Wow… Intimidating headline right? There is really no reason to worry. With the recent events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic there is a high chance that most of us look like the girl on the right. There is confusion, stress, anxiety, anger, and a flood of other feelings will come along with the new uncertainties. College students may be experiencing a heavy-load of this stress and anxiety because school has been shut down due to the spreading virus. Do not worry, this entire blog post is not going to be so morbid. My intentions are for this to be an inspiration and insightful post to encourage people to push through this challenging time.
Good Colleges made a list of study tips that can be helpful to college students, including myself, during this transition to online courses. Use these tips and maybe you will see that switching online can be a little easier than it seemed.
Manage Time Carefully
An important part of starting something new is making sure that you have some sort of structure. Waking up each morning and setting goals for when you will complete a homework assignment or when you will watch a lecture can be a great way to manage your time. Time management is something that PR Practitioners will have to use throughout their career’s, so it is important that we get a head start now!
Take Notes
I have always been an avid note taker. I believe that this is also a way to make your online courses seem a bit more in-person and interactive. Taking notes can also help you retain the information rather than just watching videos and not remembering what the video said. Notes are also a great reference to look back on.
Connect with Others
Especially during this “self-quarantine” time I think this tip is crucial. It can be easy to stay in your PJs all day long and not speak to anyone. Not only can communicating with other students result in a happier mood, but communicating with other students back and forth can also be a way to help remember the material.
Beat Deadlines
So basically… Stay on top of your classes and try your best to not become behind. Once you are behind it is easier to find yourself not able to catch back up. This tip goes hand-in-hand with managing your time. It’s helpful for me to start a check-list at the beginning of the week and set goals for myself throughout the week. Not only does it feel good to check something off your long to-do list, but it also helps keep you organized.
Ultimately, we are all in this together. We are all a little stressed and anxious. We all have to transition to online in some shape or form. Parents are having to work from home, professors are having to put all their coursework online and students are having to learn virtually. My best advice is to embrace this time with open arms. Spending 24 hours of your day inside may not be the way that you envisioned your spring break. However, when this pandemic has settled down we won’t take for granted things like going to class and being face-to-face with a professor, going to the movies with friends or even sitting around the table at a restaurant with family.
Addison Trojanowski 