BY STEPHANIE TREFCER
Deadlines, midterm exams, and applications to grad school are among the overly-caffeinated seniors at Ramapo College.
Individuals involved in multiple clubs and organizations on campus gather together to vent about the very few weeks they have left at Ramapo, leaving the underclassmen with some words of advice.
The question is, how can seniors get through the hump that is the midpoint of the semester? How can they make sure their mental and physical health, and their GPA’s are in check?
Identifying the Procrastination Issue
The underlying issue to delaying work until an hour before the deadline, procrastination. A college student’s worst enemy when it comes to productivity, recognizing how to combat procrastination is a major key when it comes to multitasking as a student.
Heather Howell, a senior pre-medical student, works about 15 hours a week and finds herself fighting through the pressure to get assignments done. “I feel like when there is a rush to get things done it motivates me,” she said, “I understand it’s a bad move to wait until the last minute but Netflix is one of my favorite past times.”
However, it is completely acceptable to find time for yourself in between assignments, but not to let time sneak up on you.
Erin Witherspoon, a marketing major and an e-board member for Alpha Phi Omega said ‘you-time’ is important when it comes to multitasking. “You could be running around doing errands or doing homework, but allowing yourself time to simply grab a snack or more coffee is essential to mastering multitasking.”
Phones are not our friends
Turn off your phone. There is nothing more unproductive when you’re in the middle of an assignment and a notification comes up for a ‘like’ on your latest Instagram selfie.
Researchers from Baylor University found that college students overall spent the most amount of time on their phones texting — an average of 94.6 minutes a day — followed by 48.5 minutes a day sending emails and 38.6 minutes daily checking Facebook.
It is also proven that even putting your smartphone on airplane mode relieves the pressure to check time constantly.
“When I shut my phone off, I feel like I can accomplish anything,” said Uma Joshi, a student leader at Ramapo College. “When I’m at work for Student Success or I’m volunteering for Alpha Phi Omega, my phone is on do not disturb because I’m busy and do not want to be disturbed.”
Time Management
Whether you are rushing to meet deadlines, run errands, or volunteering for your club or organization, planning your time is just as important. Buying a planner and leaving notes will not only help you remember what tasks you have to get done, but it will motivate you to manage your time efficiently.
“Time management is crucial when you have an internship, a heavy course overload, and possibly a job on top of all that,” said Witherspoon. “But don’t forget to take time every day to do something you’re passionate about or something that you genuinely like to do.”
Overworking is Unproductive
Learn when to say no. Not because you can’t do everything, but because you should always put your best foot forward in all of your commitments. It’s better to do 1 task great, than 5 poorly. When you exercise proactive accountability, you are proving to yourself, your coworkers, and others that you are fully capable of fulfilling all requirements in an efficient amount of time.
With graduation 70 days away, seniors participate in community service, meditate when necessary, and spend time with friends to stay motivated during the final stretch of their time as an undergrad.
Related Links:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/537195061778278168/
AUDIO: [Senior JR. DePierro talks about stress relieving.]
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.