How to Prepare for a Successful Semester
With a new semester starting in the fall, we all want to start on the right foot! While college can be exciting, and you probably can’t wait to see your friends and old roommates, the thought of starting a new semester can be daunting! This change can shake your nerves with new teachers, classes, schedules, and all taking place in different buildings. With all this change and the stress of potentially taking more challenging courses, preparing for a successful semester will be essential! Putting in some time to prepare for the semester ahead of you will help make you feel less stressed and have a more successful semester! Keep reading to figure out all the tips and tricks to help create a successful semester for yourself.
1. Planner/calendar
Buy a planner or a calendar, or utilize the calendar on your phone! Having a planner or calendar will help you stay organized during the semester. Before school starts, I recommend looking at the school calendar. The school calendar will give you dates that you have off, long weekends, vacations, and any schedule changes. Make sure to add fun social dates the school has, such as dances, parents’ weekends, concerts, and other events. Then I would put these into my calendar so that I can plan and am not thrown off by anything strange. Then I recommend that you put important dates into your planner once you get your syllabus for each class. Make sure to pencil in exam dates, essay due dates, presentation dates, and any other critical due dates. A calendar will help you stay on track during the semester and allow you to plan. Hopefully, this will enable you to use your time wisely and lead to less procrastination and stress. Feel free to use your calendar to put in your birthdate or any other important date so you can plan to take time to celebrate! If you want a successful semester, I highly recommend using a planner or calendar!
2. Schedule
If you can, create a schedule that works for you ahead of time. If you have access to your class schedule before classes, resume that and plug that into your calendar. Once you see what times you have classes, you can also look at available time blocks. This is helpful because you can find a time that you want to make designated time slots for homework, the gym, therapy, and more. Once you see these open pockets of time, I think it is best to figure out how you want to use this free time. If you give this free time a purpose, it will help you ensure you can get everything you want. Yes, of course, it is essential to prioritize schoolwork, but it is also vital that we take care of our bodies and minds. Living on your own, you will have to find time to do chores that you might want to put off, such as cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, and more, but if you have a schedule where you know that every Sunday, your meal prep and go grocery shopping than you are more likely to get all of these chores done! No room for skipping tasks! If you use these blocks of time for activities that help you feel productive and take care of your body, then this is a good use of time. Creating a schedule will also help you get to bed earlier and allow you more free time to be with friends, relax, and watch TV. I think that to prepare for a successful semester, it is crucial to create a realistic schedule before school starts.
3. Organization
To have a successful semester, you must prioritize your organization! Keep your room, books, computer, and living spaces organized. Living in an organized and clean area will allow you to think clearer and be more productive. Being organized will save you so much time, and you will spend less time being stressed. Keep your spaces clean and organized using bins, Scout boxes, and draws. Keep your computer organized by creating folders. You never want to have a cluttered desktop. Having a messy and cluttered desktop will make it difficult to find specific documents. Keeping your desktop organized will save you time and allow you to find documents much more accessible. If you want a successful semester, I highly recommend keeping your digital and physical spaces organized.
4. Tutor/ office hours
Make sure to pay attention to this during the first week of classes! Your professors will tell you their office hours and if they recommend meeting with specific tutors. I recommend that you take note of this. You may never go during office hours or meet with your professor, but this is a great resource. I love going to office hours because you can create a relationship with your professors and seek a better understanding of their expectations. Meeting tutors is also constructive; you can get second opinions on your thesis or suggestions on the best ways to study for a particular class and professor. If you want to set yourself up for a successful semester, I highly recommend taking advantage of office hours and tutors and writing down this information!
5. Create Goals
I believe that if you want a successful semester, you should create a couple of goals at the start of the semester. These goals can range from obtaining a certain GPA to utilizing office hours to joining more clubs and being more involved on campus. These goals can be up to you and don’t have to be academically focused. I think that creating plans is a fantastic way to prepare for a successful semester of school and will help keep you accountable!
If you want to have the most successful semester of college, preparation is vital! Make sure you have a calendar/planner, schedule, stay organized, take note of tutor/office hours, and create attainable goals! Good luck with your next semester of college. I wish you all the best!
