I am already past my mid-term of my 3rd semester out of four. It has been a very busy time. As soon as I settled into one of the rotations, it was time for the exam and moving on to the next. This of course will keep you busy and at a fairly constant moderately high stress level. However, there is good news. A semester at my college is only 16 weeks long. I am so busy right now, that occasionally I am too busy to even think about it. How do I deal with all this?
Do not look at the whole schedule and syllabus and panic. The amount of work per semester can be very overwhelming. I just think one week ahead and prepare for those classes. These are manageable chunks of information.
Manage your time wisely. Invest in a planner that will work for you. Write in all your lectures, simulations, and clinicals for the semester into the monthly calendar. In your weekly planner start by marking out the class times and commute times. Note and highlight deadlines you need to meet. Now write in all the commitments and study times. Just remember to also leave a little free time for some relaxation. You need to be able to just have some fun too.
Deny yourself every now and then. You are an adult now and need to focus on what is important to achieve your dreams. I know this is not easy to accomplish. We want to have fun with our friends and loved ones, but the nursing program is very demanding on our time. Do not let the fear of missing out overpower your desire to succeed. You don’t have to sit out everything. Just make sure you allow enough time to devote to your studies and future career, and enjoy your free time the way you like. The time people need to devote to their studies varies from person to person.
Don’t get caught up in watching other students success. Their grades have no bearing on your passing or failing. Some people are just smarter, they comprehend better, and therefore might not have to put as much effort forth in order to get good exam grades. Others might just have to work a little harder. Don’t get envious of those who seem to have effortless success. You don’t live their lives, and they might put in more work than you are aware of. Instead just ask them if they have some study tips for you. Find out the secret of their success. There are many methods out there that benefit different learning styles.
Now just take a deep breath, evaluate how far you have come, and how close you are to the finish line. If you have some struggles don’t keep doing the same thing over and over and hope for different results. That is the definition of insanity. Try to improve on your process. Just do you and grow with the challenges.