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The Top 10 Must-Know Study Tips for Busy College Students

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Did you know that roughly 40% of college students in America are non-traditional students? Many college students now may be working full time, have family/military obligations, and many other obligations that make finding time to study difficult. While in school, you need to ensure that it is a top priority, but we understand that it can be difficult.

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Time Management for Successful Students

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Managing stress is an important skill adult students need to develop as they progress through a degree program.

Admittedly, balancing family, work, and school obligations won't always be easy. Here are four main stress factors adult students often experience, with tips to help you manage each and stick to the program.

1. Coursework Concerns

Whether you're worried about an assignment or are having trouble communicating with your instructor, coursework challenges can be stressful. Here are a few specific concerns and how to tackle them.

Writing Skills. If you're not confident about your writing skills, Capella offers a wide variety of resources to help you improve them, including a writing center, links to online writing resources, and a partnership with tutors at Smartthinking.

Reading Strategies. Most degree programs require a lot of reading, and it isn't always going to be easy reading. Certain reading strategies, like understanding what materials you're using and identifying your purpose for reading them, can help you be more efficient and effective with your reading. Discussing the materials in online study groups with your peers can also be very helpful for comprehension and retention.

Time Management. One of the bigger issues that adults face when they return to school is time management. These 10 tips to improve your time management skills can help, including prioritizing tasks, making a schedule, and avoiding procrastination. A good time management app can also help get things organized.

Assignments. Whether you're confused about the details of an assignment or disagree with the recent grade you got, there are plenty of opportunities to get stressed out about actual coursework. Get a better handle on what you're supposed to do by:

Reviewing the assignment overview and grading rubric. Even if this doesn't help clarify the answer, it can help formulate your question to your instructor.

Contacting the instructor with questions about the assignment. The more specific you can make your question, the more helpful the answer will be.

Consulting with your fellow classmates to bounce ideas off each other or brainstorm solutions. Don't feel like you are alone in finding your way through the coursework.

2. Financial and Work Problems

If you're stressed about work and financial issues, it can be very hard to muster enough energy to focus on coursework. Here are some resources that could help get you back on track, depending on the issue you're facing.

Job Loss or Dissatisfaction. Whether you've lost your job or are dissatisfied with the one you have, career challenges can be stressful. That said, this can also be a great time to reflect and decide what direction you want your career to go next. Capella's Career Center helps students and alumni with career enrichment and advancement opportunities. They offer tools to help with your job search, brush up your resume, and prepare for interviews. Networking can also be a powerful job search tool.

Financial Issues. If you're struggling financially, you might think it's not in the cards to start or finish your degree. But there are plenty of opportunities for you to gain assistance with applying for financial aid. Capella's financial aid services is available to help you explore all of the ways you can fund your degree, including grants and scholarships.

3. Personal Life Crises

Family emergencies and health issues are two very common stressors that can impact your ability to complete coursework. Two ways you can successfully navigate through this challenging time are:

Contact Your Instructors. Let them know how the challenges you are having might impact your course participation. If you need extra time on assignments or discussions, ask them specifically about that possibility.

Consult Your Advisor. Academic advisors will be able to listen and suggest options that might not be apparent at first. When stressed, it can be hard to see all the possibilities.

4. Technology Issues

Living in the digital world has its advantages and disadvantages. Stress related to technology can include:

Technical Problems. Broken Internet connections or computer crashes can halt your ability to complete online coursework. Until you can get the issue fixed, relieve the stress of these situations by:

Contacting your academic advisor, who can help contact your faculty members and update them while you are working to resolve the technical issue.

Exploring back up plans, such as using a friend or relative's computer, staying late at work, or going to a coffee shop or library with free Wi-Fi.

We are constantly connected technology. Have you given thought to how much this might be related to your stress levels? Coping with technostress includes unplugging for a while, focusing on one online task at a time, creating limits for yourself, and getting some physical activity or going outside.

Managing Stress While Pursuing Your Online Degree

Whatever the stress, there are many resources and techniques available to help you cope. Being aware of your stress levels and what may trigger stress in your life is also important, so that you know when to seek help and support.

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Managing stress is an important skill adult students need to develop as they progress through a degree program. Admittedly, balancing family, work, and school obligations won't always be easy. Here are four main stress factors adult students often experience, with tips to help you manage each and stick to the program.

