Follow These Tips to Avoid a College Burnout
College can become very stressful if the right precautions aren’t taken. College burnout is a serious matter when you consider that it can cause people to drop out of college and spend the rest of their lives working at a place like McDonalds. Taking too many classes in college can cause a college burnout, working more than you have to can also cause a college burnout. You must also learn to schedule your time properly. And as motherly as it may sound, you must eat a proper diet.
Classes
Biting off more than you can chew can really hurt you in college. I experienced a major college burnout last spring, and had it not been for the summer break, I don’t know what I would have done. I had taken six courses and if that weren’t bad enough, one of my courses required putting in several nine hour days of studying, only to barely pass the course. Taking six courses at once isn’t always going to cause a college burnout; it really depends on what classes you will be taking and how much time will need to be spent on each one. Sometimes taking only two classes could result in a college burnout, if the classes are more than you can handle. You must learn to realize what your weaknesses are. For me, it’s math. When you decide to take on several courses at once, you must consider whether or not the courses will be difficult (check the course outline), how many hours you will need to devote to the classes each week (this includes class time and the time spent studying), and you must also consider everything else that is involved in the course (assignments, labs, travel time to and from school, etc). While finishing your degree early may sound intriguing, it is best to take the summer off. Being free from classes in the summer, will help you avoid a college burnout.
Work
If you have the means to do so, I highly suggest only working in the summer. I know this isn’t possible for everyone. I have worked while in college with mixed results. Last spring, I didn’t have a job. If I had, I might not have finished the semester. In previous semesters I worked part-time and that was easy to do, because my class schedule was one that I could handle. If you have a course load that you can handle, working a part-time job will give you an excuse to get away from your studying for a few hours. If you receive financial aid, I highly suggest getting a work-study job. With a work-study job, you will be able to work in-between your classes. Most work-study jobs are around 15-20 hours a week, allowing you to work but not have a college burnout. It’s not impossible to have a full-time job and also go to school, but I would suggest being a part-time student. You could of course take evening courses, but it would be a quick college burnout to attempt a full-time job, plus be a full-time college student, especially if your job is very demanding.
Time
I know if may be tempting to only do your homework when you absolutely have to, but by doing your homework as soon as it is assigned you will help to avoid a college burnout. Also by completing your assignments when they are first assigned you will be able to relax on the weekends. I suggest that you allow yourself at least two hours a night to study. I would not study over four hours a night unless you have a major test the next day. Of course if you have been studying two hours each night you won’t have to have a cram session. Studying over four hours each night will help lead to a college burnout. You must also schedule some down time for yourself and this doesn’t include working or cleaning. You need time to relax; watch TV, hang out with your friends, etc. Too often I hear about fellow college students working a full-time job, a part-time job, and being a full-time college student. This will only lead to a college burnout, no matter how determined the student may be, it’s just all too much for one person to handle.
Diet
I know it may be hard to avoid eating tons of pizza while you’re in college, but you really need a diet that will keep your mind alert. By eating a proper mix of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, protein, and diary you will be more alert and able to handle the strain that college life will put your brain through. Believe it or not, a diet really is important when it comes to staying alert. Eating nothing but junk food will leave you feeling tired. A proper diet will give you the energy you need to get through the day. If you work along with going to college you really will need all the energy you can get. Plus if you are a freshman you have to worry about the Freshman 15. A large percentage of college freshman’s gain 15 pounds in their first year at college. This is mostly done by living on junk food and not having enough time to exercise. You can help avoid the Freshman 15 and a college burnout by eating a proper diet. Even though you might not have time to exercise, you can still control the kind of food that you eat. You can still have pizza, I mean come on, it’s a college staple, but you need to only indulge once a week.
If you follow this advice you should avoid a college burnout. Trust me, once you go through one, you’ll never want to experience one again. Do yourself a favor and do your best to avoid a college burnout. You never know where that college burnout may lead. You may be experiencing a college burnout one minute and then find yourself 33 years old and working at Wal-Mart as a cashier. Do you want to make around $7 an hour for the rest of your life or do you want $20-50 an hour? It’s up to you to make the right decisions to avoid a college burnout.
