The impact of COVID-19 has affected everyone’s daily life, with our “new” normal consisting of online classes, teleworking and virtual engagement – just to name a few of recent changes. For college students, such as myself, navigating unfamiliar territory requires quite an adjustment. Here are a few tips I’ve found for making a successful transition to returning home and adjusting to online education.
- Start and Plan Your Day - Act as if you’re starting a normal day, with your regular schedule. Plan out your daily activities, including work schedule, classes and homework assignments. Try not to let time slip away from you. Stick as closely as possible to your regular daily schedule. Phone applications such as the Google Calendar App, myHomework Student Planner and My Study Life among others are great tools to manage your day. Stay on top of your work but remember to take a break or two. I’m sure you can join in with a few Eagles to participate in the Student Activities Board’s TikTok Challenge trending on Instagram!
- Practice Healthy Living - Make healthy lifestyle choices, eat regular meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner, exercise, and take necessary breaks. Remember to get up and get active. There are 1440 minutes in a day, set aside 30 minutes for physical activity. Eating healthy and exercising will help boost your immune system.
- Create a Comfortable Workspace - Your workspace influences your concentration. Find yourself a comfortable, yet productive workspace, maybe a desk or table. Try to avoid working on your bed or the couch. It’s best to intentionally separate your leisure space from your workspace. Believe it or not, your workspace has a lot to do with how productive you can be.
- Keep in Touch - It is critical to communicate regularly with your family, professors, advisors and peers. Create group chats for your classes and contact your professors about any questions you may have. Make sure you and your classmates are staying up-to-date with your assignments. Online learning can be a little challenging for everyone, so don’t be afraid to ask for an extended deadline or simply ask for help. There are many ways to connect, via email, phone, video chat, and Navigate – a smartphone application that NCCU students can utilize to schedule meetings with their advisors, check their class schedules, and other valuable services. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, there are a number of on-campus available virtually including the Counseling Services, as well Virtual Transformation Tuesdays offered by the Office of Spiritual Development. For more information about these resources and much more, visit Engage NCCU.
- Set Goals - Try to make a list of goals to accomplish each week. We all love having that satisfying feeling of checking something off of our to-do list, even if it’s the easiest thing on the list. When you set goals that are personally important to you, you’re more likely to manage your time that enable you to accomplish them. Yes, it may be hard to find goals to achieve amidst COVID-19, however there are just as many that you can achieve too. Consider learning a new language, creating multiple resumes and cover letters, budgeting your finances, or even looking for potential internships or jobs.
