Sunday, June 17, 2012

Organizing Patio Season



Hello everyone! Like Farihah, I'm also here for the summer to share with you some of the academic problems and tips I think that can help you get through this summer semester.


To start off, I’m Katrina and I am ecstatic to be finishing my Hon. Bachelors of Science degree this year, double majoring in Mental Health and Health Studies. I take pleasure in cozying up in my bed and enjoying a good book or watching an episode of the show ‘Criminal Minds’ or just playing with my dog.

During the summer semester, the main problem I think that students face is staying on point in doing the assigned readings. It seems it is so easy to put everything last minute… maybe even just couple days before the midterm and final exam. It does sound so much more appealing to enjoy a plate of nachos and drinks with friends on a patio after class than spend hours studying in a library... So, having weekly goals definitely helped me get through enormous volumes of assigned journal articles and book chapters, while still having enough time for a fun social life in/off the campus.

I think it is important for students to have an organizer of some sort, to keep track of the academic goals they plan to have. Having a good sense of time management and planning in advance may take the pressure off finishing that huge amount of school work. I find that reduced stress and anxiety can help me concentrate better and finish a task more efficiently and accurately. Having planned ahead also helped me avoid missed deadlines on assignments.

It is also important to keep in mind that planning your schedule should be flexible. I have seen tasks that may seem short and easy at first glance but more tedious as I go through with it. Having good time management skills also allows you to expect some unexpected circumstances (portal being down, books not available, etc).

Lastly, which may be the most important one in this context, planning and completing your goals give you that free time you can enjoy with your peers, without feeling guilty about not completing your school work.

AACC has a lot of tipsheets that can further help you hone your time management strategies and as well as Academic Advisors for further guidance. Here is the list of the tipsheets on the AACC website: http://joomla.utsc.utoronto.ca/aaccweb/index.php/career-planning/career-tip-sheets

Hopefully everyone is enjoying this awesome weather for the weekend~
Katrina 

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