The GI Bill: How to be Successful in School Pt. 4

2014-08-26T13:22:32-04:00

So you are in school, using your GI Bill benefits, chosen your field of study, and getting use to being back in the classroom. Now comes the true test…doing well in school. When was the last time you even had to deal with homework? Is finishing that paper more important than spending time with your family? Going back to school while managing a family is not easy. While your classmates might be talking about the crazy parties they went to over the weekend, the only party you went to was for a three-year-old, the cake was great.

You will have a lot on your plate when you are going back to school, even it is only part-time. It will be hard to focus on just school when you are being pulled in so many different directions. You will need to find time for yourself, for school work, family and friends.

Lets go over some key tactics on how you can be successful in school:

Stay Organized: With so much going on between school and your family, keeping track of everything is essential to staying on top of your work. If you have a job, you will need to be extra organized to keep track of work and school projects. If you aren’t organized you will just end up stressing yourself out more, trying to figure out what’s due when. Keeping a calendar of important dates for assignments and projects and even your home life will keep you prepared for anything.

Make Time: Going back to school means that you need to make time to do homework, to study, to meet professors and group work. If you have a family, trying to find time to do all of this can be challenging. It is hard to study when your kids are running around the house causing havoc. The best way to handle this is to build time into your schedule for school work. If you schedule time specifically for homework and stick to it, you will get a lot done. Maybe when your kids are sleeping? Sometimes heading to campus early to hang out at the library is helpful because then you are away from distractions.

Keep Balanced: It can be hard to keep everything in your life balanced, but you will get there in no time. It is important to make sure you are eating right, sleeping and getting enough physical activity because it will help you in the long run. Though you may be busy, try to carve out a little time for yourself. Even if it is just having a cup of coffee in the morning, creating that little piece of solitude will carry you throughout the day.

Start Networking Now: Being in an academic setting is the perfect time to start making connections! You never know where your fellow classmates will end up, so be open to meeting new people. Most importantly, you have direct access to extremely intelligent individuals so introduce yourself to all your professors. Go see them after hours--even it is just to pick their minds about something you discussed in class. Universities usually have guest lectures, these are great events to go to meet people and start networking now.

Remember, it might be hard from time to time but you got this!

Response by CPT Ahmed Faried made Sep 21 at 2014 10:19 AM

2014-09-21T10:19:22-04:00

good pro-tip