By Shanda Block/entertainment editor
To ensure success, students need to maintain balance and not overload their schedules, a NE Campus faculty member told students last week.
Speech assistant professor Lisa Benedetti spoke Sept. 1 about how students can effectively manage their time.
She said the goal of her presentation was “You can do it!”
Benedetti involved the audience by asking them to fill out their daily schedules to see how they spent their time. Then, Benedetti had them tally how much time was left over in their schedules.
Some had a hearty amount of time while others had less than zero.
“I actually fell under the negative range, and I know I could do a lot better managing my time,” said Morgan Roy, a student in the audience.
Knowing their scores helped Benedetti explain how to gain more study time. She informed the audience that even those who weren’t in the negatives could improve.
“Start logging everything you do for an entire week, and be realistic,” she said. “Log ‘x’ amount of time it takes to do laundry while studying, etc.”
Logging helps awareness of how time is spent, and from there change is available to organize daily events, she said. Change is OK.
Students should be realistic about the course load and never do everything all at once, which will overwhelm anyone quickly. Allow breaks of 10-15 minutes and give rewards after accomplishing goals for the day, she said.
She urged students to get harder classes out of the way first. More difficult classes should take about four hours of study, average classes around three hours and easy classes around two hours.
Also, don’t cram information, she said.
“Paying for a class should be incentive to learn the information rather than only remember it for a quiz or test,” Benedetti said.
Students should never study in a bedroom or bed because that location will only tempt a nap, she said.
Empty classrooms and the library are the best places to study because they are much quieter.
Also, students should plan out time by determining the maximum hours needed for studying, she said. Always utilize waiting times by doing things as simple as flashcards. If an instructor allows, record lectures and listen to them before bed. Create a “to do list” for success, list all possible deadlines and adjust the list daily.
She warned to avoid procrastination by eliminating distractions such as clutter, phones and unnecessary applications. Students should set short-term goals and go from there. Instructors are there to help, so don’t be afraid to ask them questions, she said.
