nervous sophomore asked 2 years ago
Hello! Thanks for this website it\’s great! I had a question about time management and how you upperclassmen do clubs and volunteering and everything with all your classes. Last year I was a first-year and was fully remote I felt like the asynchronous method allowed me plenty of time to relax, do a couple of activities (although most of the acativities were super toned down cuz of covid and weren\’t a huge time commitment because of the remote format) and do fairly well in my classes but I\’m scared about my first year in college with in-person classes. I heard so many people do full-time school, with a part-time job and are able to participate in clubs they\’re interested in all while doing well in school. Seems scary I know it\’s all about adapting but do you have any tips? How do you recommend structuring your day? Do you get work done in between classes and throughout the day or sit down at night and do it all in one go? Are club meetings usually during the daytime or are they reserved for the evenings? Also, I see all these buildings on my schedule but idk where they are on campus and I won\’t be able to visit campus till my move-in day, are there any online resources for trying to figure out what building is which and where my classes will be? I think that might help ease some of the nerves as well. Thanks for all your help, this blog is great and I\’ll be visiting it frequently for guidance 🙂
Nick Pfeifer answered 2 years ago
Hello! To start, know that a lot of other students are probably in a similar boat as you, so thanks for the question. Like you said, covid made this past year a bit toned down in terms of juggling classes with clubs, etc. I’ll try to give you some advice based on my experiences, but there really isn’t an explicit answer to something like time management. Above all, I would strongly suggest that you don’t over work yourself. Dedicate yourself to a few clubs/activities that you truly enjoy and you’ll have an easier time adapting.
In terms of structuring your day, it completely depends on what you prefer and what your habits already are. Some people are morning persons, some night owls, some will do work whenever they get the chance, and some wait until late at night–it’s really whatever works for you. Since I’m giving advice though, I would suggest getting work done in between classes/whenever you can because that exemplifies being time efficient. Also, as you probably know, pre-med classes have hefty workloads, so getting anything done when you can will help your stress levels.
For club meeting times, it depends. A lot of clubs send out when2meets at the beginning of the semester to gauge when the best time for everyone is. Times usually end up being later at night to accommodate everyone since classes are during the day.
Lastly, yes, the buildings can be a bit daunting at first, but you will get the hang of it really quick. Before I started each of my semesters freshman year, I brought my schedule to campus and found all my class rooms so that I knew where they were on the first day. Here is a link to the campus map if you’d like to get an idea of the layout of things now: https://maps.studentlife.umich.edu/building
I hope this helps!
-Nick Pfeifer (PMH advisor)