Classes and Time

By Lucille Farrell
Hello Bloggers,

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the slightly warmer weather lately. I know not many people like walking in the rain, but I find it to be a rather enjoyable experience…unless I need to walk in it for my 9 am classes. Not as enjoyable, but the calm rain and warmer weather are indicators that spring will soon be here.

Of course, with spring quickly approaching, so are midterms. Thankfully unlike others I do not have as many midterms because of my class structure. I will say that unfortunately having a midterm at 2pm on Friday might very well test my will. I don’t know how I will feel about taking a long history midterm at a time I was normally done with classes. With that in mind I also have to really look at my classes for next semester.

Scheduling is a big issue when it comes to college life. I know I have previously spoken about time management, but time management is honestly one of the most important topics when it comes to doing more than just getting by in college. When picking classes, you should be honest with yourself. Will you really be able to function at 8am? Is taking three night classes just so you don’t need to have early morning classes really a good idea? Will taking classes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays help or hinder you? Along with these questions one also needs to take into account the overall picture. Which classes do you have are only offered every other year? Some classes you need may only be offered during fall term or spring. Others may take place every other, or every two years. These are important things to talk to your advisor about and map out yourself. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices to keep ourselves on track, but after all in the end it will be worth it. You would not have decided to continue your education if you did not know you would have to make sacrifices.

This coming fall I will be entering my senior year, thus trying ton complete any core classes I have left and gathering everything together for my senior project. My preliminary class schedule (as of Sunday night), looks pretty decent. I juggled classes around so I would not have late afternoon classes again. While it was nice to have breaks in the day this semester, having later afternoon classes (from 2 to 3 pm) isn’t good for days when I just want to be finished. It also is a problem when it comes to breaks and making flight plans to go home. My Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I will start classes at 9am and finish at 12:50. This will leave me time to do my hours for SGA, work with my other clubs, and have a nice rest of the day to accomplish homework and relax. Tuesdays and Thursdays I start at 11 am and end at 1:50. Of course I also have my senior project class on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:50, but I am perfectly okay with that.
Like I have said, scheduling is something important. While you want to get classes out of the day, or do all you can to have a weekend you have to think about yourself. Know when you function best and what you can handle. Do not overload yourself just so you can finish early. If you want to be involved on campus give yourself enough time to play with. Most of all give yourself time to be able to make it from day to day. While college is a lot of work you need to allow yourself enough time to relax so you do not burn out.

For those of you taking midterms, good luck. For those who have finished, congratulations. For the rest of you, happy blogging!

Peace, Love, and Cougars
Lucille Farrell is a junior Organizational Communications major with a minor in Anthropology. She is originally from New Haven, CT and is involved with the Honors Student Advisory Council, Student Government Association (SGA) and Anthropology Club.