As students are making the transition back to in-person learning and on-campus living, SUNY Brockport is offering seminars for students to develop skills that drive success. In an interactive seminar on Thursday, Sept. 23, Elisabeth Gonzalez, the assistant director of tutoring at the Academic Success Center, talked with students on the topics of time management and organization strategies.
This discussion of time management went beyond just academics by addressing extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports and part-time jobs. Gonzalez said students who are more involved on campus tend to do perform better in the classroom.
“Students who have a full-time academic load, but have some other part-time commitment, actually do better academically,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez shared strategies on how to manage time wisely. She touched on the idea of a planner and the various forms and purposes it can serve. She recommends using a paper planner to write out all the assignments a student has throughout the week and encourages students to go through the syllabus for each class and write down important dates. This will ensure no assignment is a surprise and that students allocate enough time to complete their tasks. Having multiple planners is an idea to consider as well. Using an electronic planner alongside a paper planner can help section off days and organize more precise hours for studying.
An effective method Gonzalez explained was the Pomodoro Technique. This 30 minute study method gives the student 25 minutes of devoted studying time with no distractions and then a five minute break. The process is repeated until all work is completed. This technique aims to alleviate the feeling of being overwhelmed. Students seemed eager to try it out as they learned about this strategy.
“You can adapt this as needed, studying in shorter amounts of time to give yourself frequent breaks is okay,” Gonzalez said.
Additionally, Gonzalez discussed the challenges many students face while keeping up with these methods, one of those being procrastination. One student shared how they struggle with procrastination when beginning to write essays. Gonzalez explained the on campus support the student could receive at the Academic Success Center from a writing tutor and gave some practical tips on how to handle this problem.
“Analyzing what it is we procrastinate, and the emotions behind it will help,” Gonzalez said.
She provided an example to the student of reading over the assignment sheet in advance and using the Pomodoro Technique, as previously mentioned, to diminish that overwhelming feeling.
After discussing various approaches to studying, Gonzalez reiterated the importance of building these time management skills.
“Building those habits now is going to help you all throughout your lives,” Gonzalez said.
Students seemed open to begin incorporating these methods into their study time and feel more confident in knowing SUNY Brockport has many services available for extra assistance. The transition from online learning back to in-person learning is challenging, but seminars like this aim to help students make the necessary adjustments.
