23/11/2020
FEATURE | 9 tipbits to have passing grades without 'passing out'
Would you die for the love of passing grades? Well, you don’t really have to.
With the emergence of COVID-19, the transition of physical classes to online classes has brought heavy baggage to some students who were already greatly affected by the pandemic.
As it was announced that another semester is to be held online, a lot was discouraged and unmotivated, stressed out about another set of massive workloads to befall on their shoulders.
Given that many learners have struggled to adapt to the new learning environment, here are some tips to pass your subjects without passing out.
This may help you resolve some mostly encountered problems in online classes:
1. Prioritize your mental health
Brains are the most useful creatures in learning and studying, so it is vital to keep them healthy. During the pandemic, a lot of Individuals have been devastated by the situations in their surroundings, giving way to anxiety and negative thoughts. When you find yourself overthinking about personal or school-related stuff, take a step back and view the situation afar.
Do not get drowned in assignments, projects, and Zoom meetings to the point where your mental health is at the bottom of your priority list. Make a conscious effort to prioritize what your mind feels. Despite the busy world, never minimize the value of taking time to take care of yourself. Remember, you’re the most important key to success in online classes.
2. Make a personal schedule
The feeling of losing time is one of the worst sentiments anyone can feel. Everyone faces different time challenges, but generally, you and your classmates have the same desire: To make the best use of the time left and to accomplish the things that are truly important. In order to stay mentally focused and organized with all pending and incoming activities assigned by your professors, a personal schedule like a to-do list may come in handy. It separates your priorities and serves as a guide on where you are on your academic map. You are the anchor of your time, so control your schedule before it controls you.
3. Reach out to teachers/professors for help when needed
Believe it or not, although professors seem to constantly give out endless video lectures, assignments, and activities, they too have an idea of the situation you are in. Try to take the first move to reach out whenever you’re having a hard time in particular lessons because they might be able to give you assistance and genuine pieces of advice.
Furthermore, technical issues are bound to happen in an online-only environment - most of you may be struggling with a low internet connection and device capacity. By informing your professors about your situation, they may understand and be flexible about it, perhaps even record class sessions as a backup for everyone else experiencing the same predicament.
4. Avoid distractions during study time
Hold that Netflix movie! Stop scrolling down your Facebook feed! It is time to focus and study. Distractions are your number one enemy when studying, and you should have the right weapon to fight them. One way to avoid distractions is that you need to let go of your social media accounts for a while and hit that silent or airplane mode on your smartphones to stay focused on the assignment or activity you need to accomplish during that time. Whenever tempted, think of the sleepless nights and multitasking you need to undergo for that unaccomplished task just because you let yourself get carried away by a Korean drama.
5. Do not procrastinate
-Some students tend to pass their projects and activities just an hour before the deadline and some of you might be cramming intensively as well. If you think you’ve done this, then what you’re doing is called procrastination. Learn to follow your schedule and do the tasks before the deadline. Encourage yourself to do what you can do today, don’t take tomorrow for granted. Tomorrow is another day and another day might have another set of tasks.
6. Take one day at a time
Modules, school works, and video lectures can be so draining emotionally and physically. Make sure you’re giving yourself some time to rest, relax and refocus. It’s okay to be not as productive as you would like to be right now. You are not a robot. Resting and giving yourself space is productive. Even if you’ve found yourself with more free time than usual, you don’t need to force yourself too much. In this uncertain time, it’s also important to cut yourself some slack. Give yourself some grace and don’t feel guilty about it. Rest, relax, refocus.
7. STOP and START
- Learn to pause when in a situation where you know you cannot think straight. When you are stressed, it is difficult to be productive. It’s hard to get your work done when all you can think about is how far behind you are. However, most of your stress may be self-imposed because of that goal of having straight A’s. Once you recharged, you’ll be surprised at how productive you can be with the right state of mind and body. Put things in perspective and don’t let your emotions derail your day. You know yourself the most, and it is only you who knows when to start and when to stop.
8. Create a good learning space
Another important way to beat stress from online classes is to make sure that your learning environment is supportive of learning. Go and look for a place where it’s quiet and you can focus. The area must be well-lit, comfortable - a place which feels like school. Try to set up your surroundings in a way that fits your learning habits.
9. Take charge, give all
Always remember to do your best in every activity that your professors assign you. Trust in yourself and trust the process. If you know that you did what you can do, it will reflect on how you respond to your scores. With faith and determination to continue, you’ll know that you can make it and achieve your goals. Not everyone is privileged, but those who always give their 100% are more than privileged. After all, learning is the most important in studying, isn’t it?
COVID-19 has given us lots of challenges already in many aspects of life, but humans as we are, we continue to face these challenges head-on and move forward.
The key is to surf the tide of the ‘new normal’ to get through your studies. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, and rest when needed.
Remember, this too shall pass.
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Words by Lindy Lyne Aviles,
Keanu Eleptico, Jessa Calo, Laica Agad, Jefrey Butal
Graphics by Lindy Lyne Aviles
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