College Advice from My Freshman Year // LUO

I started Liberty University Online in August, 2020. Throughout my freshman year, I've discovered some small nuggets of advice for new college students. This lovely Wednesday morning, I'll be sharing some of these. These tips can also apply to anyone currently in school! 

#1. Get Up Early (and go to bed early)

In public school, if you don't get up early enough, you miss the bus. In homeschool, if you don't get up early enough, you end up still doing school late into the day. Online college is no different. Getting up early will almost always guarantee you a productive morning and jump start on assignments. How early is early enough? Good question. Here's how you figure out that answer to meet your personalized schedule. Make a list of all the things that are top priority for your morning routine. (Devotion, workout, breakfast, animal chores, etc.) Then, give those priories *realistic* time slots. Basically write out an ideal schedule. No schedule is going to work perfectly, but it's good to have a goal to reach for. College students have to do a lot of self-motivating. Getting up early (even if you are not a morning person) is truly a life saver! 

When you get up early, you better go to bed earlier as well. Don't try to run off of 4 hours of sleep and a extra tall coffee. (Why is that trend so popular?) Sleep is SO IMPORTANT to help you function. Try for at least 8 hours of sleep a night. I try shooting for 5:30-6 AM and 9:30-10 PM.

#2. Manage Procrastination

The ability to manage your time also means dealing with procrastination. The definition of procrastinate is, according to the dictionary, "the action of delaying or postponing something." I feel like everyone has dealt with procrastination at some point in their lives, especially students. Lets face it, no matter how much we love school, sometimes studying feels like a pain and our assignments seem like way too much work. So how do we manage procrastinating and wanting to delay schoolwork? 

First, we have to identify when we are procrastinating so we can catch ourselves red-handed. When we catch ourselves reaching for our phones or wanting to eat something, (anything at all, just where's my secret chocolate stash!!!) then we can remind ourselves that there's a time for social media. There's a time for eating and most likely, you're not even hungry. There is a time for schoolwork, and that time is now. So set your timer for 30 minutes and really buckle down and study. Then, take a break. A planned break that you'll have then earned. Set healthy boundaries so that you don't burn out. But when you feel like putting something off for later, take a moment to really consider what needs to get done and the best time to do it.

Procrastination is definitely a hard habit to curb! But it's so freeing to know that you have the ability to choose how you spend each minute of your day. 

#3. Take Breaks 

As mentioned above, planned breaks make studying so much more manageable. When I first started college, I was sitting down at my computer for a solid five hours a day. My eyes would get tired of staring at the screen, I'd get frustrated faster, and get uncomfortable in my sitting position. I thought if I didn't get it all done in one setting that I'd have to do lots of work at the end of the week. I wanted to stay on top of things, but I wasn't taking into consideration that I needed breaks or I'd burn out. Taking breaks sounds lazy, but they say you actually need breaks to let the information you're learning really sink in. So I started planning breaks. I'd work for an hour, then get up and stretch. I'd take a drink of water. I'd take a walk to the mailbox and back. I'd break for lunch. Whatever the break was, I'd plan ahead for it. 

I shoot for starting school around 10am. I go for two hours, taking smaller breaks (averaging ever 30 minutes or so). Then I try to take an hour break at 12pm. And get back to it, finishing up at 3-4pm.

#4. Pray

Oftentimes, this piece of advice gets overlooked. I'm still learning to make prayer a habit before each school session. In the end, God wants us to succeed & He will bless our efforts. God has given us the ability to learn and made it possible for us to have the schooling we receive. So it is my hope that I can make prayer second nature when I sit down to do classes.

#5. Manage Test Stress 

I don't know about you, but new students are bound to feel stress while taking tests and quizzes. I know I did, and I still do! There's this overwhelming pressure to get as close to 100% as possible. The time is ticking and with each second counting down, it can be a disaster. Because when you're stressed, you can't think as well. When you're all in a tizzy, you're most likely going to overlook answers that you'd normally know. So how does one overcome this test anxiety? 

Lets take a look at some simple, practical, and easy ways to manage test stress: 

~Breathe. Your not going to be able to comprehend anything at all if you cut off your oxygen! So take a deep breathe and zone out your surroundings. Just focus on whats at hand. 

~Forget the time. If you are constantly worrying about how many minutes you have left, you are wasting those very minutes when you could be working on your test.

~Stop overthinking. Go with your instinct. If you've put the time in studying, you have to go with your gut. Because it's super easy to overthink each problem and still get it wrong. You were probably right the first time. 

~ Go back through. If you have any time to spare, it's hugely important to go back through your work before submitting it to be graded.

~Cut yourself some slack. Hard fact: You are going to get answers wrong. It's life, and the world is not going to end if you miss a question or two. Now, by all means, do your best! But don't beat yourself up if your best doesn't get a 100%.

#6. Take Advantage of Practice Tests

Notice above that I mentioned "if you put the time in studying." It can be easy to accidentally self sabotage by not studying or by skipping the practice tests. But that's not taking advantage of the study resources you've been given.

Find what study techniques work best for you and go with it. Maybe it's flashcards. It could be practice tests provided by your teachers. Maybe it's memorizing while jump roping. Whatever it is, it's important to put quality time into studying.

#7. Change Up Your Workspace 

Sometimes your workplace can get boring. So my advice to you would be to spruce it up! Buy a candle for your desk. Get a new office chair. Go outside for a couple hours. Lay in a hammock while you read. 

etc. etc. etc.

#8. Know How to Take *Useful* Notes

I have SUCH a hard time with this one! So that's why I'm encouraging you to learn how to take notes that are actually helpful for you! I'm famous for taking notes that are absolutely no help. I write down facts that I think will be on the test, but are actually no help at all. It's very frustrating when you put time into writing things down and you can't even use them. 

#9. Make Sure You Have the Right Equipment 

There's these wonderful contraptions called blue light blocking glasses. Check them out! Especially if your classes are online. Also, make sure you have an abundance of lined paper to take notes! A desk is also important otherwise you are sitting cross-legged on your bed (it kills your lower back). 

And don't forget pens, and most importantly, a CALENDAR! Having a calendar really helps plan out your week and divide what kind of classes need to be worked on with which days of the week. 

#10. Keep It Fun

Yes, that's right. Keep it fun. This is a season in your life where you are literally chasing your dreams. Don't lose sight of the happy moments by choosing to be stressed out over assignments due. Celebrate a good grade. Reward yourself if you've diligently stuck with your schedule. Cherish the weekends. Each small victory deserves to be celebrated! Connect with people and journal lots. School has the potential to be super fun and the challenge of learning is truly a gift!

I hope this post was able to give you some advice whether you are a newbie or not. Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear some of your own advice in the comments! 

What has helped you with school?

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse