Getting Involved!

We have been meeting one on one with students to plan spring and intersession schedules since the beginning of the month and it has been exciting to see the diversity of interests and experiences that our students bring to their academics.  I am always surprised by the wonderful things Scranton students do with their free time.  However, I have also noticed that some students are foregoing campus and community involvement to focus completely on academics.  Considering the difficulty of some academic programs, that is understandable but I would like to argue that getting involved can actually help you succeed at Scranton!  

Getting involved will help you build connections!

Maybe your roommate is the best things since Pop-Tarts and you are really hitting it off or your floor is one big happy family.  Maybe you are local and still have a lot of high school friends to lean on.  However, it’s valuable to get involved in the community.  I’ve only met a small fraction of our student body but I know that we are blessed with intelligent, fun and energetic students.  Getting to know more people will help you feel connected and adding positive people to your life will add tremendous value to your experience.  Getting involved in campus activities is a wonderful way to accomplish that.

It can help you try something you’ve always wondered about!

We offer a wide variety of clubs, organizations and activities on campus.  You can get involved in something in academic areas, do club sports, service, get involved in the arts or embrace some multicultural activities.  Click here for a complete list of clubs we offer!  

Getting involved can help you discover something new about yourself!

And isn't that what college is supposed to be all about?! It can help you discover an unrealized passion or an ability you had yet to identify.  It can clarify your career interests and provide you with direction for the future.  Maybe you are a born leader, a natural thespian or a fabulous orator or debater.  You'll never learn these things sitting in your room playing Xbox.  

It can help you build your resume and your network!

Deeply developing your interests in college can make you more attractive to graduate schools and employers.  Get seriously involved in one or two things, fully exploring leadership in these areas and promoting positive changes.  It's great experience for the workforce and your dedication will make you stand out.  You will also meet other people with similar passion and dedication who will be assets to your career network.

It can improve your time management and grades!

On a whole, students who are seriously involved in campus activities are better at managing their time than their less involved peers.  Because they have many obligations to plan, they tend to be more intentional with their plans and more likely to make sure ahead of time that they have enough time to accommodate all of their interests.  As a result they tend to perform better academically.  Additionally, people who are involved tend to feel happier and more satisfied with college and happier people are just more productive!

Time Management Strategies

Last week I blogged about how much work might be required to make a successful academic transition to college.  A lot of students feel daunted when faced with the reality of their new responsibilities.  It’s important to find time to forge relationships on campus, maintain your fitness and health, sleep enough, eat regular meals and to become part of the campus community but all of that can feel difficult to manage if you need to find a way to do class work and attend class more than 40 hours a week, especially if you are also trying to hold down a part-time job.  You may be asking yourself, “how can I handle all of this?!?!”  Never fear—the CAS Advising Center is here to help you manage your time!

Develop a time management plan!

The only way to be certain you can fit in all your responsibilities without sacrificing your sleep or health is to plan ahead.  You can do this in a few ways with some exciting tools.  For example, the website Study Guides and Strategies has an excellent visual tool that starts with a 24 hour circle that fills and deducts remaining hours as you relegate time for your priorities.  It enables you to make adjustments if you find that your original time management expectations were unrealistic.  

From http://www.studygs.net/schedule/

Fixed Commitment Schedule

Tools like the time management clock can help you prioritize your commitments but you should also consider developing a Fixed Commitment Schedule.  A fixed commitment schedule is a grid with a space for every hour of every day of the week.  On this schedule you should first fill in your fixed commitments--those commitments that do not change such as class times, work times and sleep.  Then fill in those times that are more flexible like times with your friends or meal times.  Fill in all the times you intend to study.  Again, you should be planning 2 study hours for every credit hour you have this semester.  Finally, makes sure you have adequate time to take care of yourself with relaxation and recreation.  Making time for friends and these activities will make you a better student in the long run.   

You can use this schedule to stay on track.  Stop by the CAS Advising Center or click here to get your own copy to fill out.  Try color coding it and placing it in a prominent location so you can have a clear view of how you have planned to spend your time.  

Plan out your semester as well as your week!

At the start of the semester, each of your professors should have given you a syllabus which lays out not only when your professor intends to cover each topic but also when you can expect quizzes, tests and projects to be due throughout the semester.  If you haven't already, obtain either a monthly calendar or purchase a planner.  Sit down with all your syllabi and write major assignments and examinations in on the calendar and hang it some place prominent.  By doing this, you will see which weeks are the busiest so you can plan accordingly.  In college, it is likely that for several weeks you may not seem to have any work to do.  However, because of the flow of the semester, tests, quizzes and papers tend to be due in many of your classes at the same time.  If you hold off on beginning to do your work until the week before midterms, you are likely to struggle.  If you realize now that you have a difficult week, you can plan accordingly and work ahead.  There is always something on which you can be working!

Any planner will work.  Some people prefer large desk calendars but you can also print free calendar pages off of the internet (or come to the advising center). The planners in the University of Scranton Bookstore have important semester dates listed. 

 Ask for help!

As always, if you need help navigating time management, come to the CAS Academic Advising Center to get help!  Additionally, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence has created a video to help students understand how to plan their time.  Click here to watch!
 
Katie Robinson
CAS Academic Advisor
katherine.robinson@scranton.edu