College Life
Balancing School, Work, and Family
Use this page when your classes, job, and family all need your time, and you want a plan.
What many students notice
Most community college students do more than go to school. Many work, care for children or parents, or both. A college schedule is built around classes, but your life is built around everything else too. Feeling that you have too much to do is common. It is not a sign that you do not belong in college.
- College work happens outside class. Many colleges plan for about two hours of study each week for every credit hour. Check your syllabus for what your instructor expects.
- Problems are easier to solve early. A schedule change at work is a small problem on Monday and a big one on the night an assignment is due.
- Instructors expect life to happen. Many will work with a student who tells them about a problem before a deadline.
What helps
- Put every due date in one place. At the start of the term, copy all due dates from each syllabus into one calendar, on paper or on your phone.
- Plan your week, not just your day. On one day each week, look at the week ahead. Find the time you have for each class, and write it down.
- Use small pieces of time. Thirty minutes on a break can be enough to read a few pages or review notes.
- Tell people what you need. Tell your family when you need quiet time. Ask your manager about your schedule before the term starts.
- Contact your instructor early. If you see a problem coming, write before the due date, not after. See the example below.
The OCTC Pathfinder Guidebook has two free planning tools: Where My Time Goes (opens in a new tab) and My Week at a Glance (opens in a new tab). Its module on time and energy (opens in a new tab) goes further.
Example: asking for flexibility before a deadline
A student’s work schedule changed. She writes to her instructor three days before the due date. Each number matches a note below.
Subject: BIO 135: Lab report due Friday
Dear Professor Grant,
My manager changed my schedule this week, and I will work double shifts on Thursday and Friday.1 I have finished the data section of my lab report, but I will not have time to finish the discussion by Friday at 11:59 p.m.2 Would it be possible to submit it by Sunday at noon?3 If that is not possible, I understand, and I will submit what I have on Friday.4
Thank you,
Rosa Delgado
- A short reason. One sentence is enough. You do not need to share private details.
- What is done, and what is not. This shows that the student has been working.
- A specific request. She names a new day and time. Would it be possible to is a polite way to ask.
- A backup plan. She accepts that the answer may be no, and says what she will do.
Check your syllabus first. Some courses have a late-work policy or a set number of extensions. If the policy answers your question, follow it.
Language focus: deadline words
Small words with big meaning
Due dates use short words that change the meaning. Read them carefully.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| by | at that time or earlier | Submit the essay by Friday at 11:59 p.m. |
| until | continuing up to that time | The quiz is open until Sunday. |
| before | earlier than that time | Read Chapter 3 before class. |
| on / at / in | a day / a clock time / a month or part of the day | on Monday, at 3 p.m., in March, in the morning |
| within | no later than the end of that time | I reply to email within two days. |
Due by Friday means Friday is the last day. You may submit it earlier. Check the time too: 11:59 p.m. is one minute before midnight, still on Friday.
Sentence starters
Fill in each blank with your own words.
- To ask for flexibilityWould it be possible to submit by ?
- To explain brieflyMy schedule changed this week.I have a family responsibility on .
- To show your progressI have finished , but I still need to .
- To talk to your managerI have class on at . Could I work a different shift that day?
Where to start at OCTC
- Your syllabus. It has due dates, the late-work policy, and how to contact your instructor.
- Your advisor. If your schedule is too full, an advisor can help you plan which courses to take and when.
- Student support. OCTC offers help with advising, counseling, and everyday needs. See OCTC Student Support (opens in a new tab).
Next step
Try one thing this week
- Put every due date for the term in one calendar.
- Choose one day each week to plan the week ahead.
- If you see a conflict coming, write to your instructor before the due date.