Managing My Last Semester: Doing it ALL!

By Chase Pattison on February 18, 2012

As college students, we are all incredible busy. I know that; I’ve lived it! But now, as graduation looms, I feel like I have been moving at warp speed. It is my eighth and (sadly) my final semester in Boulder and it has been the craziest of them all. With three internships, sixteen credits, a sorority, tutoring and a social life, I now have to worry about looking for a job after graduation, something I affectionately call a “big girl job”. It is an overwhelming schedule, but I think that I have found a way to organize it so I can do it all. Here are my tips on how to manage doing everything!

Think About Consolidating Your School Days
Like everything else in your life, it is all about organization. Before this semester even started, I knew that it would be a challenge. I knew that with my three internships, I would have to dedicate around twenty hours a week to being in the offices and working on projects. To make my life a little easier and less chaotic, I signed up for classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. Of course with five classes, this means waking up around 8 AM. This is a rough schedule to get used to, but once you do, it’s really nice. It makes scheduling work or internships much easier and allows you to travel on the weekends if you need to, without missing any class.

Don’t Overwork Yourself
Now going back to the internships: each internship I selected has a different number of required hours. I found one that requires ten hours a week and the other only seven hours a week. My third I can do mostly from home and I only go into the office occasionally. I decided to work at one all day Monday and the other all day Friday and then split the remaining hours on Wednesdays. With this arrangement, I don’t work more than six hours on any given day, which means that I don’t get overwhelmed.

Image by hiyori13 on flickr.com

Going Greek and Staying Greek
As an enthusiastic and dedicated member of Kappa Alpha Theta, I want to make sure that I can participate as much as possible. Spring semester means philanthropies, formals and, of course, Greek Week and I want to be there for all of it. Monday nights we have chapter at six o’clock. To ensure that I am there every week, I only work until four on Mondays. Not only that, I am finished with work and school at either five or seven (depending on the day) and since most sisterhood, mixers or date dashes don’t start until around seven I can still make it to almost everything.

Find Time to Help
As I am sure you’ve gathered, I have a lot going on. It is exhausting but I do take one hour a week to help out other students in the economics tutoring center. Although it is only once a week, I feel like I am really contributing to the school and helping out my fellow econ majors! This looks great on a resume and is more fun than you might think.

Image by Tulane Public Relations on flickr.com

Finding a “Big Girl” Job

Okay, this is the big one. I have discovered that looking for a job after college is like having another job. Applying for positions, writing cover letters, phone interviews, Skype interviews, and now, for the first time in my experience, flying to other states for interviews. It is a crazy and fast-paced process that takes time. To all the future seniors out there: be prepared! It is not an easy process, but it is an exciting one!

Keep It Fun
It may not seem possible, but this semester has been the best and most fun so far. Even with my hectic schedule, I still find time to hang out with my friends and have a good time.

If you manage your time well, complete your homework over the weekends and stay organized, you can have it all. I know it may seem impossible, but I am living an 8 AM-11 PM life and loving every minute of it!

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