It’s really easy to lose track of time. When you’re not in class or working, you have the rest of the day to use as you please. Whether it’s a pick-up flag football game on the intramural fields, a video game tournament, or a couple of hours on Netflix, time can get away from you.
Sometimes you sit down, determined to “study” and end up chatting with a friend, watching YouTube or scrolling through social media.
When I was in college, our campus ministry leaders challenged us to keep track of what we did every day for one week. It was meant to show us that despite our “busy schedules” we really did have a lot of time that was at our disposal to use. It was an eye-opening exercise for me, and I thought seriously about how I was using my time.
I’ve included an expanded template for you hereto be able to chart your week. Don’t use it as a planner, writing down what you WANT to do at the start of each day. Instead, use it after the day is over. Just write down every day what you did, and how long you did it. When did you wake up? When were you in class? What did you do for those hours in between? Be honest and take a close look about how you’re really spending your time.
Time is precious. You don’t get it back once it’s gone.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16
If you want more tips on productivity and creating a healthy routine, check out the book!
Waking up is hard to do. When summer winds down and fall slips into winter, the sun starts waking up later and later. It’s like it doesn’t want to get out from under the covers and face the day.
And neither do I.
I’ve always had a hard time waking up, especially in the throes of winter. Many a morning in high school, college, or after college, the same scenario plays out: The alarm blares, I turn it off, and flip over to cocoon deeper in my covers. Inevitably, some kind person (one of my parents or roommates) harshly flips on the overhead light, and I bury my head in the pillow and groan. Too early.
Thankfully, I don’t have that problem anymore. Not because I outgrew it, but because I have a new way to wake up. When winter comes and the mornings are darker, I use a sunrise alarm clock. A half-hour before the alarm goes off, the clock emits a soft light, growing brighter and brighter until the time you want to get up. The alarm music (which is optional) also starts softly. By the time it goes off, I’m already rising out of sleep from the artificial sunrise in my room.
I wish I had tried it sooner, because it really does make waking up more pleasant. I don’t have to brace myself for the sudden harsh overhead light; instead, this soft glow lets my eyes adjust easily. It seems a lot cozier to wake up on a dark winter morning if I have that soft light.
Sunrise alarm clocks vary in cost, but my husband and I signed up for this one on our wedding registry and it has served us well. *I’m an affiliate with Amazon so if you end up trying this clock and use my link I’ll get a percentage of the sale. Whoohoo! But there are lots of other types, with varying price ranges, so check out what works best for you!
If you want more info about sleeping habits and tips, check out the book!
The “Perfect Roommate” is pretty hard to find. It’s even harder to be the perfect roommate! I was a Resident Assistant in college, and I discovered that “not-perfect roommates” can still get along with a strong dose of communication.
Before you move in with your roommate, try to talk about as much as possible about yourselves and what you expect dorm life to be like. Use these topics and questions to open up the conversation.
Furniture
Take inventory: consider what is already provided for you in your dorm, what you might already have, and what else you need to get for your space.
Provided:
beds/lofts (dorm room or shared bedroom)
dressers/closets
desks & chairs
Not provided:
rug
couch
mini-fridge
microwave
TV & stand
Perhaps your university will provide a communal fridge or microwave in the lounge, so those things won’t be necessary. You may not even need or want a TV, so those are good items to talk about.
Habits
Talk about what you and your roommate’s current habits are. These things may change upon coming to college, but don’t count on it.
Sleep
How many hours of sleep do you average per night?
When do you usually go to bed/wake up?
Are you sensitive to light?
Are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper?
Do you know if you snore or sleepwalk?
How many alarms does it take to wake you up?
Having an understanding now about sleep habits will help you be prepared for living with each other. Consider setting a time to turn off the lights. More adjustments will need to be made depending on your sleeping habits, and think of each one as ways you can honor and help each other in adjusting to college.
Cleanliness
What does your room look like right now?
Do you usually put things away right away or do you leave them out?
On a scale of 1-10 how important is it to you that our dorm room is tidy?
How often should we take turns cleaning common areas like the sink?
One of you may be a neat-freak and the other takes a “laid-back approach”. Understand that both of you will have to give grace to the other, but each of you should make strides in ensuring a comfortable living space for both of you.
Preferences
It’s important to talk about your preferences so that you can accommodate each other as much as possible. You might have to make compromises here, so being aware and talking through things before you have a problem will help you have a smoother transition to living together.
