With another semester halfway through, the bulk of classwork lies ahead in the near future. Before spring break, students were loaded with papers and tests all in the last two weeks of class before the glorious week of vacation. Why is it that professors find it necessary to stack students with such critical work all in the same time period?
Even with the understanding that course progression is generally standard throughout a semester, different professors have different methods of teaching. So is it a coincidence that large assignments always seem to be due around the same time or do professors get together when making their syllabus and discuss ways to stress out every enrolled student?
During these stressful times, time management becomes essential to students’ success. Staying up all night to cram 1000 words double spaced onto some paper a time or two is not foreign to some students. Not so ironically, these papers always come out as if the writer scribbled down some incoherent thoughts on no sleep. Needless to say, they are not the best pieces of work and they come out justifiably mediocre at best.
For students who, however, do their best work under the pressure of time there are options to reach success.
“I’ve heard of students taking excessive amounts of caffeine just to stay up, especially energy shots,” Andrew Morizio, a senior in mechanical engineering, said.
Caffeine, Adderall, and other potentially addictive and abusive substances are reported used by students who need to either stay up or get help with concentration when time crunching becomes critical.
Alex Gura, a senior in aerospace engineering, said waiting until the last minute to do assignments is when he starts on the caffeine.
“For me, when I wait until the night before on a report or exam, failure has proven inevitable,” Gura said as he pounded down a cup of coffee during his lab. “I just can’t learn the material quick enough for that.”
To regurgitate information back out onto a bubble sheet for a test is one thing, but to actually resuscitate information so it becomes easily reviewable is another beast altogether, one that takes continuous practice and skill.
Cassie Ott, a junior in art and design, said the key to preparing for her assignments lies in studying early.
“To actually learn the material (not just know it), I have to constantly read and review it,” Ott said. “Things just become much easier come exam time this way, so I don’t have to reread an entire textbook a week before the final.”
Hopefully it’s safe to say most students do not spend the majority of their waking hours in the library or face deep in a textbook, but many still manage to successfully complete their work – just maybe not as efficiently or using their full potential.
While being lazy in the sense of procrastination or because of a lack of effort can hurt one’s college career, good time management skills has been proven a reliable source for success. Taking time to do things right enhances an educational experience.
