So, it’s time to decide whether university is for you and you have hundreds of questions racing through your mind; ‘how will I afford it?’, ‘what if I don’t like my flat mates?’, ‘how will I fit everything in?’, ‘How will I have time?’…
There’s a simple answer to all of these questions, learn to juggle your time. Whilst now it may seem impossible to have a social life, study for a degree, complete assignments as well as giving yourself some ‘me time’, it’s very much possible.
Time management is a transferable skill which all employers will be looking for, and for me it has been one of my most valuable lessons I’ve learned since coming to university.
Here’s some questions you can ask yourself when managing your time:
- What is most important to me?
The answer to this question will change as you go through your degree.
For me in the first few weeks of first year my priority was getting to know my flat mates and making friends so university didn’t seem so daunting.
As I progressed to the end of December and the student loan was running low my priority shifted to doing part time work on the weekends to help pay for the things I need.
And then coming through to the exam seasons in January and June my priority switched to studying for my exams and completing any assignments I had due.
I’m a list person so for me I would list my priorities from most important to least important and work my way down.
- Why am I at university?
Whilst social life is important near the start of university I always remembered why I am here.
Whilst it is to make friends of a lifetime and enjoy myself, it is also to gain a high quality degree. I always try to keep a healthy balance between work and fun and good time management is key to this.
- Have I made time for me?
Having ‘me time’ is important when managing time, without it I would get stressed and get nothing done! No matter how much there is to get done there should always be at least 10 minutes spare to take off for yourself.
This was a concept I found difficult at first. At the time of year where I had assignments to complete, exams to study for as well as part time work I sometimes forgot to take time out for myself and got stressed out. Luckily my employer and many of the other employers in Worcester recognise that you are a student and understand that you have a lot on your plate so are very flexible in giving you time if you need it. This is specifically the case if you are working for the university as a student ambassador as you can accept work as and when you are free.
Learning to manage your time is something you will learn to do at university without even trying, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about!
This blog post was written by Sophie, a second-year Human Biology student who likes baking cakes with her flatmates and visiting her little bulldog named Spud.
Worcester Student Life 