Opinion
Time-management skills come with college years
December 8, 2006
I woke up this morning and it hit me that there are only two weeks of classes left before finals. After I stopped hyperventilating over how much work I still have to do before the end of the semester, I realized just how quickly the semester has gone.
This is most likely the case with many students across campus — college is an atmosphere that isn’t conducive to slow, lazy days and relaxation.
Most of my time this semester has been eaten up by classes, work and volleyball. Hectic schedules are common for most students across campus.
When one gets further along in their college career, their time becomes more scheduled and it is difficult to find time to fit everything in. When we enter college as freshmen, we are told, “Become involved; it is a great way to meet people and you will end up as a more well-rounded person because of it.” I won’t argue against this advice.
The activities I have chosen to become involved with have definitely led to meeting new people, and I believe they have helped me grow as a person. The only problem I have with my hectic schedule is that it doesn’t leave very much time for anything else.
Professors should take into account that many students across campus have jobs or are involved in something other than classes.
Some majors are more about students’ test-taking ability, but in others students need to go out and do more than just classes to make themselves attractive to prospective employers.
I’m not saying professors need to lighten the workload so much that students only need to spend about a half hour of time on their class per week, I’m just saying that professors need to choose the most import aspects of their courses and teach them, rather than incorporating frivolous busy work into their classes.
I would like to be proficient at the things I need to know to get me a job. Maybe everyone could be done with college in less than four years if universities didn’t incorporate so much useless crap into our education.
Coupled with the increase in activities and course workload that goes along with one’s progression through college is a loss of interpersonal connection with people we meet along the way. I have found this to be very true this semester.
There are a couple people very close to me who I make a point to see on a regular basis, but I have other close friends who I will go weeks or even months at a time without seeing because I just don’t have time for socializing. It is a sad aspect of college life, but it’s something that happens to nearly everyone who decides to further his or her education. Sacrifices have to be made and much of the time personal relationships become the victims of these sacrifices.
So can a person really divide their time equally amongst all the important aspects of their life?
The answer to the question is simple: No. Certain things take more time than others, and that is just the way it is. The only thing we can do is try to be as productive as we can with the time we are given. That means just crack down and spend quality time doing homework, try your best in your organizations and cherish the time you’re able to spend with friends.
Derrick Knutson is a student at UW-River Falls.