, accidentally double booking my evening plans, and missing student organization meetings. Here are the three easy steps that I took to keep myself organized in college and get on top of my schedule.
This one may seem a little bit obvious to some of you, but you would be surprised how many people don’t have one or don’t use theirs. My planner is my lifeline. It tells me where I need to be and what I’m doing every day and keeps me from double booking myself. They make planners in all sizes and with all different set ups. My freshman year I had a smaller one and it worked ok, but I found myself needing more space and got the same type of layout for my sophomore year, but bigger. The style that I like is made by BlueSky, and starts each month with a calendar layout followed by individual weeks with space to write notes for each day. It also has a notes section in the back and a contacts list page. I have found that this style works great for me, but I would recommend looking at a few different layouts to see which one will work best for you. I get mine at Target, but you can find planners anywhere that sells school or office supplies, or online.
Write down every schedule, event, due date, exam, and meeting that you have. I always start by gathering all the syllabi that I received and writing down project, quiz, and exam due dates. It makes it so much easier to remember to study for something when you see its due date approaching in your calendar. The next schedule that I write in in all of my meetings and events for student organizations and other extracurricular activities. I also write in when there are supplemental instruction sessions (aka tutoring sessions) being held for my difficult classes. Even if I don’t end up going to them every week, it is helpful having it in my planner for weeks that I had a harder time understanding the class material. Now that all of my school related schedules are planned out I take a look at what my availability could be for work. When doing this it is important to keep in mind that you need time for studying and homework as well. Giving your work your availability after you have looked at your other schedules makes it a lot easier to schedule out your time and make sure that you don’t miss out on a student organization or club that you would have liked to participate in. You don’t have to schedule everything in the order that I do. You could schedule work first; then schedule your class schedule around it, and lastly see what organizations you can be a part of. The main idea is that you consider all of your schedules when adding a new one in. That way you avoid overscheduling yourself.
Once you have your schedule planned out, it is very easy to make sure that you can access it wherever you are. I always add my work schedule, meetings, and important due dates into my Outlook calendar that I can see on my laptop and phone. This makes it easy to check your schedule wherever you need to and whenever people ask about it.
Now that you put in all the hard work of getting your schedule set up and writing in all of your important dates, keep doing it! Whenever you need to schedule a meeting or event you can check your planner, pick a date, and write it in right away. I also write down what homework I get and when it’s due. It makes planning out your study time easier because you know at a glance what assignments are due next.
I hope that you use these steps, become organized, and stay organized. It makes a busy and stressful college schedule easier to manage and allows you to plan things out so that you have more free time to spend with friends! Good luck and happy planning!
Are you having trouble thinking of new tasty dinners on a college budget? You are not alone. I have had this problem time and time again. Here are some of my go to quick, easy, and delicious college dinners. Pasta/Rice Sides I eat pasta and …
My first college move-in day was crazy. With so much excitement going on it’s hard to keep track of everything you packed. Here are my top five tips for college move-in day to help yours go smoothly. 1. Organize your stuff before you pack it. …
Moving into college can be a very exciting time, but it can also be stressful. I remember struggling with deciding what I needed to bring and what I should just leave at home. Here are a few tips on what to do and what not to do when you are deciding what to include during your college packing.
Think about the things that you use on a daily basis, these are your essential items. I recommend getting ready in the morning as usual but putting everything you use aside and writing it on your list. Careful, you don’t want to forget your tooth brush!
Since you’re already going through things to decide what to pack, why not take the opportunity to decide what you want to keep and what to give away? If you haven’t worn something in the last year odds are you won’t wear it again so give it to someone who might actually wear it! You could donate your clothes, give them to a consignment shop, or sell them to a store like Plato’s Closet!
Once you find out who your roommate is start talking about who is bringing what. Try and divide up the big purchases, like the TV and mini fridge, to cut down costs. If you end up with two TVs, two mini fridges, and two futons you won’t have room for everything and you will have wasted money that you could have spent elsewhere.
How do you make sure you remember everything you need? Make a list! This should include everything from what clothes you want to bring to what snacks you want to stock your dorm with. The more organized you are, the easier move in day will be.
This is a problem that I ran into my freshman year. I packed almost my entire closet without going through it to see what I would actually wear. Three months into school I hadn’t worn at least half of what I brought. It took up a lot of space in an already small room and made the area feel cluttered! Think about what you have worn in the last year, and what your favorite items are. Those are the clothing items that you will end up wearing in college.
College gives you the opportunity to completely change what your room will look like. You will be buying bedding, a futon, and maybe a rug to make your dorm room feel like home, but don’t go overboard! In a small space less is more. Pick a couple things that you want to put up on your walls like string lights or pictures, pick a fun throw pillow, and buy a chair or futon for relaxing. Having too much décor in a room can make it look messy and cluttered even when it’s clean.
This one may seem obvious, but I see it all the time. Almost all dorm rooms provide a bed, desk, chair, and dresser. These items are required to stay in your room so don’t buy your own desk or chair thinking you can replace the one they give you. It will just take up space, and you will regret it in the long run. If you don’t know what your college provides in their dorm rooms visit their website to find out!
This is another mistake I made as a freshman. I brought everything that I thought I might use, like a curling iron, multiple hair products, and almost all of my shoes. I didn’t end up using them and again they just took up space! If you aren’t sure if you will use something, you probably won’t so leave it at home.
There you have it, eight tips for college packing that I wish I had when I was a freshman. I hope that these tips will help you on your packing journey and keep you from making the same mistakes I did when I moved in. Happy packing!
