From Dorm Life to Home Life

Photo Illustration by Kylee Weber

These past few weeks at Ottawa University have been difficult to cope with. Each day we hear more news about our university, the biggest one to affect us all was moving home and transitioning into online classes. This transition has not been a smooth one for students or professors. This new way of learning is uncharted territory for us and we have no other option than to deal with it. However, there are ways to make this transition smoother for  everyone at Ottawa University. 

Set a Schedule: 

The most important thing you can do to make this transition smoother is to set a schedule. We, as students, are used to a set schedule daily, going from breakfast to class, to homework, to practice and so on. Moving home and not having our sports or our routine anymore will become uncomfortable. 

While at home, attempt to set a daily schedule for yourself. This means to wake up at the same time you would if you were at school, eat lunch at similar times each day, set aside time for homework, workouts, naps, free time and so on. Creating a schedule will allow this transition from being in the dorms to going home easier. 

Remain organized: 

For some, to “remain” organized might mean to “become” organized rather than remaining. To help this transition, be sure to have all your school supplies and work prepared ahead of time. Set aside your daily work supplies and be sure to continue with your daily notes, homework and class schedule. By becoming organized, students can be sure supplies remain in order for classes. 

This could be to make sure you have a whiteboard or a calendar so that you can keep track of school work. Post-it notes are an amazing tool to have; they will allow you to stick a note-to-self somewhere so you don’t forget a task or something your professor said in class earlier that day. 

Becoming organized looks different for everyone. The biggest thing to remember is that the process  is trial and error. Keep trying new ways to organize your life, and when you find one that works for you, keep it! 

Limit your TV time: 

Controlling distractions can become very difficult for us college students. We have been in a routine where TV time is  very limited due to sports, organizations and homework. Now we have a load of freetime. Although watching Netflix and catching up on a favorite show is almost everyone's guilty pleasure, be sure to limit the time you spend doing it daily. This ties in with setting a schedule. When you set your schedule be sure to break up your TV time throughout the day; this will force you to get up off your bed or couch and do another activity. When binge watching Netflix, we tend to continue and not stop for hours, which can be detrimental to our mental health and our school work 

Keep in touch with your friends: 

We have all experienced disruption over the past few weeks. Keep in touch with all your friends. Try doing group FaceTime sessions to fill that void that has just recently entered all our lives. Challenge yourself to call loved ones or friends at least once a day. This allows you an outlet from all this darkness going around. When you talk with friends you will (hopefully) feel happiness and joy, and bring back memories you have created with them. 

Whatever you decide to do, just know there are thousands of college students having the same struggle as you right now. This hasn’t been easy on any of us. Push yourself to bring back some aspects of your life that you had at Ottawa and you might surprise yourself with how much you can succeed. Attempt to try these ideas to make a smoother transition into your new life style, and remember that Brave Life can be transitioned into Home life.