Due to the national pandemic we are currently stuck in, students across America were forced to switch over from in person learning to remote learning. For some students, this was no problem at all. They knew they could do online school with ease from their home. Those students did not mind waking up every day, rolling over to turn their laptop on, and logging into Blackboard to get to class. On the other hand, there were a large number of students who weren’t sure how this transition was going to go for them. Personally, I empathize with those students who mentioned that they were struggling to do well in remote learning. I did not realize how many obstacles students could run into while trying to learn virtually. Some students are having trouble remembering deadlines for assignments. Some are struggling with having a peaceful, positive environment to do their remote learning in and then there are some students who are just having trouble being organized in the comfort of their own bed. Well, I am here to give everyone some tips to survive the next semester of online school.
As the semester comes to a close, we have to be honest with ourselves about what we are going to do next semester. The status of the pandemic in America is going in the opposite direction of what college students would prefer but that’s just life, everything isn’t always going to be in our control and there will always be obstacles on the road to get what you want. Instead of making ourselves suffer, let’s decide to take a different approach to remote learning. If you feel like online school is not working for you right now, pay close attention to the seven tips I’m about to give you to help fix that.
1. Get a planner or a dry erase calendar
Get a planner or dry erase calendar from any store close to you (Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree) and start writing down everything into/on these things. Thoughts, your work schedule, homework/project deadlines, class schedule, events, etc. It will help you with managing your time, remembering deadlines, and knowing what you have planned for every day of the week. It can be so beneficial to you if you’re not big on organization. It should help you clear your mind, and hopefully relieve you of a lot of stress.
2. Set aside one day of the week to just relax
Pick one day of the week for yourself. On this day, allow yourself to relax with no self-guilt, remorse, or judgement, so you can freely hang out with friends, exercise, meditate, take long naps, or just binge on snacks and your favorite shows/movies. Do whatever you please this day, just do NOT do or involve yourself with anything that stresses you out.
3. Get out of the bed for class
As lovely as it is to just roll over and click a few buttons, and somehow be present for class, this can affect your learning. Get up a few minutes before class, do some stretching and deep breathing, sit down at a table or fully sit up in your bed, and participate in class that way.
4. Make a playlist for school
If you love music just as much as I do, make a playlist for yourself that you know you can listen to while you do homework. I have some playlists that really work for me while I’m doing stuff for school, and then there are others that completely distract me. So try to include songs that help you stay focused and no songs that make you want to get up and do tik tok dances.
5. Get yourself a pair of blue light glasses
Blue light glasses look like regular prescription glasses, but they help with relieving some of the strain that comes with looking at screens all day. They can be very inexpensive and extremely beneficial to your learning and studying habits.
6. Set monthly goals
Setting a goal or a few goals for every month of the virtual semester will help you achieve things in your academic career a bit easier. Make sure you write them down or type them out. Studies have shown that when people physically write things down, they are more than likely to remember them. I have also noticed when I write my goals down, I end up accomplishing them.
7. Take your classes seriously
Take your classes just as seriously as you would if we were on campus. Make sure you are in the virtual classroom on time just as you would if we were on campus. Don’t turn in anything late. Email and meet with your professors outside of the class time to maintain a positive relationship with them, just as you might if we were on campus.