Smells
Do you wear or are you sensitive to cologne/perfume?
Are you okay with candles (wickless for a dorm) or air fresheners?
Do you ever have to deal with smelly gym clothes?
Studying
Do you prefer quiet or background noise when you study?
How often do you think you’ll study in our room?
Do you use headphones?
Friends
How late should our friends stay over?
Will any friends be staying the night? *Make sure you’re on the same page about how much time boyfriends/girlfriends stay around.*
How can we let each other know when one of us is ready to call it a night and have our friends leave?
You’ll be surprised how many of these things can become issues if you don’t talk about it, so making your preferences known up front can help keep you from getting frustrated with each other. If other issues arise, take the same approach! Talk about it up front and seek to find a middle ground.
For more practical advice on transitioning to college, check out the book!
I’m a note taker. In my college classes, I would always have a notebook to jot down the important stuff… and sometimes I’d doodle to keep myself awake.
I never wanted to throw my notebooks away after the class was over, because what if I needed them later? So they took up space in my parents’ basement for years after I left home, even though there was no way I could reference my notes for that time I really needed them.
Enter Rocketbook.
How I wish this existed back when I was in college!
The Rocketbook is a reusable notebook that can sync with the digital cloud. It’s analog meets digital! You can take your notes longhand (with a special Frixion pen) and then scan it with the app and it sends a PDF file directly to wherever you designate: your e-mail inbox, DropBox, Google Drive (even a specific folder within Google Drive), Trello, Evernote, whatever you choose.
You can set it up so that it transcribes your handwriting so that it’s editable text! Be careful though, you still have to write neatly for it to do its job well.
I mean, sure, you could just type your notes into a doc on the computer, but research shows that taking notes longhand helps you to process and retain information better than typing notes word-for-word on a laptop. 1
I first heard of Rocketbook when my friend gifted me one. She knew I liked to write with a physical pen and paper, but still needed a way to keep organized. She had heard of the Rocketbook from a coworker who saw her continually taking notes in work meetings. We both love using it now! I used mine extensively when writing my book to brainstorm, outline my book, and keep track of my goals and to-do lists. So it’s something that you can use beyond college, too!
There are lots of different sizes and styles of Rocketbook, and while it seems pricey for a notebook (the average is around $35), it’s the only notebook you’ll need. You won’t have to buy new ones each semester, and you have just one notebook to bring to all of your classes. At the end of the unit, you can scan what you’ve written and keep it in the cloud for the rest of your course. Erase it, and you instantly have a new notebook, while knowing that your notes rest securely for the years to come when you “might” reference them.
The notebook comes with a pen, but you can buy other packs of pens with colors to spice up your note taking.
A few things to get used to:
Don’t Rush! The ink takes around 10 seconds to dry. Don’t close your notebook too fast and smear your writing.
Take care of it! I forgot my notebook on our balcony the day it rained, and part of the notebook got wet and I lost my notes. (It was fine, because I had already sent them to the cloud). I also left the notebook in a hot car for too long and the writing faded (although I could still read it). So be careful, because heat and water will both cause your writing to disappear!
These limitations might seem annoying, but I think they’re worth it to have a quality reusable notebook, and to be able to effortlessly store notes in the cloud (or share them with a friend).
*I’m an affiliate with Amazon, so if you use my link and end up buying the Rocketbook, I get a percentage of the sale. You can go directly to Rocketbook’s website, too.
For more study tips, and info on health, finances, and social connections, check out my book!
If you’re looking for how to pay for college, one of the first things you need to do is fill out the FAFSA.
Free
Application for
Federal
Student
Aid
It’s a form that you and your parents fill out to see how much the government will help you. You should fill this form out every year; the sooner you do it, the more options could be available to you.
One in four families don’t fill out the FAFSA, either because they don’t even know about it, they think it won’t help them, or it’s too complicated. 2
Filling out the FAFSA can help you in several ways, based on your financial need.
Grants
Grants are gifts – money that you don’t have to pay back (as long as you finish your degree). The more financial need your family has, the more likely it is that you will receive a grant.
Work-Study Program
You could be eligible for a federal program that provides you a part-time job while you go to college.
Loans
If you show financial need, you could get loans from the government. In a subsidized loan, the government helps you out; they pay the interest on the loan while you’re still in college. An unsubsidized loan means you’re paying for the interest, but it’s usually a lower rate than if you get a private loan.
