6 Strategies to Manage the Hardest Majors
The challenges that come with challenging majors are compounding: you’re not just taking hard classes but you’re taking them concurrently. Where you used to set the curve in high school you’re now surrounded by the most talented and hardworking classmates. And everything is cumulative: you need to do well this semester to fill the prerequisites–and have the knowledge–to move on to even harder courses next semester. So how do you balance it all? Of course it’s a challenge, but these tips can help you conquer it.
1. Plan & Calendarize
There is time for everything, but not a lot of time to waste. Your syllabus tells you when exams occur and assignments are due, but it’s up to you to build in the intermediate deadlines to make sure that you’re ready for them. So learn to be a project manager: work backward from your deadlines and break down the smaller milestones you’ll need to hit to make it all work. Then build in your social calendar, fitness routine, rest, work, and everything else. It can seem overwhelming to see a giant list of everything you need to do, but it’s far more overwhelming to realize too late that you’re far off track. And you may just find that when you break things down to manageable tasks, the big picture looks a lot more manageable.
2. Make Summers Count
It’s hard to cram everything into fast-paced semesters: classes, labs, exams, internship searches, study sessions, and all your nonacademic responsibilities and pastimes, too. But here’s a secret: you don’t have to cram everything into tight semesters. You may be able to shift some coursework to spring or summer term, whether to knock out general graduation requirements or to focus on your hardest prerequisites. You can also use the time between terms to shore up prerequisite skills outside of class: if you barely survived Calc 2 and need to somehow be ready for Calc 3, revisiting old Calc 2 practice problems and study notes can make sure you have a running start with skills even sharper than they were when you took your last final. Time during the school term is tight, so seize the breaks to give yourself more time to make it all happen.
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3. Build Productive Routines
Your physics class has taught you that an object at rest will stay at rest; your notifications screen has taught you that distractions are everywhere working to slow your momentum. And you have the power to overcome these forces of nature by building the routines that keep them at bay. For some students, stopping home after class is the catalyst of wasted time, as 5 minutes of snacking on the couch turns into an impromptu nap or a video game session, requiring a lot of willpower to start thinking scholastically again. For others, the notifications on your phone or laptop–or just the anticipation that they’ll appear–make it impossible to get into deep focus.
In either event, finding a routine that capitalizes on peak performance is key. Should you stay on campus while you’re in an academic mindset so you keep your momentum? Should you drop your devices at home once a week to study distraction-free? Do you work better in a public place or in a quiet room? Often when students think they don’t have enough time, it turns out that they’re just not getting enough time on task. So figure out which routines maximize the value of your time so you get more out of less.
4. Use The Right Tool For The Job
There’s an old saying that “if all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail.” And it applies directly to how students study. Often times “I need to study” looks like reviewing notes or flashcards in the library for several hours–but while that’s the right tool for some situations, in others it’s seeking out more practice problems (learning by doing) or talking and sketching concepts out with a study partner or seeking out additional instruction on topics that haven’t clicked. If you find yourself spending too much time getting too little in return, it may turn out that you need to try a new study tool or process for that class. Ask classmates what they do, professors for their suggestions, or just try new study games and techniques to see what works for you.
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5. Embrace the Growth Mindset
Hard classes are hard: straight A students will see Cs and Ds for the first time, and you may wonder whether you’re even capable of succeeding in that major. But friction and failure don’t mean you're not good at that subject, just that you're not good at it…yet. It’s actually kind of a shame if you coast through college with perfect grades and not a lot of effort to get them–that means you haven’t challenged yourself to reach your fullest potential. So make a conscious decision: you’ll likely fail a few times and that’s a good thing because it gives you a chance to learn and grow, and that’s what college should be about. It’s easier said than done–failure doesn’t feel good–but if you commit to making it part of your constant mindset, you’ll find that grit and perseverance are key elements to succeeding in any field and you’ll succeed not just in these classes but in life beyond them.
6. Take Preventive Measures
Challenging semesters move quickly, and one of the biggest frustrations students face is that by the time they realize they’ve fallen behind, the course keeps charging forward and they don’t see enough time to catch up. That’s compounded by the fact that it takes time to even articulate which questions you want to ask as you seek help to get caught up. But as the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you make a point to visit office hours or attend review sessions regularly–just to discuss topics and hear what other students are asking even if you don’t have questions of your own yet–you’ll have that much more opportunity to shore up gaps in knowledge before they become an issue, and you’ll have a well-worn path toward getting help if and when you do need it. If you form a regular study group while you’re still feeling confident in your skills, that group will be there for you to help you identify when you’re not quite clicking with the content and to fill in those gaps with you. If you wait until you’ve dug yourself a hole to climb out of, you’ll have to catch up while the rest of the class continues to progress forward; if you make a plan to get help as a matter of prevention, you may never actually need a cure.
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