Whether you are a working professional or a full-time parent heading back to school, achieving a healthy work/home/school balance is challenging for everyone at first. Review these tips and resources to help you plan for your academic studies:
Finding Time and Space to Study
Give serious consideration to the time it will take you to become oriented as a new student, in and out of your courses. You should plan to spend 9–12 hours per week of study time for each 3-credit course. This means that if you intend to register for two courses, you should prepare to spend 18–24 hours per week on these courses. However, some courses won’t require as much of your time, and others may require more.
You need a good place to study; create a space that allows you to get into the mindset of doing work. Make an agreement with your family that certain times of the day are “quiet time” for you and then schedule time to spend with your family.
Schedule time for studying and course participation. For tips and suggestions:
- See our time management pages.
- Use the course syllabi found in the online course catalog to help you plan a week-by-week schedule.
Tip: When figuring out how much time you have available for classes, be sure to consider larger life events such as travel, medical treatment, changing jobs, and moving.