Making the Most of Your Free Time

Making the Most of Your Free Time One of the biggest differences between high school and college is how much freedom and free time you have. In high school, you likely sat in a classroom for an hour at a time, eight times a day, with a study hall or lunch. In college, many students have only two or three classes a day. When you arrive on campus, you may find that you have a whole lot of free time. The first thing you should be doing with this newfound freedom is studying and homework. When they say you will have hours upon hours of work, theyre not kidding. Even if you only have two hours worth of classes a day, you will have four or more hours of homework. Use your free time throughout the day to get started on assignments instead of saving it all for the evening. If you still find you have too much time on your hands and a solid handle on your course work, consider getting a job. Make sure your employer will be flexible with your hours, as you are a student first. I work on campus and still have plenty of time to complete my assignments to a high quality standard simply, because my boss realizes that academics are my priority here. If a job isnt your forte, or if your free time is not consistent, volunteer. There are so many great places to volunteer both on campus and in the Champaign-Urbana community (hey, that would make for a great blog post!). Volunteering allows you to pick and choose your hours, plus it looks great on a resume. Overall, making the best use of your time comes down to choosing activities that enhance who you are while keeping your priorities and morals in check! Rachel Class of 2020 I am studying Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Social Sciences and Literacy in the College of Education. Although I now reside in Champaign, I am originally from Vernon Hills, a Northwest suburb of Chicago.