Hey friends and happy Friday! Can you believe it’s almost October?! School just started a few weeks ago and its almost the second month of the semester. I looked at my calendar and I couldn’t believe it myself! I was already putting my schedules in for the month to manage everything within the next few weeks.

Now, talking about managing. It’s around that time of the semester where your professors give quizzes, tests, exams and critiques on what you learn. Time management is HUGE during these next few years. When you start getting involved within the UMass Lowell community, you start having less time than before and  having time management is great! It helps you stay on task, get everything done accordingly and no stressing out!

Here’s a few of tips you can use:

Monthly Planning
It’s always great to be a head of the game! Invest in a planner that has a large blocks to write things within them daily. Look at all of your syllabuses and write down when assignments are due. This will help you plan things accordingly and give yourself time to get things done on time. This is something I do around the end of each month for the next month. I have a color for academics, clubs, events, meetings and work. It helps me stay organize and get a head start on things. It also gives you an idea of what your week is looking like ahead of time as a way to prepare yourself instead of forgetting something.

Weekly Planning
I definitely would encourage buying a planner. This will help you write down your homework for the week and things you need to do daily. If you forget something that you need for class, write it down in your planner! It helps out more than you think. When you take a look at it, you may have something for the class like, “remember to bring a book for class or read an article that will be talked about in class.” It’s little things like that can help you in the long run.

To Do List/Prioritizing
Being a part of the UMass Lowell community, there are so many opportunities you can be involved in. I could name all of them, but it would be longer than the blog itself. As you take on opportunities, just make sure you prioritize yourself. If you know there’s a few assignments that are coming up, do them in order of importance. I use sticky notes as a “To Do List” of things to do for the day or when a certain assignment is due. Remember, its not good to leave things for last minute. Its always good to prepare yourself rather than stress out.

Block Study Time & Breaks
I am guilty of last minute studying because I found out there was a quiz or test the night before. It’s never good to do that.,, You don’t study at your best potential and you will be nervous when the time comes to take it. Try to set up some time for yourself beforehand to organize the material and find what you need to study more than other information. This will help you remember more information and I promise, you’ll ace it!

Academics FIRST!
It’s great to enjoy college, go out with your friends and create memories. Remember that you are a college student. The faculty and staff do understand that things may happen, but it is your responsibility to maintain your grades. I understand its a lot of pressure and you want to explore new opportunities, I was there. There’s one thing I’ve taught myself recently, you cannot do everything. You can enjoy life and accept new opportunities that go your way. Just keep in mind, you are student, too.

I hope this week went well for all of you! Happy almost October friends!

-T