PICKING UP THE PIECES

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Every year by mid-October many students find themselves not where they thought they would be. The excitement of starting a new year, maybe a new program or a new school, meeting new friends, and then here we are.

For many students it is a wake-up call: How did so much pile up? How am I going to get it all done? I’m studying, why are my grades on problem sets lower than I expected? The results of the first midterms are in–what happened? Stress and self-doubt are building. 

Take a breath. This is not an unusual state of student affairs. It just means that it is time to pick up the pieces to be ready for November. But how to do that? If what you were doing the first six weeks didn’t get you the results you were after, then you will have to do something different.

As I was reflecting on this annual surge of student angst, one of my colleagues sent me an article from The LearnWell Projects and said, “Steve, you could have written this.” The article identifies performance discrepancies, reduced study efficacy, and declining utilization of academic assistance benefits. I concur with the first two, but find a real uptick in queries for my service in mid-October. Their key recommendations are to recognize that your study skills are not providing detailed course knowledge, to use your grades and marks as measures of your effectiveness, and to learn how to use your thinking skills.

I would add to their recommendations (this is how I work with my students):

  • First, analyze what you need to do and to what standard for each course.
  • Next, estimate the timeline for each component of each course.
  • Then, identify your particular soft spots for development. Seek out the most effective aids that will work for you.
  • Then, schedule course requirements and development activities.
  • Finally, daily and weekly monitor not only your grades but also the tracking of your scheduled timelines.

It’s easy to get snagged, confounded or discouraged in what is essentially academic project management. Self-motivation and self-reward skills are what keep students on track with time management and learning new skills, new ways of thinking, and juggling priorities.

Connect with me to determine how coaching can help you polish the skills of academic project management: [email protected]   

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.