What happens when you take on college from nine to five
Before I left the Heights School in Potomac, Md. to come to Saint Joseph’s University, my headmaster Alvaro De Vicente left me with one last bit of advice: “Treat college like a 9–5 job.”
De Vicente is one of the smartest people I know but I had some lingering doubt about the seriousness of his comment. Did he actually want me to follow this advice literally?
He said, “Take your books with you when you leave your dorm room for your first period class and don’t come back to the room until about 5 p.m. when you are finished with your studies and are ready to head out to dinner and an evening of relaxation.” Because time management is one of the largest problems that most freshmen in college face, this strategy would be the best way to efficiently use and manage my time, De Vicente told me.
So for one week, I decided to put his plan into action and treat college like a 9–5 job.
While I thought I managed my time pretty well already, I wanted to see what happened if I implemented a routine schedule into my day. How much more productive could I be?
I put some basic restrictions on what I would do throughout the day. I would leave for my first class at 8 a.m. and wouldn’t return to my residence hall until 5 p.m. I also wouldn’t watch Netflix on my computer during the day and would try to keep the amount of time I spent on my phone to a minimum.
With that, I woke up on Monday, carried what felt like 100 pounds of books outthe door, and began my week of ultimate productivity, minimal midday “The Walking Dead” episodes, and no naps. Kim Allen-Stuck, Ph.D., vice president of Student Success and Educational Support, said the collective enemy of the college student is napping, Netflix, and video games.
I can attest to all except for the latter consuming a large portion of my free time. Many times during the semester, after finishing my last class at 12 p.m., I would find myself going back and spending the next five hours watching episodes of “The Office” and sleeping.
I had to find alternative ways to fill up all the free time I had during the week. I made a point to do all my studying during the day, visit as many office hours as possible, and try activities I normally wouldn’t, such as going to the Career Development Center. Throughout the week I went to different professors’ office hours every day.
On Tuesday and Thursday I met with Tesfalidet Tukue, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting. We spoke about the process of becoming an accountant and the necessary steps to make that a reality, such as passing the CPA exam. On Tuesday I also spoke with Cathlyn Mariscotti, Ph.D., adjunct professor of history. We spoke about misconceptions about Muslims in the United States as well as 18th century global trade.
Academically, these meetings had a greater impact than all the studying I did throughout the week. With the help of my professors, I found it easier to grasp concepts and understand the courses in general. Studying and preparing for tests became much less time-consuming and stressful.
On Thursday I went to the Career Development Center, which I thought was mainly a resource for upperclassmen, but my assumption was wrong. After talking to Assistant Director Christine Falcone, I left the Career Center with a laundry list of activities to complete before my follow-up appointment after Thanksgiving.
My study time also became much more productive. I knew I had a specific number of hours in which I couldn’t go back to my dorm, so I made a concerted effort to finish all my work before 5 p.m. I wasn’t always able to accomplish that goal, but I was never in the library past 11 p.m., unlike my usual study habits. I began to notice that that creating a schedule for myself was very beneficial in managing both my time and work.
According to Dan McDevitt, director of Student Success and First-Year Experiences, establishing such a routine is key for productivity.
“In high school you might be in school from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and have a relatively strict routine,” McDevitt said. “In college there’s no routine. College free time is a trap where you might think you have all this time, but if you’re not using it the right way it can catch up with you really quickly.”
Creating a routine is the best way to combat laziness. I gave myself a schedule and found I was easily keeping up with my work, studying for tests, and felt much less pressed for time.
When I told De Vicente I was employing his 9–5 work-like approach to college for a week, he wasn’t surprised. He knew that this process yielded results and believed all students should create a routine around their school schedule.
He was right, as always.
The following Monday I grabbed my book-bag and proceeded to my 8 a.m. class—ready to start my full-time job as a college student.
