A PSYCHOLOGY MAJORS SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR COLLEGE

By: Maria Dominica Paglinawan

In status quo, the very moment you receive that high school diploma is the exact same moment

you undergo a back-breaking and extremely exhausting journey that iscollege. Everyone keeps on

saying that its the big thing before the next big thing which is life in general. But, does it really have

to be that agonizing and tiresome? For us psychology majors, it doesnt have to be. Read on to know how

to make your college life 100 times less miserable than it already is.

1. Prioritize.

A lot maybe going on in your life right now but take it easy. You can only handle so much at a

time. Considering that we are at the peak of our social lives, we should never lose sight of what

we want our future to become. Its always better to grind and work hard now than to regret it

later. Wasted time is lost time.

2. Have an agenda or planner.

This may not sound appealing to all, but Im pretty sure that not everyone has a photographic

memory. In which case, whenever there are assignments, projects, examination dates,

appointments, practices/games, and rehearsals jot it down on your planner or simply type it down

on your phones. It can help you a lot more than you think.

3. Keep it organized.
As college students, we cant help but acquire a lot of things. Handouts, photocopies, examination

results, research papers and not to mention our pens and highlighters (cant study without these

necessities!). Avoid piling up your stuff and spare yourself the hard time struggling to find that

due assignment by keeping track of where you put your things for easy recall.

4. Take down notes.

One of the best and most effective ways of learning is through writing. No wonder some college

professors discourage students from taking pictures during discussions and encourage them to
 write down notes instead. Its a two-way learning process. As you listen, you understand and what

you understand, you write down so that you can easily recall what youve just learned.

5. Find a good study place and of course, a study buddy.

In our generation today, cafs and coffee shops have established a harmonious relationship with

students of different levels. They are just simply our place of solitude and comfort and at the

same time our spot of non-stop typing, researching, brain-storming and thesis-planning. But

amidst all the hardships that we go through in this place, a good company always makes it

worthwhile.

6. Get enough sleep and eat well.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL. Youre in college now,

mommy doesnt have to remind you to take your vitamins and that its already past your bed time.

Grow up and take responsibility of yourself. Your health and well-being should always be your #1

priority. You only get one body in this lifetime and the internal organs in the black market are way

too expensive for you.

7. Reward yourself every now and then.

We are psychology majors, are we not? If you think that youve done well this past week or even

this past semester, a little positive reinforcement wouldnt hurt anybody. Give yourself a pat in

the back and treat yourself to something nice. Besides, youve worked hard, done your best, and

given your all. You certainly deserve a little treat from yourself.

8. Find something good in everyone and everything.

There is always two sides in a story but in order to achieve a peaceful, happy and contented life,

one must choose to see the positive side of things. Positivity generates great ideas. Find interest in

what youre doing so that it will make the task easier to accomplish.

9. Dont be afraid to fail and take risks.

Failure is the first attempt to success. If people like Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison and Alexander
 Graham Bell immediately gave up on their dreams; things wouldve never been the same. You

see, achieving the goal is just the cherry on top of a huge ice cream. What really matters most is

how persevered and passionate you are on achieving those dreams.

10. Live life one day at a time.

In a world full of busy people, take time to slow down and appreciate what you have and those

around you. Youre growing older with each passing second. Youll never know when the last

time youll be able to appreciate things will be. If you failed today, thats okay. Mourn and be

sorry about it for a while but dont get stuck. Get up and move forward. As they say, Tomorrow

is another day. So live life fully so that you wont have regrets. Take it easy on yourself. Youre

doing the best you can.

EIC Comment:

First of all I love how this article is very organized and the flow is secured. For that I thank you

for a job well done. Kudos! I hope this performance will be maintained the only issue I have is

that this article isnt really that catchy. I want you to consider experimenting a bit of humor to it.

After all you are already there I just need a bit of that mixture added. Regardless thank you for

this good article! PS. You might wanna collab with the art dept for cute illustrations or maybe

infographic format for this.