Time managementndexter
I know what you are thinking, “Another person who put their Superman cape on and went back to school. Well, I’m not Superman.” No worries, I wasn’t either. As a matter of fact, I am a woman so I am excluded from that club all together.
I am just a young married woman, raising three kids, who made the decision to return to school at age 26. I received my Associate’s degree in English right after I graduated from high school, but I stopped pursuing my education. I had a job I enjoyed; I got married, and then came kids.
However, life happened. My mother in law was diagnosed with cancer so my husband and I decided to sell our home in Kentucky, uproot our family, and move over 300 miles away to North Carolina to be closer to his family. When we moved we decided it would be best if I became a stay-at-home mom in order to spend more time with our children and be available to help care for my mother in law. Thankfully she pulled through her battle with cancer, but I remained at home to care for our family full-time.
After being at home a few years, I realized I needed to do something for me but how? I was so busy with all of the responsibilities that come with managing a family: running the kids around town, cleaning the house, and taking care of my husband. How was I ever going to add anything more to my plate? But something needed to be done, so I took the leap of faith and decided to return to school at age 26. Now (two years later), I am about to graduate and am so glad I did!
Following are six tips that helped me move through the challenges toward the finish line.
1. Do your research. Before going back to college, do your research. It is important to consider your major, which school you will attend, and how their financial aid works. I chose business administration with a concentration in accounting. (I like to crunch numbers.) I did all of my research online through Google with a specific search criteria in mind. The things that mattered most to me were being able to do all of my coursework online, the cost of tuition, the accreditation of the school, and what Web site or technology they used for their online classes. (I am personally a huge fan of Moodle because it is very easy to navigate.) I began by searching all of the schools located in my state. Then I looked at all of the well-known online programs. As I attended college right out of high school I also researched the college I previously attended (Midway University) and decided to return as it appeared to be the best fit.
I recommend online learning as much as possible for the working adult. It makes life so much easier simply because you can do course work anytime, anywhere. Not every school offers the online option, but those who do allow you to take a look at how their program works before applying. Do the tour and see which program works best for you.
Along with the cost of tuition, financial aid is extremely important. Most of us do not have the cash for school just lying around somewhere so you will most likely need aid. Fill out the FAFSA form but also make sure the school offers the federal financial aid programs. I came across a few in my search that did not. As this was an issue for me I did not choose to attend those schools.
2. Use Time Management Techniques. Time management will almost completely determine your success or failure at college (in other aspects of life as well). It is a skill you must obtain if you are an adult student. Why? Because without time management you will surely drop at least one of the things you are juggling. It is something you can learn, so do not give up if your are not a pro yet. Old dogs can learn new tricks (and I am proof of this).
The first tip to managing your time is to create a weekly (or monthly) schedule. At the end of each week it is important to have a planning day for the next week. Look over what is coming up. What appointments do you have? What assignments will be due? What do you have going on at work or with your family? This is the time to glance over the week ahead so you can prepare. Then make your schedule. It can be a calendar you keep or my favorite, a plain piece of paper with all the days of the week listed. Divide out each task by day so you will not become overwhelmed and nothing will be missed.
The next step (after you create your schedule) is to make a list for each day. Be specific. If you have daily chores such as dishes that need to be done, add them. Write everything down that needs to be accomplished so nothing is forgotten. This always kept me motivated because I realized I had a lot to do and needed to keep moving. It also gave me a mental boost being able to mark things off as they were completed. It gave me confidence to physically see that I could accomplish so much in a day.
3. Practice Stress Management. If I told you going back to school as an adult was not a little stressful at times, I would be a liar. Knowing how to handle this stress is important. If the school work begins to overwhelm you, take a break. If work or the kids are becoming more demanding, just do what you can. I have found most schools are very helpful with adult learners. They understand in most cases. Be honest with your professor if you are struggling with something. Usually, they are friendly and want to see you succeed.
4. Know Your Limits. I did not know my limits when I first returned to college. I went back full-time, and tried to raise a family while attending and working from home. That lasted all of a year, and I realized I had limits. I was in such a hurry to finish my degree that I was killing myself trying to get there. I eventually realized if I dropped back to six or nine hours a semester it would only extend my time in school by a semester. That is exactly what I did and life became much easier to handle.
5. Streamline Study Habits. Returning to college brings a lot of academic work with it. Knowing how to handle an academic workload efficiently is an important part of achieving the grades for a high GPA and your college transcript.
The first challenge you are likely to face is the amount of reading. Professors, especially in online courses or accelerated courses, assign several chapters to read each week. They are required to assign these chapters to complete the materials for the course. In accelerated programs, they have to assign the same amount of work in an eight week course as a 16 week course. Obviously, this equates to a lot of reading. In all honesty, even if all I had to do in life was course work I still could not get through all of those chapters.
That is why the first step in effective study is to stop reading. You must learn to skim and highlight. This will help you to gain knowledge and understanding of the topic but not bog you down with too much information. My method of skimming is similar to the SQR3 method. First I read the introduction to the chapter. I read the first sentence, last sentence, and a few sentences in between each section as I move along. I always read where words are bolded as well. Then I highlight the important points that I need to know for a test.
If possible, try to stay on top of all assignments. When you fall behind it is really hard to get caught up and do quality work. So be sure to stay as organized and on top of things as possible.
Above all, do the best you can. You have to care and want to succeed at school as an adult. You cannot just try to scrape by, you need to give everything you do an honest effort. Professors can tell when you truly care in comparison to someone that is barely trying to get by. I have used these study habits throughout my time in school, and I am happy to say that I will be graduating this upcoming year, and I have a 4.0 GPA.
6. Persevere. Perseverance is the main ingredient to success when going back to college as an adult. You will face obstacles. You will face times when you feel overwhelmed, and I am letting you know upfront, there will be times you will want to quit. However, perseverance is what is going to stop you from giving up when you face those difficult times. You need to remind yourself of the long term. The doors of opportunity that will open and the great example you will set for those around you who are watching. In those moments during my journey when I wanted to give up, my children are what kept me going. I wanted to show them that if I can do this as a married mother of three then they can do anything they want to do.
Going back to college will strengthen you in more ways than you can imagine. I am no “superhero”, just a woman with a dream that wanted to show my children that if you dream something you can achieve it. More than anything, I wanted to prove it to myself. I went back to school as an adult, and I am here to tell you that you can too!
Jennifer Poindexter lives in rural North Carolina. She will receive a B.A. degree in Business Administration/Accounting from Midway University in early 2016.
