That Ugly Thing Called "HomeworK"

Let's face it, this certainly is not just a college problem.  We are introduced to the concept of work outside of school when we are merely elementary students.  But I will tell you one thing, which I’m sure you’ve noticed –

It only gets worse in college.

Again, before we even step foot on campus, we are told that college is a lot harder than high school.  We are told that it is a lot more work, and that college professors expect you to complete a lot of assignments. 

All these things could not be closer to the truth.

So how do we deal with the overwhelming stress of completing multiple assignments from multiple classes?

As I type this now, I am thinking of the podcast I have to record tomorrow, the Econ homework I have to complete, and the Italian pages I have to read from my textbook.  Whenever I’m faced with these tasks, I tend to do everything else than the work assigned to me.  I’ll take a nap, eat some snacks, watch some Netflix… everything I should not be doing.

Procrastination is every student’s worst enemy.  It happens to the best of us.  We have this assignment that we KNOW we should start soon, but yet we tell ourselves “I have time, I can just do this later.”

And then you are up at 2 am doing your homework contemplating whether pursuing a college degree is even worth the struggle.

Here are some tips I have learned in order to complete your homework on time, and semi stress free.

The sooner the better! I talked about procrastination before.  Try not to fall for it.  Complete your assignments as soon as possible, not a couple of hours before it is due.  This will allow you to do your homework under less stress, and actually understand the material being given to you.

Find a good work place.  I’m not sure about you guys, but I always have trouble trying to complete my homework in my dorm room.  Especially with 4 other roommates (supplemental for the win), let’s just say I get distracted easily.  Lots of dorms have specialized “study rooms” available for your use, and there’s always the library, the HUB, etc.  University Park is such a large campus with so many places to do your homework in a non-distracting environment.

Ask your professors for help.  Your professors are there for you when you need them.  And I’m telling you, no matter how bitter they may seem, they do not want you to fail.  Drop in during office hours or schedule an appointment with them if you are facing any issues with the homework.  I promise you, they will be happy to help!

Here are some more resources on how to handle homework in college:

·      http://www.trentinternational.org/tips-for-college-students-on-how-to-deal-with-homework-with-no-stress

·      https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/inside-the-classroom/take-control-of-homework

·      http://www.smead.com/Director.aspx?NodeId=1756