College Tips for Parents

By Talia Goren

College Student Talia, gives some excellent tips on handling academic stresses of college. 

There are times in your college career when you will feel like the walls are caving in on you. You will feel like there is so much work to do, perhaps not even just for school, maybe you also have a job to help your parents out. But even if you don’t, sometimes you get bogged down with work. The truth is that in college, teachers do not consult with each other to see who is giving you what work and when. They often ALL give you projects and papers at the same time, usually around midterms and finals.

So how do you deal with this phenomenon? It seems impossible to do everything all at once. Not only do you have to deal with all of the work but you also have to eat (and I mean real food!) sleep, and believe it or not, having time to relax and do things you enjoy is important too.

There are many things that are unexpected about college but something that is relatively consistent is the syllabus that professors will give all students at the beginning of each semester. More often than not this will give students an idea of what will be expected of them throughout the semester. This makes life much easier. If the professor does not do this you should always either go up after class and ask or write the teacher an email. Not only will it show that you are interested in the class, but it will give you a more clear idea of what kind of work you will need to put into the class.

Always keep a calendar. Use it! I know it seems obvious, but you would be surprised how much it helps to have everything laid out. It is much easier to plan what you need to do when you KNOW what is due when and how much time you will have to devote to each item on your list. When you know that you will have multiple projects due at the same time, devote some time that would usually be more free to starting something you know will be due at a time when you are very busy with other things.


If we’re being honest, sometimes this doesn’t work. Sometimes professors’ give you work all at the same time. When this happens there are a few steps you should take:

As I mentioned above college students MUST remember that eating healthy, sleeping and relaxing are important. While projects, papers and tests are a part of being a college student, sometimes an intense amount of sleep deprivation is as well. No matter what the circumstance, you must get enough sleep! Power naps work really well, and don’t forget just following the good old eight hours of sleep a night rule works like magic!

If you find it nearly impossible, as many of us do, to actually get that amount of sleep even WITH naps, or even if you sleep enough, it’s also extremely important to make sure you’re eating healthily. Some students have the advantage of a cafeteria or dining hall when living on campus. This is good because you don’t have to put the time into making food yourself. You can simply take what is in front of you already prepared. Try to get three well-rounded meals in a day. I know it seems like a great feat, a nearly impossible one at that, but your brain will function so much better with nutrients to rely on. Also, keep healthy snacks with you. Go to the local convenience store or grocery store and get things like nuts or dried fruit to take with you to classes or for those days where you just didn’t enough to eat. I can assure you that relying on French Fries and milkshakes will not improve your brain function, OR really even do anything positive for your body, even if they do taste pretty good.

Finally, relaxation! Take time out every single day to relax. Even if it is simply a ten-minute period where you lock yourself in a quiet space and meditate. If you get this time in, it helps a great deal to collect your thoughts and reduce stress. If there is a day where you do have a bit more time, spend it doing something you enjoy! I know it seems self evident, but once you get into the hustle and bustle of college life- tests, projects, papers- you often forget to take a minute to breathe. The more often you take this time out, the more you will be able to get done in the long run. More importantly, you will do it WELL!

If you remember these important facts, the stress associated with being a college student will be FAR reduced. Eat healthily, stay organized, sleep enough and relax and you are sure to have a much more enjoyable college experience!