JuubleMeister: First Weeks of School: Work, Then Play

Its still warm outside. The College life is nice. But before you open another beverage, some words of wisdom from the Juublemeister.

Written by JuubleMeister

Welcome to the inaugural article of the Juublemeister. My job is advise you on making your life better in a no nonsense fashion.

Someone told me there is no work the first week of school

And sir, you are half-right. There is no “work” during that week of meeting new friends, getting to know your environment, having the one Wednesday 2pm class, and discovering all the night-hour parties for the weekend. If you party real hard, or are part of a really happening area, you might realize the fun begins on a Wednesday.

Two days of fun, four days of fun. All of this is fun. But I hate to burst bubble, and say that there is actually work to be done. If there is any type of advice I can give anyone going to school, or to anyone starting up a school year on any level, is that the real work that has to be done has to be done in the beginning of the semester.

Everyone likes to party, but before the college calamity comes calling, here are some pieces of advise to help you during school:

1. Start off strong, put yourself in position to stay strong. If you are going to parties or hanging around during your first weeks of school, you are in danger of falling back in your classes. Some classes are pretty easy, yet they will require a work and attendance ethic that need to be kept up all year around. Some classes are hard, and will require even more of your attention. Hard to do both if you spend too much time chasing the opposite sex and waking up with hangovers. The rest of this list will help.

2. Set a schedule. Classes can be easy or hard, but both can be difficult to keep up. People take for granted easy classes with care-free professors, and hard classes constantly keep you busy. The great thing about college is that you have a lot of time. Schedule time for work. This is very simple, but very few people manage their time, or make time to just do their homework. Have a mandatory daily time, two hours minimum, no Facebook, no AIM, no lolcats. If you have more work, add more time. If less, do work ahead, or find other ways to involve your work with your major.

3. NO FACEBOOK: Facebook has become the thorn in the side of time-management for many college students, and many people in general. It can become an addiction in the college atmosphere, especially when you are constantly running into new people and crazy events. Facebook is a great tool, but if you check it more than 10 times a day, or use it more than two hours daily, you are losing time you could be using doing something better. If you don’t think you can lay off of it, use it for good use: set up a study group, find people in the same classes.

4. Set Roommate / Friend boundaries. Sometimes, your living situation can affect how much work you can get done. This is where you have to have some balls (Sorry ladies), and tell your roommates and friends of times you have to study. You do not have to be an A-hole and tell your roommate he can’t have company over while you study at 2AM. Make the compromises work for both of you. As for your friends, have fun with them. But when you have to get work done, do not be afraid to say no.

5. Get everything organized for classes, homework, information etc. You have all of your books? Did you read the syllabus? You have an advisor? Do you have to choose your major this year? Make a checklist of all these things and anything you have to take care of. Even if you don’t have to do it until the end of the year, write it down, and make sure you get as much of it done now. It becomes harder to speak to an advisor about changing your major in the middle of November. And it becomes harder to convince a professor about forgetting homework late in the year if he wrote down a grade penalty in the syllabus.

Also, make sure all of your notes are organized. Use a notebook, or a Wordpress blog. Make sure the big things ( financial aid, housing, major, choosing classes ) are checked off as soon as possible.

6. Stay Healthy. Get some sleep. Find some alone/quiet time. Exercise at least four times a week. If you think you will be doing a lot of work and a lot of partying, the toll on your body and mind will make you less focused. If you are partying, and not getting a lot of sleep, and not taking care of yourself, you will be less efficient, and more likely to miss classes/assignments.

7. Redeem your self-worth through work and solid connections. That sounds weird, but a lot of our actions when we go to college, or to anywhere in our life, is to make decisions based on our wants, our needs, and our worth. People want to be social, and have a lot of friends. They go out and party, and they meet new people. Sometimes, people get caught up in the college-party lifestyle since they are seeking self-worth through the indulgence of socializing. There is nothing wrong with being social, but there is if it is affecting your work and your tenure at college.

People take for granted the work that has to be accomplished, yet it is your major, and the genuine connections you make on campus that should mold your self-esteem. If you are partying too much, you are losing that self-worth since socializing, at the end of the day, has to be secondary to becoming a successful student in college. Partying should be a supplement; a reward for all the hard work that you have done over the week.

The first week wasn’t hard, but you shouldn’t neglect that you have a hard road ahead. Pave it now, so you can have stress-free Saturday nights for the rest of the semester.

September 11th 2008 — Editorials and Features + The Positive Rant — Leave A Comment — Subscribe

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