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There are three main parts of a student's life which consumes most of their time; study, work, and personal life. Study and work both can take up an ample amount of time and very less time may remain for personal stuff. This is one of the major issues a student face. So the question is: How to balance study, work, and personal life?

A college usually has two semesters or three trimesters. Each semester has multiple courses, usually three to four; however, in some cases colleges give students the flexibility to choose what courses they wish to enroll in particular semesters, called as electives, and what number of courses they wish to enroll. Each course can usually take up a lot of hours per week.

Part Time Vs Full Time Students

The workload of a full time student can of course be very different compared to the workload of a part time student. For a full time student, there is very less time left for work or personal life. So proper time management for students is very important. However, for a part time student, there may be plethora of time left after studies for work and other personal stuff.

It's important to choose the study load wisely. For instance, if you are already working full time, then it may be wise to choose a part time study load so you can still keep you job, keep making money, cover your expenses and fees, and still study.

Another things to consider is that taking part time study may take a very long time to finish the studies. For instance, if a student takes a masters course, then if full time student completes it in two years, it may take up to four years for the same course to finish in case of part time study arrangement.

Also, if you fail a course it may just end up taking a lot of extra time. If it's your last semester, you will get your certificate or degree after another 6 months just because of that one course that you were not able to clear. Hence, it's also very important to clear it in one go to save time.

So it is up to an individual what they decide based on their personal circumstances. Some may be keen on finishing their studies as soon as possible, while others may not much be in a hurry.

Tips For Time Management In Online Learning

There are many students who opt for online courses to save time and make a balance between their work, study, and personal life. Here are 7 tips on how to balance study, work, and personal life when taking online courses.

1. Do Not Procrastinate.

Delaying things may lead to piling of more and more work in the end. Another disadvantage of procrastination is that it only keeps adding more stress at the top of daily work load.

2. Consider Having A Day Off.

Once, I was a student; today I have founded my own SEO services, so things are much busier now than ever. But I still try to create a good balance between work and life. It takes lot of effort, but it is possible. Vijay, who was once an international student and now runs a successful business, says "Sometimes taking time off actually makes things much better; it gives you strength to handle more pressure, and things start getting better from there on". Even the fitness gurus ask their clients to have a cheat meal despite being on a very strict diet. The reason to allow a chat meal is to keep the client motivated; else, if the client gets demotivated with the regular strict diet, then he/she may quit all together. A cheat meal keeps their clients from quitting.

3. Avoid Multi-Tasking.

Though some may find it better to multi-task. However, the problem with multi-tasking is that it consumes more of your energy than usual and, in many cases, it's proven that it actually ends up taking more time to finish those individual tasks. The best way to complete a task is to finish it and then move to another one. Taking breaks is of course ok, as you don't want to drain out all your energies; however, try not to do everything at the same time.

4. Avoid Distractions.

Today, most of us get distracted time to time by using Facebook, Twitter, or checking our mobile phones all the time. These things can distract you from the work you may be doing, and can take lot more time than usual to finish tasks. At the end of the day, when you are not done with particular tasks, this may leave you stressed. So, focus is very important to complete one task and move to another.
5. Take Care Of Your Health.
Caryn, who is a Nutritionist, says "A balanced diet is important for students. Studying mainly during exams may take up a lot of energy and, hence, the right amount of nutrition is vital part of a student's life".

6. Utilize Your Time In Creative Things.

This means, if you're a student, why not spend time reading articles on a career help site?

7. Stick To A Schedule.

The reason for that is that when you plan things, then you always stay informed: It means you know when you will be able to finish a particular assignment or college project. You can always include breaks or a small outing as part of the schedule. It will work as an incentive to stick to schedule, knowing when to do what; otherwise, you may end up with a pile up of work, including new stuff that you were not aware of because you didn't schedule. Write things up, make notes, plan well, and you will find it much easier to balance your life between study, work, and personal life.

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7 Tips To Balance Study, Work, And Personal Life

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There are three main parts of a student's life which consumes most of their time; study, work, and personal life. Study and work both can take up an ample amount of time and very less time may remain for personal stuff. This is one of the major issues a student face.