Nov 26 2008
Damage Control for Overwhelmed Students
Every now and then, a student faces a disaster term at school where they are overwhelmed with the full course load and over-taxed at work and with their family responsibilities. Everything seems to be going wrong.
Here are some tips to help evaluate your next steps to keep calm and stay in school.
Survival tips for overwhelmed students:
- Consider the two-week rule. If you are behind two weeks or more in a certain class, consider dropping the course and re-taking it another term. But always talk it over with your advisor and instructor’s first. Sometimes, they have good tips and suggestions that will help you push through a temporary setback.
- Communicate thoroughly and immediately. Do not wait and wait for weeks to go by before you get some guidance and help. As soon as you feel you’re not going to be able to keep up with the work, reach out to your advisors and instructors. They will offer you tips on what to do next.
- Take stock and reassess. Sometimes, it’s simply about getting some family support. If you have children or have a lot of family responsibility, you’ll have to ask for more help around the house. Families can work together to reach the education goals of one family member. Other people might not be as good at certain chores, but live with it temporarily, just to get through school.
- Learn to say “no.” Going to school is no easy task. Going to school with a full-time job and a family to support is even more challenging. Sometimes, you won’t be able to help plan a niece’s birthday party or volunteer for committees at work. You will have to politely decline tasks to stay focused on school. You’ll have to be very conscious to carve out enough time in your schedule to work on school assignments.
Most importantly, do not be discouraged when you have one bad semester or a couple of tough classes. With so many distractions, you might not get all the A grades you would like, but that doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent or smart. Strive for those A’s of course, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get them. Remember to see the long-term goals, and do not get discouraged by short-term setbacks.
You can do it! Share your comments about the tips and tricks you use to keep from getting overwhelmed. We want to hear about your success stories; so we can all do better together.
