Preparing for a new semester/school year can be daunting with taking difficult courses, moving into a dorm, finding a community, etc. But when everything is put online, everything can become 10x harder.
Preface
Fortunately, I was able to spend the entirety of the first and part of my second freshman college semester on-campus before COVID-19 hit. The transition to online learning was abrupt, shaky, and difficult for everyone involved, but I made it through my first year. I recognize though that this was not the case for others for a multitude of reasons and the sudden shift in situation was extremely difficult. While we are all dealing with different circumstances, I wanted to share some things that have helped me succeed in learning online. To all of those taking classes virtually part-time or full-time, I hope this post is particularly helpful for you!
Setting Up a Study Space
Actively going out of my way each week to find an aesthetic cafe to study in, work environments were crucial to me first semester. Today, I still feel that if I am in a space that makes me feel energized, positive, and productive, it will reflect through my work. So, upon starting the transition to online classes I rearranged my dusty desk into an area that I wanted to be in. Throughout the summer and now going into fall, I've found myself actively using this space primarily for work/school related matters (like writing this post). I also generally do not do leisure activities at this desk to keep my work and personal life "separate."
For creating your own physical study/work space, it does not have to be a desk or office room; it can be the kitchen table, closet area, pretty much anywhere with a flat surface, light, and stable wifi connection (if possible). Whatever space works for you! It also doesn't hurt to decorate your area (if possible). Make it a space you enjoy being in! Just try to separate your work space from your personal space to maintain a mental work/life balance.
For creating a virtual study space, I've significantly utilized Notion. I combined an embedded calendar, all courses archive, countdown reminder widgets, and individual pages for each assignment to create a "bulletproof, all-in-one" database for this semester. Shoutout to Mayer Raphael Adelberg for creating the amazing college dashboard template that I've been using!
Scheduling & Getting Into "The Zone"
For the past few years I've heavily relied on Google Calendar to schedule my daily tasks, classes, and everything in between. I break up my all of my tasks/events into different categories so I can toggle on/off different types of events (below).
With my new School Dashboard page on Notion, I've created a calendar with a page specific to each assignment (below 1). In each assignment page I have tags designating each assignment's categorization: class, assignment type, completion, and due date (below 2). I also have an individual page where I input all information for each class (below 3). Apart from my digital databases, I use a classic planner to hash out daily to-do lists and weekly goals, but with a creative twist inspired by bullet journaling styles.
Moving away from scheduling, I cannot stress the importance of treating online classes like in-person classes. If this means putting on "going out" clothes, doing your makeup, or drinking coffee, I highly recommend you do it. Getting into "the zone" is crucial to successful online learning in my experience. Block out class time and study time like you would for an in-person class. During class, be present and active. As tempting as it may be to send an email or check a tweet, you will have time after class or during a break. And remember to treat your teachers/professors with the same respect you would give in-person!
Notetaking
Though I prefer taking notes by hand, sometimes professors or discussions move too quickly to scribble down all the main points. Thus, I've created a "template" for formatting my digital notes (my written notes follow the same format). By standardizing, I no longer need to worry about making my notes cohesive or clean. Sticking to Times New Roman 12pt font and using simple bolding/underlining for marking main ideas, taking quick or comprehensive notes on Google Docs is easy.
On Notion I also standardized the heading sizes, formatting of quotes and subpoints, and use of bolding. This semester I take all of my notes on Notion, then copy and reformat into Google Docs.
Having my notes look relatively consistent across platforms and documents makes access, readability, and review a lot easier for me. Plus I just enjoy having clean-looking notes!
If you can't find a notetaking format that works for you (it took me years to find a method I liked), ask yourself a few questions:
⇢ Am I writing or typing my notes?
⇢ Do I learn better through text or images? Bullet points/lists or paragraphs/sentences?
⇢ How will I make important points stand out? (underlining, bolding, highlighting, italicizing)
⇢ Will I incorporate shortcuts (word abbreviations, arrows)?
⇢ Why am I taking these notes? (preview/review, notes on readings, copying lecture slides, etc.)
⇢ Do I intend to take notes during class/lecture and review after? Or do I want to summarize class/lecture via notes after class?
Some notetaking (writing) videos I found helpful:
Zoom Fatigue & Staying Socially Connected
Due to the online nature of this semester/school year, Zoom fatigue is real. If you find yourself tiring out from back-to-back video calls, take a breather and rest your eyes. One study method many students use is the Pomodoro Technique, comprised of multiple 25 minute study sessions with 5 minute breaks in between.
On top of Zoom fatigue, finding a sense of community or getting in touch with friends can be difficult. Busy schedule can make finding time for yourself, much less others, nearly impossible; but finding and maintaining a connection with others is not!
Some Socal Ideas:
Some Social Ideas:
⇢ Attend Event/Involvement Fairs
⇢ Reach Out to Upperclassmen in Clubs/TAs
⇢ Reach Out to Students in Class (Instagram, Zoom Chat, Group Projects, Freshmen Group Chats)
⇢ Social Distance Meet-Up with Other Freshmen Near You
With there being a clear distinction between online learning (learning crafted specifically for an online format) and remote learning (in-person content transferred online) and many courses choosing the remote learning format, online classes aren't the most engaging. This is a difficult time that we are enduring and it can get lonely and tiring. Zoom calls can get boring and it's easy to clock out during classes. These first few weeks have been hard on me, especially with four 8ams, as it has been on many others as well. But this is only temporary and we will be able to make it through. So all I can say is, we are all in this together.
"Make the most of the best and the least of the worst." — Robert Louis Stevenson
