I Wish I Knew is a series of personal essays written by the courageous young female ambassadors of UChic. Learn how to survive and thrive during your freshman year from girls who have been through it.

This week we are featuring UChic blogger and ambassador Alexis Grippi. Grippi is a student at Immaculata University.

Make a plan and stick to it.

Freshman year is full of new experiences. You go to a new school, meet new people, and learn new ways to complete classwork. The transition from living at home to living on your own is overwhelming. When tests, homework, assignments, and projects are added on top of everything else it can be frustrating and hard to adjust. During my freshman year of college, I struggled with time-management. I couldn’t figure out how to manage my school life, social life and part-time job.

When I began classes my freshman year, I felt myself becoming extremely overwhelmed. It was hard to balance working part-time and studying for tests. I found myself staying up very late, with only two or three hours of sleep. I was cramming my studying in the night before the test. I was trying to get school work done while at work. I was having breakdowns because I felt I had no time to complete my school work. I knew that something had to change. So I did some reading, and found three ways to help manage my time more effectively.

My first tip is to use a planner that has a calendar. At most colleges, planners are given out for free and you won’t have to spend money on one. But if you would like to purchase your own, they are not that expensive. I started writing in my planner all of my homework for every class. I also wrote when my homework and projects were due. I started to put test dates in my planner. This allowed me to look at everything I had due, and when everything was due. I was able to prioritize what I needed to do first. It also allowed me to know when I had free time.

My second tip is to make a plan. You don’t want to cram everything into one or two nights. You also don’t want to spend every day and night doing school work. Your social life is just as important as school and work. Try to leave at least two days out of the week to do something for you, whether it is going to the mall or hanging out with friends. By looking at your calendar you will be able to see what is due first and start with that. Organize what assignments and projects you will work on each day. When it comes to studying, it’s good to study a small amount of information each night, that way you are not cramming everything into the night before the test. Sticking to the plan is important. This helped me limit the amount of work I would do each day. My plan also allowed me to spread my work out over a week, instead of two days. I designated specific days for my work and stuck to those days. I was able to have a social life and I felt less overwhelmed and stressed.

My last tip is to ask for help. I was always afraid to ask for help because I felt like I was the only one, but you aren’t. Many freshmen feel the same way you do. It’s helpful to talk it out with another person so you don’t feel alone. Advisors and teachers are also there to help and can suggest great tips and lead you in the right direction.

I hope these tips will help you manage your time, like it helped me. Freshman year is filled with new things and can become stressful at times. Time-management will allow you to enjoy your freshman year and take advantage of the experience.

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