Last week my college level students requested my audience at the beginning of class and they proceeded to voice some observations that have been stressing them out. They requested I give them less projects that would yield better work which would coincidentally free up time for other classes which were very demanding of their time as well.
So let me be perfectly clear here, I sympathize with college level students. College is hard yo - in high school you have no life - you're terrible at managing your time and let's be honest you can afford to not care in high school! I think the whole veneer of “High School is the most pivotal part of your life and future career” nonsense is thankfully becoming a thing of the past.
However . . .
College isn't High School. College is you now having a life while going to College level classes and learning one of the most important skills in your entire life - Time Management. Going to college is a commitment - a hard one. You are willingly putting yourself in a difficult and challenging path that will ultimately determine most of your adult future.
During your college years you will come into contact with Masters of the trade - Your professors! And these people will push you to the limit. WHY? Because that's how they got to where they are today (where you are trying to get to.) I can guarantee you that no Master college level Professor ever sat their own professor’s down during class time to instruct them on how to better make the course more convenient for them. In fact you can be certain every professor worked their fingers to the bone to fulfill every challenge that every single professor placed on their plate regardless of how busy they were outside of the classroom.
Furthermore, college isn't about what gets done in the classroom ladies and gentlemen! College is about taking the information home and applying it to your own methods and making it work. The magic happens OUTSIDE the classroom when you commit to practicing AND applying. Portfolios don’t happen in the classroom either, they are born of your own sweat and tears - the work provided in class is a guided template that shows you what your capable of. It's your job to push yourself to the limit with that information beyond that.
And don’t forget one of your most powerful supporters in your College career are your professors. They can be crucial to the beginning of your career. A strong reference can go a long long way and you don’t want to taint a professor's experience with you by showing them that you are not capable of handling a high level work that now has their name tied to yours as a reference. College is hard yo. At the end of the day you have to ask yourself one very important question:
How badly do I want this?