How to Get the most out of University? -Final

Getting the most out of university can be hard to do, especially as a first year. The transition from a small high school, where you're told to do most things, to almost complete independence and a bigger campus can be nerve wrecking. This article contains resources and articles on getting good grades, budgeting, and time management, containing tips and tricks, that will help anyone get through university.

 Budgeting 

Rosato, Donna. "Money 101 for College Students: How to Budget." Consumer Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2016. . Managing money in general could be a tedious job, however it get's even more tiring when you’re a student, and barely have time to make any money. With all the time spent going to classes, doing homework, assignments, extracurriculars, and still trying to have a social life in the midst of it, students barely have anytime to even get a part time job. In addition to a big student debt, this is the time when it’s important for students to be able to budget, and start establishing good money habits. The best budget is one that is simple and easy to execute, and this consists of just 3 steps. First, you need to know how much money you make. This could be from loans, scholarships, grants, income from jobs, or parents. Every penny counts. Most people do this every month, however it makes sense for students to do this per semester. The next step would be to track your spending. See what you spend the most on, and decide whether it’s an actual essential. And finally, categorize your spending into needs vs wants. This is to make sure your must-haves are covered first, but you still have some left over for the fun stuff. Completing these three steps will make one's life much easier and make one feel more in control with their spending.

Seeing as this source contains many in-text citations, the author has clearly done her research well enough to give credible advice on how to budget money properly for students. he author gives good explanations as to why this plan would work, and the tips seem logical and not at all arbitrary.

 Managing Your Time 

Scherman, Jess Mansour. "Rasmussen College." Rasmussen College - Regionally Accredited College Online and on Campus. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2016. .

Managing school work, extracurriculars, social life, and any other activities in the mix, managing one's time could get quite complicated. A few tips coming from Rasmussen College are:

1.Reading your Syllabus Knowing the due dates for all your assignments from the start can help you plan out when you will start to do them, and leave a few hours every week to work on it, while managing all the other things you have to do. It will help decrease one's number of all-nighters.

2. Planning Ahead

Going hand in hand with the previous tip, planning ahead helps you figure out how much time you will have for all aspects of you life

3. Make Schedules

It could be hard to not procrastinate in university, especially when you've been studying non-stop and just want to not do anything for a while, however when you make a schedule, and stay dedicated to it, it makes you more motivated to finish it, and stick to it. Giving yourself guidelines is quite effective

4. Stay Organized

Keeping all of your notes, and assignments for each class separate from one another makes it easier to find exactly what you're looking for. You should also avoid clutter in your room and desktop space. When your life is uncluttered, so is your mind.

5. Make Checklists and To-Do Lists

Creating checklists helps you see how much you have to get done that today, so you won't forget anything and rush last minute. Checking off each task let's you know how much you have left to do, and be appreciative of each little task, motivating you to want to finish the rest of it

6. Be Healthy

Although this doesn't seem like much of a tip in time management, being healthy actually plays a big role. Regular exercise keeps your energy levels up, which results in a more engaged mind while doing schoolwork. Getting enough sleep, although seeming impossible as a student, could actually save you time as you won’t take afternoon naps. The extra sleep also increases your alertness, and decreases your stress levels.

Seeing as this source comes straight from the college's official website, and that actual students were asked to give these tips, the source seems pretty reliable. Students who have gone through the experience and learned along the way seem to be the best people to give advice on how to manage time better.

 Getting Good Grades 

Dartmouth, University Of Massachusetts. " How to Get Good Grades in College." How to Get Good Grades - UMass Dartmouth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2016. . Maybe the most important, and stressful aspect of a student's life is getting good grades. This is why most people are actually at university. To learn subjects that they will use towards their future job. Coming from Dartmouth college, some ways to get good grades are: to attend every class, so as not to miss any important lectures, discussions, notes, or anything else, and being organized, such as having binders for each subject, having a student planner to plan out your day, and breaking down large assignments into smaller, more manageable chunks. It's important to take good, readable notes that you can actually understand when reviewing them, and to write down everything the professor says. Managing your time well, and actually being successful in class, will also make it easier to get good grades. Being successful includes doing every assignment and homework, sitting in the front row, being on time, participating and communicating with your instructors. Lastly, knowing how to read a textbook, study, and take tests properly can make it easier to get those A's.

This source comes from another official college's (Dartmouth) site which is a credible source on giving tips on how to get good grades.