A new way to Prioritize Subjects At College
Every time management tips list includes prioritizing your tasks. Most college students interpret it in such a way that they have to range the priority of different types of their activities – studying, homework, hobbies, etc. But what if you take the prioritizing principle one step further?
There are a lot of different subjects at college, and it may seem to a freshman that they are all equally important. However, that is not the case: the truth is, some subjects and disciplines are way more crucial for your future career than others. Identifying them early on and setting priorities will save you many sleepless nights and tons of nerves.
But how can you know what to prioritize? Read our tips below to find out.
Identify What You Can Delegate
While we still can’t create carbon copies of ourselves to sit the exams, there are some tasks one can easily delegate. For example, you can turn to an essay writing service when writing a paper doesn’t fit in your schedule or when the assignment is too difficult. Once you know you can count on help with a certain subject, you can move it down on your priority list.
Oppositely, those subjects that are impossible to delegate have to move to the top of the list. For example, if you’re at a vocational college studying music or acting, nobody else can learn your lines or practice daily for you. So, if you don’t do this yourself, you will inevitably fail.
Divide the “Core” and “Supporting” Subjects
Whatever you’re majoring in, there are always some “supporting” subjects in the curriculum – i.e., those that are aimed at making you more well-rounded. Others – let’s call them “core” subjects – are crucial for building knowledge and skills for your future career.
For example, some curricula may have disciplines like physics as “supporting” ones, which can be daunting if you’re not particularly fond of them. In this case, it won’t hurt to look for physics homework help at the writing paper service website. This way, you’ll save yourself the trouble and make time for studying the “core” of your curriculum.
If you’re not sure which subjects fall into the “core” category, divide a piece of paper (or a digital document) into two columns and make two bullet lists featuring the two types of disciplines. Then, revise the lists every time a new subject is introduced.
Use the Eisenhower Matrix
A great tool for setting the right priorities is the principle known as the Eisenhower matrix. The principle is based on dividing all of your tasks into four quadrants:
- urgent and important;
- not urgent but important;
- urgent but not important;
- not urgent and not important.
The tasks from the first group need to be completed to meet the deadlines; those from the second group can be scheduled. Urgent but not important tasks are the ones you can delegate, and those from the last group can be dropped altogether.
This principle is fit to use everywhere, but in our case, it’s a perfect tool to prioritize homework. However, the last group might be superfluous because it’s seldom a good idea not to do homework at all – even when the subject is unimportant and the task – not urgent.
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Knowing your strong and weak points is key to setting the time limits for your tasks. For example, you might be great at writing but bad at math. In this case, you will need to prioritize the most difficult subject – which is math – to be able to meet the deadlines.
However, it’s vital to not be too self-assured because sometimes assignments turn out to be more difficult than they seemed at a first glance. So, even if you know you’re good at something, don’t put your assignments for that subject off till the last minute until you make sure you can do it really fast.
Define Your Goals
What is it that you’re going to do after college? Are you planning to go to graduate school or start a professional career? Have you considered changing your major or are you planning to stick with the one you have? All these are crucial questions, and the answers can greatly affect the way you prioritize subjects at college.
If you’re aiming at a graduate school, you have to find out the requirements first and then decide which subjects you need the most. If a professional career is your goal, it’s great to choose the field early so that you’d know what skills to focus on, etc.
However, remember that goals may change, and it’s perfectly normal. So, it’s a good idea to do a regular revision of your goals list just to make sure it’s still relevant.
Summing Up
Prioritizing is a critical element of proper time management. For college students who have so much on their plates, it’s often the only way to meet all the deadlines and have some time left for themselves. But sometimes, ranging the activities is not enough – and that’s when prioritizing subjects can become a life-saver.
The idea may seem new to a freshman, but most older students actually do that. So, if you’ve never done it before, it’s high time to begin. Our tips above are sure to help you sort things out!