Five Strategies to Fit Education into Your Life from a Rio Salado College Graduate

Five Strategies to Fit Education into Your Life from a Rio Salado College Graduate

Setting forth on an educational path requires planning. You need to decide what you want out of school and life, and what you need to get there. What is most important to you? Then you need to follow some strategies to get there.

Manage Your Time Effectively
Identify your goals and priorities. Make education high on your priority list. How are you spending your time now? You can best judge your use of time as efficient or inefficient when you do it in relation to your priorities. Build a realistic time schedule that allocates your time to the activities that fit with your priorities and helps you reach your goals.

Live Smart
Make a to-do list and stick with it. Prioritize items from high to low importance. We often avoid big projects because we have limited time, or we don’t know where to begin. Break major projects into small pieces and tackle them one at a time. Eliminate tasks that are time consuming and routine, such as washing your car weekly or dusting.

Learn to Ask for Help
It can be hard sometimes to ask for help but if you sit back in silence you are only hurting yourself. When you ask questions, you’re reinforcing your learning and gaining a better understanding of the material. Instructors are there to help and want to help you. Take the time to get to know your instructor and be active in your learning.

Make Goals for Yourself
Make goals that motivate you and represent your career aspirations. Remind yourself often what your goals are, why you made that goal, and where you want to be. Goal setting is a powerful process that can turn your vision of your future into a reality.

• Start by creating your “big picture” of where you see yourself and then identify the bigger, long-term goals you wish to achieve. 

• Next, break that down into smaller parts and create a plan to hit those goals. Whether it be to make an A on your next assignment or in the class, no goal is too small!

• Finally, write your goals down, look at them often, and get started!

Have Access to a Computer, Internet, and a Backup Plan
Prepare for the unexpected. Don’t let the first time your computer crashes leave you panicked. Tell a friend or family member that you’re enrolled in an online class and ask if you can borrow theirs if you run into computer issues. If internet connection is the issue, some restaurants and coffee shops offer free Wi-Fi and are usually not too far away.

After graduating from Rio Salado College with an Associate In Arts degree, Samantha Hill transferred to ASU and received a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She also completed clinicals at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix and graduated with an Associate in Applied Science in Radiologic Technology.