Many college students have no choice but to work. As the costs of living and tuition have risen and more undergraduates are enrolling later in life, nearly half of all full-time students and 80 percent of part-time students work — numbers that are likely only to grow in the future. So how can you make school and work more compatible? Here are the top ten ways listed in a recent article on CollegeJolt:
1.) Find the right job for you. This is terribly important. Some people prefer campus jobs – usually, you can do your homework while at a campus job, and the hours are very flexible. However, you usually make minimum wage. Others prefer an off-campus job, such as serving at a restaurant. These jobs pay more than minimum wage, but also require you to focus on the job itself when there. You honestly will just have to consider whether you want to work 10 hours a week for $200 at an off-campus job, or work 15 hours a week for $100, but have all your homework done in those fifteen hours, and then have the rest of your time to yourself.
2.) Budget your time. Make a list of all the tasks you need to complete within the next two weeks, and also put them on a calendar. Also, you do not want to write an 8-page paper in one day, no matter whether you can or not. Make sure you begin outlining and planning your paper early, and write a rough draft at least four days before it’s due. For tests, begin studying early by looking over your notes and determining what you already know. Highlight, underline, or star the concepts you’re having problems with, and go over them for a little time each day, making sure to cover all of them by two days before the test. This way, all you have to do on the day before your paper or test is either edit, or run over all your notes (including the ones you originally knew) one more time.
3.) Figure out when you’re going to having fun. If you know there’s a hockey game on Friday, and that you work all day Saturday and Sunday, do your homework on Thursday. It kind of sucks, but you need to budget in your social time. Also, make sure you’re somewhat ahead of your work, so that if one of your friends invites you out to a spontaneous get-together, you’ll still be able to go.
4.) Know when to say no. Your boss will try to call you in on nights before a test, or your coworker will beg you to work for them so that she can go to a concert. If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. Never jeopardize your education for your job. However, you also need to know when to say no to your friends. Some of them will really not understand either that you have a job, or that you go to school, and so will just not get why you can’t go out on a Saturday night.
5.) Take time off. Don’t work during finals week, if you can help it, and request off for days before you have a big test. Also, if you’re starting to feel crazy from working so much, take an evening off and do something fun.
6.) Go the extra mile. Just because you’re really busy doesn’t mean you can be lazy at work. Make sure that, if you actually can pick up that shift, you do, and that you do all of your work adequately instead of trying to rush out the second your shift is over. For your classes, make sure you’re not skipping lectures to sleep, and are still putting all of your effort into your assignments.
7.) Don’t let yourself get behind. It is hard enough to keep up when you work and have classes, more likely to catch up if you slack or don’t complete an assignment. If you are getting behind, cut back your hours at work, or consider how you can better budget your time.
8.) Make things quick. You will realize that time is just about the most precious thing you have. Get food you can grab on the go (drinkable yogurt, muffins or bagels, granola bars), or that is quick to make (leftovers, soup, Stoufers Mac & Cheese, Caesar salads), and try to clean up after yourself so that you don’t have to worry about sanitizing your room when classes are finally over. Just make sure you’re still eating in a remotely healthy manner–eating exclusively granola bars is not going to give you much energy. This is where a restaurant job really comes in handy–get food after your shift, even if you ate dinner before you came. You’ll want something healthy but fast for lunch or dinner the next day.
9.) Budget in sleep. If you know you take a long time to fall asleep, or that you take a long time to get ready for bed, make sure you consider what time you have to stop doing work and start getting ready for bed. Although it can be hard when you have a job that might not start until noon but have classes that start at 8:30 AM, try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. This routine will keep you from getting too tired.
10.) Figure out your schedule. If you can open your availability without sacrificing taking a class you really wanted to, do it. I was able to make it so that I had Thursdays off from classes for my entire sophomore year, and also managed to get Tuesdays off for the second semester. This allowed me to make some extra money by working all day on Thursdays and Tuesdays.
What are your thoughts? Do you plan on working while enrolled in school?
Based on trends, scholarships seem to be the last thing on peoples’ minds during the summer time. So many students are in the habit of summer being vacation time and paying for school is usually one of the last things students are worried about this time of year.
