Max's Message to 5th Graders: 'Don't Wait Until the Last Minute'

Time management is critical to be a success in school.

So says Bolingbrook High School graduate Max Crider who visited Tibbott Elementary School this month to talk with 5th graders about life as a student at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

“Don’t wait until the last minute to do something,” said Crider, who is a  former Tibbott and Humphrey Middle School student as well. “If you start managing your time now, it will help you in high school and beyond.”

The digital animation major gave students a glimpse of his “average day” which begins with a 6 a.m. wakeup call followed by a Pace bus ride downtown, 6 or 7 hours of classes, and a Pace bus ride home to Bolingbrook.

“It’s really hard and you don’t sleep a lot,” he said. “The workload is intense. You have to work at it every day.”

Crider told the Tibbott 5th graders he has been drawing since he was little but really didn’t know he was good at it until middle school. He advised students to find a college like SAIC that offers training for a wide variety of careers.

“Learn early-on what you like and then make sure you spend your time doing it,” he said.

Crider also emphasized the need to dream a bit.

“If you get an idea, write it down as soon as you have it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how crazy it is.”

Students were interested in how long it will take him to get his degree (4-4.5 years), how many classes he is taking right now (six), and how many foreign students are at the School of the Art Institute (“a ton.”)

The nice thing about going to the world-famous school, Crider said, was he gets into the Art Institute without having to pay an entrance fee.