Making YOUR Life as a SDSU Student EASIER
Classes and academics are (arguably) the most difficult parts of college, let’s be honest.
And given the pressures from balancing academics, social life, student orgs, health and new experiences, it’s normal to wonder about ways to make one's college life easier.
Here’s a couple of our top tips for incoming SDSU students from our mentorship team:
Tip #1: Wait on the Textbooks
Don’t buy (New) Textbooks before classes start. Sometimes professors may not even use the required textbooks. If you have the option for buying used textbooks, try to buy them from previous SDSU students instead of a used textbook site. Here’s a link to the Free and for Sale Facebook Group for the SDSU area which you can look for or request to buy used textbooks.
Tip #2: Active Learner in Lecture
Be an active learner in lecture. Take notes to understand rather than memorize but also take note of topics and content which isn’t clear to you. You can save a ton of time simply by asking the professor at office hours, discussion sessions, or during lecture.
Tip #3: Scope out classes
Figure out where your classes are before the first day of class. This means doing a test run on how long it takes to get from class to class and figuring out where in the building your classes are. Less stress on the first day of class means more bandwidth to do everything else you wanted to do.
And to close up, here’s some advice from one of our juniors on how to tackle college life and academics:
Isaac C. (junior)
There are plenty of hacks to share that help to make college easier and more efficient, but I’ll share the ones I use:
Focus on quality, not quantity - Set up all your classes (lectures, discussions, labs) on Google Calendar as well as any non-negotiables (church, work, eating, etc).
Set up a task list with a productivity software of choice (like Notion!)
Sleep 7-8 hours a day consistently, at regular times.
When it’s time for school, work, homework, studying - wear nicer clothes; when it’s time to relax, sleep, chill - wear home/comfy clothes.
Start early, start often.
Preview lecture content for 5-10 minute before lecture, and review lecture content for 5-10 minute after lecture
DON’T SKIP MEALS, IT SUCKS
Use web-blockers like Freedom if you don’t have the self-discipline to restrain yourself from websites that consume your time needlessly.
Write out your priorities in an ordered list, reflect on if you’re living your life that way, and adjust accordingly if it’s not.
Have a growth mindset
That said, the stuff that drives me to do well in college is to make time for people. If I’m doing poorly in classes, slacking on homework and studying, then I really don’t have any time for people, despite my desire to have such time. Therefore, I work hard, go to my lectures, and complete homework as soon as I can SO that I can make time for those people.
The key point to take away - you will not be motivated everyday, don’t expect to be. Develop the discipline to move forward in the direction you want to & guard-rails for when you have lapses in discipline so that you can still move forward on especially difficult days.