Eye on the Storm: The Official Undergraduate Admissions Blog of the National Leader in Experiential, Hands-on Learning

I wouldn’t say that I am the best student at Keuka College, but I have gone to just about all of the workshops on how to improve your time management skills.  From those workshops, I can say that  I’m pretty good at knowing what works and what doesn’t.  I’ve developed a list of tips on how you too can be a pro at managing your time.

1. Make a ‘To-Do’ List. Every Day.

Put the most important thing first and make sure you get it done. Preferably use this strategy in the beginning of the day, so you’ll be less stressed later on. If you need to break down your “to do” list into smaller tasks so you can have more things to do, you’ll be able to check more things off quicker. It’s easier to keep something on your list when you see that you’re making an impact in what you have to do for the day.  MOST IMPORTANTLY. When you are done with the day, get rid of your to do list and start a new one for the next day. You can copy over the most important things you need, but have a new list with no marks on it at the beginning of each day.

2. Plan Out the Times You Have Between Classes

During my sophomore year, my adviser told me this strategy during a meeting and it’s a great idea. Every morning (or even the night before), plan out little small tasks that you can do between classes, like a worksheet that you could fill out, an outline you could start, or even just a chapter you can read for a class.  Keep these items in a folder in your bag during the day. Between classes, or while you’re waiting before a meeting, you can pull that work out, and get a little something done in your extra little free time. It definitely adds up.

3. You Don’t Have to Say ‘Yes’ to Everyone

This is important. I had a friend that had a really hard time saying ‘no’ to people when they would ask her for help. She was offered quite a few jobs on campus as a tutor, and she just didn’t have to time for it. She had a very difficult time putting herself before someone in need, but she finally realized she had to in order to keep her grades up.

4. Review Your Notes Every Day

You’ve probably heard this before and thought it was bogus  or a waste of time – that’s what I thought.  You learn so much more when you take the time out to actually review your notes. Your little notes in the margin will make sense if you go over them the day that you wrote them. I’ve found that typing out my notes and putting them on notely.com is really helpful.

5. Keep a Notebook Handy with a Pen

When you’re doing your homework or studying, odds are you are going to think of something that you have to do. It will bother you and prevent you from focusing on what you need to be doing. With the notebook you are keeping with you, you can write down what you need to remember to do and then forget about it until you’re done. Just make sure to always review that notebook and add things to your ‘to-do’ list.

Most high school students get their first glimpse of a prospective college campus via a brochure or Web site. When they visit the campus, what they saw isn’t always what they get. Then again, love at first sight is possible.

Keuka College held its annual Fall Open House Oct.15 and despite rainy weather, a record 150 high schoolers and their families made the trip to Keuka Park. Students had the opportunity to tour the campus and meet with professors, coaches, current students, admissions counselors, and financial aid representative.

This is important part of open house at any college, because these are the people you will be interacting with on a daily basis. So, it’s a good idea to get to know and make an impression on them because they will be sure to remember you when you come to school as a freshman. This is especially true at Keuka, where we never forget a face.

Open house is often the first opportunity for students to “try us on for size.” At Keuka, students and families checked out all of the student clubs and organizations on campus after enjoying a delicious meal in the Geiser Refectory. And speaking of food, my favorite part of open house actually happens at lunch time. I enjoy seeing the real-life interaction between students, something a college cannot recreate in a brochure.

When visiting a campus, you should try to imagine yourself living there. Look at all the posters around campus; really see what is going on. And, of course, the golden rule: ask as many questions as possible when on tour. How often do get the full attention of a current college student for an hour at 9 a.m. on a Saturday? Take advantage of it.

1. Visit The Windmill – like a giant farm, food, and craft fair. Go hungry – the food is awesome.

2. Go to Seneca Farms – best homemade ice cream in the world & wonderful chicken too

3. After all this eating, go hiking! The Outlet Trail from Penn Yan takes you along the outlet that leads from Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake. Or go to Watkins Glen and hike the gorge and see the waterfalls (especially pretty this time of year)

4. Pick some apples or pumpkins at one of the many farms in the area. Buy some apple cider – yummy! The Wager Cider Mill also makes their own homemade cider donuts – my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Go to a corn maze and outrace your friends to the finish.

5. Outrace your friends (or your dad) at the Go Karts

6. Ride your bike around the roads surrounding the campus and the lake - do your own leaf peeping tour while you get some exercise and burn off all of the calories gained from the ice cream and donuts mentioned above.

7. Travel to Hammondsport at the southern tip of Keuke Lake. Nice shops and good places to eat (check out the candy at The Cinnamon Stick).

8. Enjoy a boat tour of the lake.

9. Go to Hayes Auction Barn just north of the hospital in Penn Yan. They serve wonderful pies and you can get some great deals on things (the people watching there is really fun too – I love to see what people are so intent to buy that they go into a bidding frenzy!)

10. Attend some of the many festivals in the area - The Grape Festival, The Appleumpkin Festival, The Scarecrow Festival – like everything else mentioned above – really fun and feature the most important item – great food.