By Kelci Lynn Lucier
College Life Expert
No matter where you go to college, you'll inevitably face a semester (or two or three ...) where the workload moves from feeling overwhelming to actually being
overwhelming. All of the reading, writing, lab time, papers, and exams
-- especially when combined with all you have to do for your other
classes -- becomes too much. And whether you fall behind because you
mismanaged your time or because there's no possible way a reasonable
person could manage all you were expected to do, one thing is clear:
you're behind.
What exactly are your options now?
What to Do If You're Behind in Your College Classes
Step One: Assess the damage.
Go through all of your classes -- even if you think you're behind in
only one or two -- and make a quick list of things you've done (example:
finished the reading through week 3) as well as things you haven't
(example: started the research paper due next week).
Remember, this isn't necessarily a list of what
you'll need to do next; it's just a way to organize what material and
assignments you've done and what you've missed.
Step Two: Look down the road. You don't want to sabotage your own chances at catching up by inadvertently falling further behind. Look at your syllabi
for each class for the next 4-6 weeks. What major projects are coming?
What midterms, exams, or other big assignments do you need to plan for?
Are there weeks with bigger reading loads than others? With lighter
reading loads than others?
Step Three: Get a master calendar going. If you want to do well in college, you'll need a time management system. There's simply no way around that basic fact.
And if you're behind in your classes, you'll
need some kind of large, master calendar you can use to coordinate your
catch-up efforts. So whether it's something online, something you print
out, or something like a Google calendar, you'll need to get somethings
started -- ASAP.
Step Four: Prioritize. Make separate lists for all of your classes -- even the ones you aren't behind on -- about what you'll need to do from here.
First, look at all that you need to do to catch
up (from Step One). Second, look at all that you need to do in the next
4-6 weeks (from Step Two). Pick the top 2-3 things you absolutely have
to do for each class. Yes, this likely means that all of the work you
need to do won't get done. But that's okay: part of being in college is
learning how to prioritize when necessary. And if you're behind, you
need to prioritize.
Step Five: Make an action plan.
Take that master calendar you made, grab the list of priorities you
created, and introduce them to one another. If, for example, you need to
1) outline chapters
1-6 so that you can 2) write your research paper next week, then break
it down. Which chapter will you do on what day? By when will you be
done? When will you outline your paper? When will you write it? When
will you revise it? Telling yourself that you have to read all of the
material before your paper is due is both too nebulous and completely
overwhelming. However, telling yourself that you have an action plan,
that all you need to do is outline chapter 1 today, and that you're on
track to meet your deadlines is a lot less stressful.
Step Six: Stick with it.
You're still behind, after all, which means you have a lot of work to
do to make sure you pass your classes. It isn't easy to catch up, but
you can do it -- if you stick with it. It took more than one day for you
to fall behind, which means it will take more than one day to catch up.
Stick with your plan and adjust as necessary. As long as you keep your goals in view, remain on track with your calendar, and reward yourself along the way, you should be just fine. You got this!
source: about.com
