Master the art of time management with the help of Spring 2022 student Talaith Campbell.
***This is an example of a student’s experience from Spring 2022. Specific programming and activities are subject to change semester by semester.
While a Verto semester is certainly about exploring a new environment and meeting new people, it’s important to remember that a Verto semester is truly about starting your college experience and pursuing your intended degree. Your studies have to remain a priority while you’re abroad and a big step in that is managing your time. You have to prioritize all the wonderful opportunities you have and be sure that you don’t fall behind in your studies. Lucky for you, I have some tips! With two Verto semesters under my belt, I’ve learned my lesson on how to have fun all whilst getting the most out of my classes.
First, think about your mindset while going into the semester. Remember that prioritizing school doesn’t mean losing out on fun. Graduating high school is a major accomplishment and starting your college journey with Verto is an incredible opportunity to continue your education. Before traveling to your location, focus on identifying the study habits that helped you in the past. Make note of how much sleep you need to have a productive day and what times of day you work best. Everyone’s study habits are different so don’t lose out on the opportunity to continue on all the things you learned in school before.
Next, learn to utilize a calendar. During my time with Verto I’ve become a pro at using Google Calendar. Honestly, nowadays my life couldn’t run without it. Google Calendar is super cool because you can make different color coded categories for your different classes. You can set up recurring events and choose what categories show and what don’t. You can also merge different emails all into one calendar. My number one advice is to take your syllabi from all 4 or 5 of your classes at the beginning of the semester and put every due date and class excursion into its specific category. This way, it’s much less likely to miss any deadlines and it’s a lot easier to manage everything.
Finally, have a system for deciding when to do things and when it is too much on top of your class schedule. For me, each semester I came up with a schedule for which days I had social time and which days I focused on classwork. It doesn’t need to be that strict for you but nevertheless, nail down some consistent times that you can work each week and do your best to stick to that schedule. More than anything, a Verto semester is guaranteed to be fun! Just don’t forget about your studies while you’re at it.
