Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
Many college students run very dynamic schedules. Moving from class to class every two hours, managing jobs and extracurricular activities and keeping track of social events can become exhausting.
At a certain point, it becomes impossible to remember such a complex schedule. Rather than trying to memorize all of this information, I have Google Calendar remember my schedule for me.
I place my entire schedule into Google Calendar. Each semester, I input my basic class schedule. I color code certain class meetings to indicate if I have an exam, presentation or essay due.
While some may prefer a paper calendar to physically keep track of their schedule, Google Calendar has many features that distinguish it from paper alternatives.
For example, Google Calendar has an excellent feature where users can reoccur an event on specific days for a set amount of time. I can effortlessly schedule an event every Monday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. until the end of the term.
Once I complete inputting the information from my classes, I move onto my extracurricular activities. Occasionally, I even input social engagements if it is scheduled far in advance or if I need assistance remembering when it is.
Every so often, I quickly glance through the upcoming weeks to ensure I do not have any conflicts. It is easy to identify conflicts because the squares that block out the allotted time for an activity literally overlap.
Visually viewing my schedule shows me when I can anticipate eating meals and prepares me for how much homework and study time I will have once I complete all of my formal engagements.
Additionally, Google Calendar sends reminders before a scheduled event. I am reminded 10 minutes before each of my events, giving me a buffer of time in case something slips my mind.
The amount of time the reminder is sent before the scheduled event is customizable. If I need extra travel time, I will set the reminder to appear an hour or 30 minutes before the scheduled event.
Using Google Calendar is also a good practice for students preparing to enter the workforce.
A similar calendar software, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, is used regularly in the workspace, according to Indeed.com. Students who are familiar with tracking their schedules will seamlessly transition into this common workplace practice.
While Pepperdine students would certainly benefit from any calendar software, such as Microsoft Outlook Calendar, Google Calendar is best for Pepperdine students.
Pepperdine creates student email addresses using Google Workspace, according to Pepperdine Community’s website. Having my email, documents and calendar all in the same place allows me to transfer between the necessary platforms with ease.
Pepperdine’s usage of Google Workspace is also helpful because I can easily share Google documents and calendars with other gmail users.
Similar to Microsoft Outlook Calendar’s feature of sharing calendars between colleagues, Google Calendar allows calendars to be shared between users.
My sorority inputs all mandatory meetings and important dates into a Google Calendar. Similarly, my on-campus job inputs the student workers’ schedules into Google Calendar.
I can seamlessly add these calendars onto my personal calendar. Meaning, I can easily keep track of all of the events.
Since Google Calendar keeps track of my schedule, my capacity to remember other things significantly increases. Additionally, I have more time in my day to tend to other tasks because I do not have to remember where I need to be each hour of the day.
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Contact Caitlin Murray via email: caitlin.murray@pepperdine.edu
