5 Tips for Thriving in College (during a pandemic)
Let’s face it, Spring 2020 was just a practice round for this whole “Online College: Pandemic Edition” experience. Now that we are firmly into Fall 2020, things are getting real, and students are witnessing what this new normal might look and feel like long-term. The popular Redbubble sticker and IG meme, “Zoom University,” is taking on (sur)real meaning.
My clients are quickly learning that staying in their room, suite, or apartment alone, staring into a computer screen for 5-7 hours per day gets old and depressing fast. While most are very happy to be “at school” rather than at home, hunkered down with parents and younger siblings, the experience they are having is not what college life is supposed to be like. Sound familiar? Of course, we are all being asked to make sacrifices, so there is something to learn from that, but students need support and encouragement to make the most out of the current experience. Here are a few tips that can mean the difference between surviving and thriving:
Time Management: Students are being challenged in this area even more than usual! While online, asynchronous courses offer flexibility, the lack of structure that comes from not having set class meeting days and times can spell disaster, especially for students who have executive function challenges. For those students, task initiation is problematic, so without a class to attend and the physical presence of other students and a professor to anchor them, those weekly course modules can easily be forgotten, stacked in a mounting backlog of reading, videos, and self-teaching. The best way to combat this is to assign a schedule to every course, regardless of the delivery model. I tell clients that this is permission to build their dream schedule! How about MWF from 1:00 to 1:55 for Criminal Justice and TTH from 3:00 to 4:30 for Art in Society? Plug them in to a calendar, and show up, just as if in-person classes were happening! Now add one 50-60 minute block of reading time for each class per week, and two 30 minute review blocks per class each week. Those extra hours of reading and review will mean the difference between Cs and As on tests.
Of course it makes sense for college students to want more unstructured free time, but too much of that leads to unbridled procrastination. Planning weekly and then reviewing and modifying the plan daily in a physical planner, whiteboard wall calendar, or (my fave) Google Calendar will help students set priorities and strike a balance between productivity and free time. Sometimes a student simply needs to experience how it feels to be in control of one’s time through planning rather than constantly reacting to forgotten assignments and imminent deadlines. The reduced stress alone is sometimes enough to convince an otherwise wary student to adopt a calendar habit.
The Right Study Strategies: More than ever, flat models of content delivery with very little sensory immersion (recorded lectures, animated tutorial-type videos, online textbooks, and a dizzying array of online hubs to navigate) means that students have to learn actively on their own in order to move from basic recall and understanding to higher order levels of comprehension. This means thinking about what you are thinking about and assigning the right kind of strategy to each learning task. Next level strategies include:
SQ3R active reading;
Virtual study groups where members take turns teaching concepts to one another, quizzing one another, or even just discussing content;
Self-testing from notes, end-of-chapter reviews, Quizlet decks made in your own words (NOT someone else’s deck made for a similar course), or bonus content from Khan Academy;
Daily problem practice sessions for math, engineering, or econ classes;
Putting ideas into visual organizers like a simple T chart or creating a concept map to review before a test using Coggl
Making thoughtful connections to prior knowledge while studying.
Collectively, these and other study skills are called “metacognition,” and they help move thoughts and ideas from working memory to long-term memory to form the neural structures of crystallized knowledge.
Get in Your Professor’s Head: Don’t forget that your professors are still out there and are being paid to deliver your courses. They should all have email addresses posted, virtual office hours, and a few may still coming to campus for in-person appointments. Take full advantage of their expertise and accessibility by communicating with them often. Ask questions; seek clarification, and demonstrate your (mild to enthusiastic) interest in the course. One of my favorite ways to approach a professor is to say, “I’m getting ready for the test on (x date), and so far, I have (list all of your learning efforts like, “I read the chapters, watched the videos, took and reviewed notes,” etc). I’m wondering how you would prepare for the test?” You will demonstrate that you are engaged in the class, that you care about your grade, and that you respect their expertise and opinion. In the end, it’s about advocating for yourself and your goal of completing the course while maintaining or boosting your GPA. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Professors are rarely sympathetic to late semester pleas for help. The sooner and more often you communicate, the better.
Create a Team and Use It: Your college or university may feel quiet and deserted, but faculty, staff, and administrators are all plugging away at the semester just like students are. Services are being offered; appointments are being scheduled; and programs are in place, albeit with a virtual spin on all of it. Claim the services you are paying for! Attend that virtual career fair, schedule a socially distanced session at the Rec Center, book an appointment to have your first draft of a paper reviewed by the Writing Center, and contact the Counseling Center for help if this pandemic is weighing too heavily on your mood. Together, the people behind these resources and services are Team YOU! They want every student to succeed, and they are pouring lots of energy into supporting your goals, even if your current level of participation doesn’t feel that way. Put yourself in the position to expand your team by connecting with the real people behind your college or university. Not only will it help whatever situation you need assistance with, reaching beyond the confines of your living space, online course, and dining hall will enhance your feelings of belonging, a key measure of persistence toward graduation.
Take Care of Yourself: You’ve seen all of the self-care memes. I don’t mean online shopping, Starbucks, and all you can eat wing night. Self-care means nurturing your body, mind, and spirit. Some ideas include:
Getting enough sleep (put yourself to bed at a reasonable hour).
Some healthy food, water, and light exercise can do wonders for your mood and your ability to focus.
Have goals, both large and small, and make some progress toward one each day.
Create time in your schedule for things you enjoy, like friends, creativity, student organizations, AND downtime.
Bonus-Academic Life Coaching: All of these recommendations take time to discern, practice, and improve. If you need help making a plan to prioritize your academic and other life goals, schedule a free 30 minute chat with me. We can talk about where you are, where you want to be, and how you might get there…even in the midst of a global pandemic!