Eleanor Sturt
Sometimes it feels like adulthood is an endless maze with no direction, making navigation harder than it needs to be.
Scheduling is hard when you have to balance 16 credit hours, a full time job and social events. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t guilty of taking on too much.
But we need to stop using excuses and do what we said we would.
As a college student, your classes count as a commitment. If you sign up for a class, prepare for the workload and follow through on completing assignments instead of blowing them off. You are accountable for the work that’s due.
If you know you’re not going to have time for a class, don’t take it. Professors go over the syllabus on the first day and tell you what they expect of you.
If you do decide not to take a class because you can’t handle the workload, don’t feel guilty.
According to the Department of Education, almost 60 percent of students graduate in six years rather than the anticipated four-year plan, so you shouldn’t feel like you have to graduate “on time.”
If you’re having problems with committing to a full-course load, take an extra semester or two and space out your classes. It is worth taking an extra year rather than withdrawing when it’s too late.
College is a time when we are given the opportunity to learn to time manage and learn how to treat other people with consideration and respect by honoring our commitments.
This being said, there is grace. We are learning, after all.
So use the tools that are available to you; you can’t fall back on excuses if you decide not to use them.
Consider using a planner. Yes, it is old fashioned, but it might help to physically see how much you are committing too. Plus, if you find it tedious to write all your commitments down, that might be an indicator you are taking on too much.
Remember to prioritize your commitments when it gets to be too much. Is this commitment to school as important as an ill family member?
Will I lose my job if I do this task late, or can it wait a couple hours?
School is high on my priority list because I take my career seriously. I also know I care about people more than a grade, so my family and friend emergencies come first.
If you take on too much, admit it. Ask for some help if needed and learn from this, and try to avoid it in the future.
Only a fool repeats the same mistake twice.