Graduate Programs

The Quarter has begun at Albers along with the Fall season in the Pacific Northwest, leaves falling, temperatures dropping and the Emerald City starts to shine with the rainy days so typical of the season.

Some of us are returning students at Albers, entering our second year in the program. Others are fresh starters, beginning their first classes of the program. We are all loaded with great energy and enthusiasm for the new school year. We also have so many things in our minds and schedule, we need to sort among school, work, and of course, the demands and activities of our personal lives. This, contrary to common belief, can be very challenging. Here are a few tips I hope will be very helpful when managing a very busy schedule:

• For full-time workers, the reasonable academic load that is recommended to take per quarter is 6 credits, which amounts to two classes.
• If this is your first quarter at Albers, try a moderate-low academic load, just to figure out how you truly feel and are able to handle with classes, assignments, projects, exams when combined with the rest of your responsibilities and commitments. That way you will have a better idea of the amount of time you need to dedicate to each class and might be able to increase or decrease the academic load for the subsequent quarters.
• Try to make and maintain an organized schedule of what your week looks like. Include in that schedule not only working and class hours, but also time to dedicate to your hobbies or exercising, or whatever activity you enjoy to relieve stress. Also keep in mind that each course requires an average of 4-5 hours of work in addition to class meetings.
• Try to be realistic when making a schedule. Organize each day according to the priority assigned to the activities to be accomplished. Read more and find useful time management material on http://www.scs.tamu.edu/selfhelp/elibrary/abc.asp.  
• Look for help! Ask a mentor, academic advisor, or fellow student about classes, academic loads, demands, or any other doubt you may have.
• Professors will give the class program and schedule including exams, papers, and projects dates. Try to mark them down on your schedule and plan ahead so you don’t struggle to get them all done in one week prior to the deadline. Keep in mind that most exams and final projects across courses are due towards the same dates.
• Try to read in advance to class. It makes the learning process much more efficient and contributes to you getting the best out of it. Besides, when exams and or papers come, you will know the material already and it will be easier to study.
• Finally, enjoy your classes, have fun with your learning process, and try to get the most out of this incredible experience!

To read more about time management, please check the following links http://www.seattleu.edu/sas/learningassistance/Inner.aspx?id=29302 or  http://www.csulb.edu/~tstevens/patsm96.htm.

Written by Natalia Varela Donado. varelado@seattleu.edu