- College Necessities
- How to Succeed in College
Megan Reynolds
Opinion Editor
Three Tips for a Successful College Career
These days, it seems like everywhere you look there’s some sort of article or blog offering tips that are sure to save your life in college.
Truthfully, this is just another one of those articles, but at least it’s self aware, right?
So, here are three tips, straight from the minds of students and alumni, that will hopefully give you some sense of preparedness for your college career.
Time Management, 100 Percent:
Tip number one is pretty simple—learn to manage your time in the most efficient way possible. This one comes from Reagan Zimmerman, a senior journalism and strategic communication major at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
“Without [time management], suffering is near,” Zimmerman said.
Time management is different for every student. The amount of time you dedicate to an assignment or to studying for a class is going to depend on you, your confidence in the content and the content itself. A senior pre-medical student is going to have different content than a senior accounting student, so the time they dedicate to homework is going to be different.
Analyze both your work style and your classes when deciding how much time you’ll need to set aside. When you set that time aside, stick to it. Throw off your schedule once and it’ll become a habit before you know it.
Stay Organized:
This next tip comes from Cayden Hernandez, a senior Japanese major at Murray State.
“Staying organized and making schedules for yourself helps you get things done better and more efficiently,” Hernandez said.
Organization and time management are two things that really go hand in hand. To manage your time well is to be an organized person. Hernandez recommends making a game plan for your semester to help keep you organized.
Before your semester even begins, lay out a plan, however that might look for you. If it’s as simple as setting out three goals, then that’s what it is. If it means writing out each week and what needs to happen in what week, then that’s what it is. Just make sure you have a plan.
Don’t let your organization stop with your schedule, either. Having your belongings and your school supplies in an orderly manner is not only going to cut down on your time looking for things, but your anxiety in your environment as well. Less mess is less stress.
Take Time to Reflect:
The last bit of advice comes from Kristen Creech, a graduate student in the business administration program at Murray State. She encourages students, new and current, to reflect on their journey to this moment.
“Hopefully your reflection time will give you the inspiration and motivation to finish strong,” Creech said.
No matter where you are in your college career, give yourself time to look back on what has gotten you to this point. Where you are right now, it’s an amazing place. It doesn’t matter where, you’re doing an outstanding job. You have carried yourself through life, ups and downs, successes and failures, and brought yourself to this moment. So, reflect on that journey, look at all of the work you’ve put in and be proud of it.
Once you have done that, use that pride to inspire yourself as you face this next moment of life, your college career.
- How to be active and physically healthy on campus
Cady Stribling
Features Editor
In college, there are so many things to learn about besides your major. You learn about living on your own and how to balance a packed schedule all while taking care of yourself.
It can be difficult to pull away from the never-ending assignments, but it is so important to make time for mental and physical self-care.
Murray State offers plenty of opportunities to be active in fun, unique ways. The Susan E. Bauernfeind Wellness Center, located on the residential side of campus, is one of the most accessible and versatile ways to stay active.
“One thing we hope for Murray State students to learn are healthy habits, such as exercising, having a balanced diet, socializing, being organized, time management and getting enough sleep,” said Travis Rawe, director of campus recreation and wellness.
One way to do this, Rawe said, is to utilize the center and fit visits into weekly schedules to create healthy habits.
The Wellness Center offers the usual gym equipment on the first and second floors, as well as two basketball courts, two racquetball rooms and a swimming pool. It also offers personal training and private group fitness classes for student groups.
Various group fitness classes are also provided for students in the center. Rawe said the wide variety includes yoga, spin, water aerobics, zumba, H.I.I.T and STRONG.
“The Wellness Center is a very popular place to visit and unwind from a typical day of a college student,” Rawe said.
In the 2018-19 academic year, Rawe said students visited the Wellness Center about 96,000 times.
Besides all the activities in the Wellness Center, clubs and teams offer sports of all kinds. No matter athletic ability, any student can sign up for fencing, tennis, archery and disc golf clubs, just to name a few.
Murray State provides a rowing and equestrian team, which require a larger time commitment but are just as enjoyable. And if anyone is looking for a simple run outdoors, there are multiple marked trails on campus and a path through the arboretum.
Intramurals, a Racer favorite, give current students, faculty and staff a great way to engage in sports in the fall and spring semesters. Rawe, who is head of intramurals, said participation is free.
In the fall, students can play softball and flag football. One-day tournaments consist of golf, basketball, bowling, ping pong and a 5k Homecoming run.
Spring sports leagues include basketball, volleyball, innertube water polo and soccer. The one-day tournaments consist of racquetball, tennis, March Madness pick ‘em and IM combine.
“There are a variety of ways to get involved in intramural sports,” Rawe said. “You can play with your residential college, and each residential college will usually create two to three teams per sport.”
Greek and other student organizations are another way to get involved, Rawe said, making up almost half of the teams. You can also register alone and join a team that already exists, which is possible at www.imleagues.com.
Many intramurals can be a huge time commitment and Rawe preaches on the importance of balancing school and sports.
“No student is attending college solely to be crowned an intramural champion,” Rawe said. “They are here to be educated and get a degree. Our programs are here to provide healthy and fun activities for you while you are working hard for that degree.”
Rawe said for the upcoming semester they are preparing for the safest ways to provide students access to the Wellness Center and intramural sports in the wake of COVID-19.
“We will communicate everything you need to know about our facility and programs, including new policies or changes, before you arrive on campus.”
