News/Journalism
Project Summary
As a senior graduating from college this semester, I wanted to compile a college guidebook for freshmen, and the topic I decided on was time management. My book—Study, Sleep, Repeat: 118 Tips to Schedule Your College Life—divides college time management into five sections: college routine, classes, homework, jobs, and leisure time.
In my first step of interviewing, I emailed 20 college faculty members from different states across the nation. I then interviewed the eight professors who responded. I used Zoom to conduct 30-minute interviews with 16 questions and additional follow-up questions. After talking with the professors, I organized the recordings and transcriptions to more clearly connect the insights.
In the second step of writing, I compiled the interview answers and grouped them into one of the five categories of my book in which they fit. Basing my book on the 16 questions, I wrote a chapter per question. I added subheadings and narration to organize the answers into specific tips that readers could put into practice. Then, I took a photo for the book cover.
Last, I formatted this project in InDesign and uploaded it to Amazon KDP as a print book and e-book that can be accessed here or at the bottom of this page. I am ecstatic about how it all turned out, and I hope many current and future college students will read this book to gain tips about balancing a busy college schedule.
Video Link
Interview Questions
I asked the following 16 questions to my interviewees:
College Routine
- How could students start their day to be the most productive?
- How can students follow a schedule without getting burnt out?
- What order of priorities could students set on a day-to-day basis?
- How can students end the day and prepare for the next?
Classes
- How can students prepare for their classes effectively without wasting time?
- What are beneficial ways to make the most out of lectures and class time?
- What can students do during or after class to retain the information they learn?
Homework
- How can students produce high-quality homework assignments when other classes also demand high-quality assignments?
- How could students manage their time between easy and difficult assignments?
- How can students make the most of university resources, like tutoring?
Jobs
- Would you recommend students work a job while taking classes? Why or why not?
- For students who work a job while going to school, what advice do you have for them not to get behind in homework?
- How could students set priorities between working a job and doing homework?
Leisure Time
- What’s a productive way students with too much free time can manage it?
- What can students do with free time between classes?
- What do busy students need to do to have more leisure time available?
Study, Sleep, Repeat
Here is the PDF file of my book, Study, Sleep, Repeat: 130 Tips to Schedule Your College Life. The final project has 18 chapters (excluding its three appendices), 152 pages, and a total of just over 42,000 words.