Goals, Stress, Time?

So some things that come to mind when I look back at starting college are some of the things I worried about the most. Am I going to accomplish my goals? how am I going to handle stress? and am I ever going to have time to do this all? Well the answer to those I found to actually be very simple.  College isn't as hard, or stressful or time consuming as it can appear when you first start. So here is what I did when I first started out, I really found it to help me! 

First was my goals, what do I want to do with my college career and how do I want to do it? I knew my end goal was to get my degree in Political Science and International Relations, and take my LSAT (law school admission test) and go to law school to become an attorney.  So with that in mind, I sat down at my desk as a freshman, and wrote down my goals. Now, obviously not everyone has the same goals, and some other people may not even be 100% (or any percent!) sure what they want to do in college, or in life yet.  This is where you set short term goals, to take classes and try things out, to join organizations that could help you find an interest, or to just get good grades in your classes until you find something that really sparks your interest.  It's the beginning of college, believe it or not, you still have time to decide what you want to do in life and you will succeed!!  One thing I found to be very helpful was to write down my goals, and post them somewhere I will see them everyday, so it reminds me and keeps me motivated to accomplish them.  This has helped me a lot, and I am now completing my degree (with an added minor!!) and taking my LSAT for the second time in October.  

Second thing is stress, I'm not going to lie, college can be stressful, IF you make it that way. It is completely your decision if you are going to make college a stressful experience or not.  There are plenty of ways to organize yourself, manage your schedule and live a stress free (and fun) college life! Some of the things I did was utilize my resources, for example, visiting the academic resource center, they have so much information on how to handle different kinds of stress, and how to manage the stress that you may be feeling.  This is a free service offered by the university and is one of my favorites to use! Also, when I feel overwhelmed or stressed out, I take advantage of the Recreation center (rec) on campus, we don't have to pay as students, and living on campus, its a 5 minute walk anytime of day! early or late you can enjoy the rec center! The free classes they offer have become my favorite for stress relief, yoga, zumba, and ab lab are three of my personal favorites. Overall, college does not equal stress, it is completely manageable and you will be able to handle it! 

Finally, the never ending question of how is there even remotely enough time in a day to accomplish the things that I want to do?! Well, its not that hard if you learn to manage time, and in college, you can learn quickly! one thing that really helps me, and that i would be completely lost without is my planner! You can get student planners at many places, at the Textbook Outlet, at our Student Barnes and Noble right in the Oakland Center, or even at your Walmart.  I put all my assignments and other obligations in there, so i know exactly when they are due, and when i have meetings, or events.  One thing that actually has helped me with time, is joining student organizations, i know it may sound weird because that actually takes more time, but it also helps me manage my time, it makes me set certain times to do certain tasks and accomplish them.  This has really helped me to accomplish setting times for different things and getting myself organized to stay on top of things.  

My college experience has not been the easiest, but with learning how to manage time and set goals, and managing your stress, your experience can be fun and go a lot smoother than you expect!