12. What I Wish I Would Have Known

As my first semester at BYU is wrapping up, there are a lot of things I wish I would have done better. Starting college as a freshman can be intimidating and nerve wracking. I came up with many things which I wish I had known before starting my college experience!

1. DON'T procrastinate.
There were many times throughout the semester when I would be given an assignment or paper that would be due a month or more after the assignment was introduced. I often thought, "I have so much time! I won't worry about that for a few weeks." Boy, was I wrong! I learned that you do a much higher quality of work when you spend little increments of time over the span of a few weeks, rather than just rushing to finish it in one to two days. You may think you have a lot of time, but time during school goes so fast and next thing you know your deadlines are right around the corner! I learned this the hard way as I had seven papers due before Thanksgiving Break.

2. Study hard, and play hard!
I remember days in the semester where I would sit and study for hours, but it somehow never felt productive! I felt I was hardly making a dent in my school work. After a few weeks of this, I realized I needed to make time for friends and fun too! When I would stop and take a break from school and being stressed, I felt rejuvenated and refocused. Among all the stresses of school, taking time for yourself and doing what you like to do can help you better cope with all you have to do.

3. Make lists and stay organized.
Making lists has been a habit of mine since Jr. High. Before school started this fall, I bought a planner and it is obvious to me that it has helped me tremendously. Writing things out ensures you don't forget things and helps you plan and stay organized with schoolwork and deadlines.

4. And finally: prioritize!
Prioritizing was a big factor in how successful I feel I was during my first semester. Early on, I found myself singularly focusing on schoolwork. My social life and family life was suffering, and I wasn't as happy as I normally am. I decided it was time for a change, and to prioritize! Through this first semester, I found it important to sort out my priorities. I needed to better fulfill my church callings, continue doing the simple things such as reading my scriptures and praying, and spend time serving. Although I initially felt like I didn't have time for these things, I found that if I did them anyway, and put them as a priority on my list, everything else fell into place and things worked out for my benefit.

Learning some of these strategies in college has been a major blessing to me. Although some are easier than others, it is important to learn and develop strong study habits early on. I hope these ideas will be as beneficial for you as they were for me!