Things I Wish I Had Known Before University: Scheduling

'Tis the season in which young collegians begin classes. With wide eyes and an open mind, they enter the classroom expecting to be dazzled and impressed by the vast knowledge the world has to offer. Perhaps an idealic individual might think that an open mind and a pad of paper is all that is needed to succeed in one's post-secondary pursuits. Alas, if this were true, this article would be utterly unnecessary.

I have learned the hard way that succeeding in university or college is an art that requires the proper tools. Therefore, I have decided to share with the world some of the tricks of the trade I have learned. Hopefully someone somewhere will find them helpful.

Scheduling

A student's life seemingly revolves around a schedule. Classes, assignments, and extra-curricular activities all follow a fairly strict time regimen. Let's not assume that rigid itineraries are exclusive to students. Far from it! However, when comparing a 9-5 job to a school timetable, there is one major difference. In the work force, one generally arrives at and leaves from work at the same time every day (not too hard to remember). In contrast, school schedules are much more dynamic. Every day of the week is slightly different; every week has different assignments. Without effective organization, forgetting something important is almost inevitable, and forgetting an assignment is really not something you want to do. Trust me on this.

Everybody is going to have a different way of staying on top of things. Some people like using little pocket calendars to keep track of things. They're cheap; they don't require any boot-up time; and no batteries are required. People like me hate carrying those things around. I'm not very fond of paper. Others use a specific program such as iCal or Outlook to manage their days. Both of these are respectable options. iCal comes free with any Mac. Outlook is standard with most versions of MS Office, and since most Windows users own MS office anyways, there isn't usually an any extra costs associated. With Windows Vista, Micorosoft was even kind enough to include a calendar that is an iCal ripoff very reminiscent to iCal. A software solution is just fine for some. The benefit is that wherever you have your computer, your calendar follows. However, there are different calendaring needs for different people.

Although the experience of others may be much different than my own, I found that having my calendar on one computer was extremely inconvenient. During school, I had two computers that I used on a very regular basis. In class and on the road, I always had my MacBook in tow. However, while at home, I was more prone to use my 20" iMac (obviously the larger screen was a key factor in that decision). If I was using my iMac and suddenly had a need to access my schedule, I was somewhat loathe to opening up my MacBook (with iCal) just to access a single entry. Furthermore, if I was away from my computers entirely (e.g., computer lab or at a friends place), I was totally separated from my lifeline. I clearly needed a way of accessing my calendar at any computer. Enter: Google Calendar.

Google is the ubiquitous search engine that everyone has come to know and love. More recently, people have come to know Google's simple and powerful Gmail service. In order to use their online calendar service, you'll need a Gmail account. If you don't have one, you'll have to be invited to the service. This shouldn't be difficult. Ask a friend. Ask a classmate. Ask your dog. Seriously, everyone has a Gmail account these days.

Once armed with a Google Calendar (Gcal) account, you can access and edit your calendar from any computer attached to the internet. Gcal offers many rich features. You can separate your calendar entries into different groups. For example, I had a "Classes" schedule in green, and an "Assignments" schedule in red. Without color coding, it becomes difficult to distinguish between critical and non-critical reminders. Gcal also allows for another great feature: calendar sharing. Whether you're sharing your class schedule with your family or girlfriend/boyfriend or jointly accessing a teams sports schedule, Gcal makes it easy to collaborate and share.

A student's schedule consists of far more than mere dates and times. A research paper, for example, will be associated with a particular class, and of course, it is important to record noteworthy related details such as word-limits, subject matter, etc. Following the completion of the paper, it is useful to record the grade assigned to a given assignment. During all four years at university, I searched to find a convenient and effective way to manage and record my assignments. I attempted to create elaborate spreadsheets (unsuccessfuly) and tried to create meticulous folder structures that would allow me to effectively access my information. Unfortunately, it was not until 2 months after university that I finally stumbled upon the perfect tool: Schoolhouse 2 .

Unfortunately, the one drawback of Schoolhouse 2 is that it is a Mac-only program. I suppose this is sweet justice for all the years that Mac users were unable to access some of the software gems available only to Windows users. Note: I will try to find an appropriate Windows equivalent. If you know of one, please email me. (Update: Windows users may want to try out ToDoList)

As a mere mortal, I have only so much time in which to write articles such as this. The following descriptions have been taken directly from the Schoolhouse 2 website:

With the ability to sort and organize your assignments, exams, and projects quickly and easily Schoolhouse is a must have for any student on-the-go. The power of smart notebooks allow you to interact with your work as simply as your iTunes library.

Classcasts give the ability to publish your assignments to the web automatically for anyone to subscribe to. A newly redesigned grading system allows you to chart your scores over the course of the term to keep an outlook as you go. All of this works to ensure you will never be in the dark at the end of the semester.

Tasks can be used for larger assignments such as research projects. They each have their own due date, and you can check them off as you go and you can monitor your progress with ease.

Notes are a special type of item which gives you the ability to store your class notes directly in Schoolhouse, with all the advantages of rich text, including fonts, colors, tables, lists, pictures, and anything else you may need.

File Attachments allow you to link documents, PDFs, and media to your assignments for quick reference when you need them. No more searching through folders for your homework.

Classcasting has been completely overhauled and now includes support for FTP, Secure FTP, WebDav, and .Mac syncing.

Smart Notebooks now include support for relative dates (i.e. "all the assignments due next thursday")

Grades can now be viewed and calculated over the course of the term for heads up before finals.

 
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