Top Tips for Doing College Homework

Top Tips for Doing College Homework In contrast to the academic requirements of high school, college courses present a much heavier, more consistent workload. And with everything else that college students have to manage jobs, personal life, relationships, physical health, cocurricular obligations it can sometimes seem like getting your homework done is an impossible feat. At the same time, however,  not  getting your work done is a recipe for disaster. So, what tips and tricks can you use to get your homework done in college? Tips for Successfully Doing College Homework Use these tips to create a process that works for you and your personal study style. Use a Time Management System Put all major assignments and their due dates in your time management system.  A key part of staying on top of your homework is knowing whats coming; no one, after all, wants to realize on Tuesday that they have a major midterm on Thursday. To avoid surprising yourself, make sure all of your major homework assignments and their due dates are documented in your calendar. That way, you wont inadvertently sabotage your own success simply because youve mismanaged your time. Schedule Homework Time Schedule times to do homework each week, and keep those appointments.  Without designated time for addressing your  to-dos, youre more likely to cram at the last minute, which adds to your anxiety levels. By putting homework on your calendar, youll have the time allocated in your already-too-busy schedule, youll reduce your stress by knowing when, exactly, your homework will be done, and youll be better able to enjoy whatever else you have planned since youll know your homework is already taken care of. Sneak in Your Homework Use small increments of time whenever possible.  You know that 20-minute bus ride you have to and from campus every day? Well, thats 40 minutes a day, 5 days a week which means that if you did some reading during the ride, youd get more than 3 hours of homework done during your commute. Those little increments can add up: 30 minutes between classes here, 10 minutes waiting for a friend there. Be smart about sneaking in small bits of homework so that you can conquer the bigger assignments piece by piece. You Cant Always Get It All Done Understand that you cant always get all your homework done.  One of the biggest skills to learn in college is how to gauge what you  cant  get done. Because sometimes, there really is only so many hours in a day, and the basic laws of physics mean you cant accomplish everything on your to-do list. If you just cant get all your homework done, make some smart decisions about how to choose what to do and what to leave behind. Are you doing great in one of your classes, and skipping the reading one week shouldnt hurt too much? Are you failing another and definitely need to focus your efforts there? Hit the Reset Button Dont get caught up in the get-caught-up trap.  If you fall behind on your homework, its easy to think and hope that youll be able to catch up. So youll set a plan to catch up, but the more you try to catch up, the more you fall behind. If youre falling behind on your reading and are feeling overwhelmed, give yourself permission to start anew. Figure out what you need to get done for your next assignment or class, and get it done. Its easier to cover the material you missed when youre studying for an exam in the future than it is to fall further and further behind right now. Use Your Resources Use class and other resources to help make doing your homework more productive and efficient.  You might, for example, think that you dont need to go to class because the professor only covers whats already been addressed in the reading. Not true. You should always go to class for a variety of reasons and doing so can make your homework load lighter. Youll better understand the material, be better able to absorb the work you do out of class, be better prepared for upcoming exams (thereby saving you studying time and improving your academic performance), and overall just have a better mastery of the material. Additionally, use your professors office hours or time in an academic support center to reinforce what youve learned through your homework assignments. Doing homework shouldnt just be a to-do item on your list; it should be an essential part of your college academic experience.