Time Management for College Students - Do This, Not That!

 Do This!

 Not That!

Successful Students....

• Act with intention, making choices that move them towards their goals and dreams.

• Apply self-management strategies, regularly plan and carry-out purposeful actions, and create the experience they want. 

• Meet with a college counselor or adviser each semester to create and monitor an 'exit plan' that's on track with their goals.

• Register for classes early, to create a schedule of classes that best 'fits' with their preferences, and meets their completion goals.

• Are persistent, and use college resources to overcome challenges, and get support from counselors and faculty.

• Meet professors during office hours for help, clarification, or touching-base.

• Make respectful requests.

• Participate in campus activities to network with professors students, and clubs with similar interests. 

• Complete homework and participate in study groups while on campus. When possible, complete homework between classes while it's fresh on their mind.

• Contact their professors in advance of an absence from class and complete work within an agreed-upon time-frame. 

• Clarifies and Knows.

Struggling Students....

• Wait passively for something to 'happen,' or circle around one unmindful task to another.

• Live disorganized, unplanned lives, constantly responding to whims of the moment, and become the victim of circumstances. 

• Register for classes based on what parents, other students, and friends 'think' is right. Usually find-out later a class doesn't 'count.'

• Select classes at the end of a registration period, ending up with a schedule of inconvenient classes, or classes without interest.

• Quit, change plans, or drop classes when their actions don't lead to immediate success.

• Avoid contacting professors outside of class, or approach professors during class to address challenges.

• Complain.

• Go at it alone, 'hang-out' with like-minded friends, and avoid clubs or meeting new groups of students. 

• Put-off homework until the last minute, submit work late, and is often 'surprised' by upcoming assignment due dates, deadline, or poor grades. 

• Skip class or contacts professors after class when absent.  Assumes missed class work can be submitted late instead of clarifying late policy.

• Assumes.