|
Over-exhaustion or under-exertion are common mistakes made during freshman year. You don't want to burn yourself out after one semester. At the same rate, you don't want to take it too easy and end up scrambling to finish your required coursework in your later terms. To help you keep sane, we've compiled a few handy scheduling tips:
Achieving a Balance
Don't take too many classes. The work may take you by surprise, and if you've bitten off more than you can chew, you'll quickly find yourself overwhelmed. At the same time, don't take too few ether; try to leave enough room that you can comfortably drop a class that you're, say, miserably failing, without landing yourself in a jam. Your school's add/drop policies are probably printed somewhere in the course catalog, but if they're not, you can ask your advisor for help.
Choose Wisely
You know better than anyone else if you're a morning person or not. Does your brain work best at dawn? Then go for the morning classes. Is getting up for a 9 a.m. class a mighty struggle or even a losing battle? Then unless the course is a real winner and you are extremely disciplined, find a later class. The snooze button is an alluring alternative to an early, possibly boring lecture several times a week.
Make Sure You Eat . . . Every Day
Cramming in back-to-back classes in the middle of the day is one of the biggest mistakes students make. It's bad enough if you skip breakfast, but if you skip lunch as well, you will be positively drained and unfocused by early afternoon.
Where Are Your Classes?
If all of the classroom buildings are located in the same general vicinity, this isn't a problem. But if you're going to be hurrying from one end of campus to another, or dashing to an off-site program, you may want to think again. Professors tend to get annoyed when you arrive late to their classes, even if you are red-faced and panting when you stumble through the door. |
