Facing a problem? Annie has answers. Ask away!
Dear Annie,
As students, we wear many different hats and are expected to balance it all, somehow — manage our time, weekly and daily To-Do’s, beware of too much stress, support system, etc. the usual spiel, I do it all. One professor’s disorganized “teaching” style endangers the delicate balancing act as the amount of work piles up. I need the class for my major. What do I do?
Sincerely,
Here to learn, not just pass a class
Dear Here to learn, not just pass a class,
On the hit show “Gilmore Girls,” Lorelai reads the to-do list of her overachieving daughter, Rory. Rory attempts to do as much as she can — prom, editing her school’s all-important newspaper and organizing a new student government. But while Rory may seem like she’s got everything figured out, she breaks and ends up dropping out of Yale, a sign that sometimes, you just can’t “do it all.”
If one class throws off your delicate balancing act, I suspect there’s more causing the scales to tip. Going to class is a student’s job and completing it shouldn’t threaten your routine. As you aim to learn and not just pass, you need a chance to process the information. There’s no time to give the material your full attention while anticipating how to finish your tasks. To avoid a midterm mental breakdown — or, at least alleviate the stress that students inevitably face during exam season — pick your priorities.
Reflect on each item on your list, asking yourself why you’re doing it and if you need to do it right now. Starting with the required class the disorganized professor teaches, find out if GW offers it during other semesters with professors who have a more compatible teaching style. If you find the possibility of a better fit in the future, drop the course. There’s no reason to panic right now if you can take it later.
Perhaps this disorganized professor has a monopoly on teaching the course, or maybe you have a four-year plan as meticulous as the dialogue in an episode of “Gilmore Girls.” You may have to sacrifice another task to give you time to understand the material. Cut an activity that doesn’t advance your intellectual goals — like spending hours drinking coffee at a local diner like Lorelai and Rory — or get rid of a task you could wait a semester to complete. Use your new free time to make sure you benefit from your required course, going to office hours or finding a study buddy.
You said you put time into developing a support system and stress management skills — go ahead and use them. The importance of friends, family and self-care is one of the most valuable lessons of college. As there’s no test to pass with this information, building these relationships and habits is truly learning for knowledge’s sake.
Reach out to someone from your support system. They know you better than I do and could help you parse through each item on your to-do list to help you discern what’s important. Students have to wear many hats, but they don’t have to wear every hat. Your support system knows what you wear the best.
Managing responsibilities as a student is a fine line between organized and overwhelmed. Mixed messages don’t help: The same professor who encourages you to rest will assign enough reading to keep you up for 48 hours. Rory added too much to her plate and didn’t give herself time to reflect while in high school, causing her not to finish at Yale. But if learning in college is your top priority, you have to cut unnecessary items from your schedule to make sure your books don’t look sad.
Here to advise,
Annie
