North Texas Daily

If there is one thing that online classes have taught me, it is that before online classes, I was the most unorganized person in the entire world.  I decided to take 15 hours of classes this summer because it was cheaper and I figured I wouldn’t be doing that much this summer anyways. If you are in my situation right now, there is a fair chance that you are having a couple of stressful days where you feel like the classes are beating you down, and don’t worry because we’re in the same boat together. I have stuck by three rules that have saved my life and my sanity, so hopefully at least one of them can benefit you.

• Stay organized

Yes, I feel like this is a huge given, but you would be surprised how much people take online classes for granted. I had my first “welcome to college” moment when I was taking my first online class, and there were no reminders for deadlines. It was all my responsibility and that quickly turned my mindset into one that was more organized. Now, I am taking five online classes and the organization has to be cranked up an extra notch. Some things that have helped me stay organized are a simple planner and reminders on my phone. I think that is about as basic as it gets, but it has helped me way more than I thought it would. Every assignment, down to the smallest pieces of homework, is right in front of me. It can be easy to get swallowed up in work and staying on top of it all is essential. 

• Work ahead

I know that some classes don’t really allow this, but for me, I try and designate a day where I just sit down and crank out all my work. Sometimes you just get in those motivated moods and you feel like you can sit there and do your work all day. Working ahead helps me get all of my busy work out of the way, and then I can prioritize and hyperfocus on some concepts in my classes that I struggle with. This has come in handy so many times, and I can not stress how much working ahead has done for me. You may even find yourself having a day where you have nothing to do, and if that is the case, then maybe you can go to the gym or watch a movie. Mental health should be a top priority, especially now, and being able to get your work done and feel that weight off your chest is one of the best feelings you can have during a week full of work.

• Prioritizing

I briefly brought up prioritizing before, and I can not stress enough how much this one will help you. I am terrible at math. The absolute worst. If I have to take math and English, I’m probably going to focus more on math with the free time I got from step two. Spending time on the classes you aren’t good at and giving that extra bit of effort could separate failing from passing and just passing to getting an A.

Summer classes can be a lot all at once, and even more now that they are all online. There are going to be times where you feel like you’re going to fail and that you won’t last in the college world. I can promise that you are not alone and we are all going through this crazy year together. These tips may not help, and there may be something better that works out for you, but nothing should be higher on your priorities than your mental health.

Featured Illustration: Austin Banzon