Tag: AY1718

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Bri, a Colubmian sophomore studying political science and economics.

“Should I consider taking 18 credits this semester?” is probably a question found frequently in the minds of Honors students. There’s no extra fee for the 18th credit freshman and sophomore year, and in true honors fashion many students probably feel obligated to take advantage of the opportunity.

I got the 18-credit bug last semester (and this semester too, but I’ll go into more detail about that later). I decided to take 6 classes, and reasoned that I could handle it as long as I was able to hone my time-management skills.

Everything was going well until midterms hit. I was taking tests from before fall break until Thanksgiving, which really wore me down. My grades were less than I desired, even though I was working as hard as I could. I even started drinking coffee after years of being proud that I didn’t need to!

As it turned out, my time management skills weren’t as good as I thought. I would be so tired from studying for one test that I’d neglect to do the coursework for another class, which meant that I had to then study twice as hard for the new class (once to learn the material and once to actually study it). If you find yourself falling into this trap, I’d encourage you to physically write out your schedule and stick to it, while making sure to build in breaks.

By the time finals season hit, I still had not quite learned my scheduling lesson. I had a lot more free time, so I was able to study more without overloading myself. I managed my time more effectively by building in breaks, which prevented my from burning out as I had earlier in the semester. However, I found myself still having to relearn material I had been tested on before because I hadn’t laid the intellectual groundwork earlier in the semester. Part of that problem was due to the fact that I was taking so many credits, and part of it was due to my poor time management skills.

Either way, if you’re considering taking 18 credits, the most important thing you can do is make sure you’re actually learning the material throughout the semester. Believe me, there is nothing worse than getting slammed with assessments when you never had time to actually learn the material in the first place. I would caution anyone taking 18 credits to ask themselves before the add/drop period ends if they have enough time to actually devote themselves to learning in all 6 classes.

I’m glad I learned this lesson first semester, because second semester I’ve again found myself falling into the honors trap of feeling obligated to take 18 credits (you can be self-aware and still a victim of the honors mentality, you know). However, I’m only actually taking 5 classes since I’ll be interning two days per week. I hope to budget my time more effectively, and start that internship paper early on so I don’t have to worry about it when finals come in May. I’m confident that using the lessons I learned, I’ll be able to hit the ground running later in January.

Taking 18 credits can be done and I encourage you all to challenge yourselves, but I also advise you to know yourself. You know what is best for you, and you might choose to drop a class – that’s ok! It’s better to learn in 5 classes than suffer in 6; after all, you’re in Honors! You want to soak up all the knowledge you possibly can and then some. Whether that means you take 4 or 5 or 6 classes doesn’t matter in the long run, but what will is the knowledge you are able to take away from those classes.

The following blog post was written by peer advisor Ellen, a GWSB junior studying international business.
College is a journey. It is a time of maturity, and as students we undergo significant personal, professional, and intellectual growth. Our identities change every year, we discover ourselves more and more, and sometimes the commitments we make in our beginning years here are not what we want anymore, and more specifically, not what we want to make time for anymore.
Our responsibilities increase the older we become; responsibilities to ourselves, our family, our work, our future. The freshman experience is like no other: everything is new and exciting, you join groups, classes are easy, and eventually find your people. By sophomore year, classes have geared up, you need to decide a major, you think about internships and professionalism, you assume leadership positions. By junior year, you work hard because classes are hard, your communities are set, you have a deeper understanding of yourself, and discover the things that truly make you happy. By senior year, you are practically an adult; living off campus, cooking, budgeting, thinking about the future, with less and less to see friends. Free time is precious, and the less time we have, the more meaningful this time must be spent.
You are responsible for your college experience, and it may take any shape or form you would like. An activity you are involved in freshman year may lose its value as you discover other passions and activities you are interested in, and that’s okay. As your identity changes, so will your activities. A group you join your freshman year does not have to be a four-year commitment. A best friend from high school does not have to be a best friend forever. Pursuing an activity, regardless of its benefit, solely because you’ve done it before and not because you truly enjoy it, should raise a red flag. Take a step back to periodically self-reflect and ask yourself: do your extracurricular activities and friendships make you happy? Do you look forward to doing them? Will you miss them if you stop? Think long and answer honestly, and if the answer these questions is no, consider letting go. Think of the other activities and interests you could purse during this time that would bring you much more enjoyment and satisfaction. This doesn’t mean to drop every activity to look for the better option. Use the self-reflection period as a cleansing exercise to let go of the past and realize when it is time to move on.
The realization is the first step, but following through and letting go of an activity is even harder. You will leave a community, friends, and a part of yourself behind. While this is difficult, your happiness is worth it. Embrace the change in your identity and make peace with the realization you have outgrown this friendship, activity, etc. Have faith that your true friends will understand and support you if letting go is a decision that is truly best for you. You decide what is worth making time for, and only you know the answer.