How To Get Organised And Ready For Your Next Semester
Your new semester is a fresh start, so before the chaos of a new year descends on you, take some time to get yourself as organised as possible. Follow these tips to start the semester and stay on track for the rest of the year!
1. Get a Planner
The best way to stay organised at college is with a planner. Keeping track of all your classes, deadlines, and important dates is almost impossible without a planner to write it all down. This way, everything is in one place so you won’t lose track and fall behind. Before you start your next semester, start keeping a planner. Whether you make your own bullet journal or buy one, a planner is the best way to keep you organised this semester!
2. Tidy Room, Tidy Mind
Get ahead of the chaos of a new semester by getting your bedroom tidy and organised before it begins. Make sure that everything in your room has a place, and donate anything that you no longer use or need to avoid your bedroom becoming cluttered. Especially if you’re living in a smaller dorm room, use boxes to organise your things to keep your limited space tidy. If you start the semester with a clean room you’re much more likely to keep it that way!
3. Look At The Syllabus
The best way to get ahead before the beginning of the semester is to check out your syllabus. This means you’ll know exactly what your courses are going to cover throughout the semester so nothing will take you by surprise. It will also allow you to see when you have exams and assignment deadlines so you can stay ahead of all your work.
4. Sort Out Your Books
If you’re starting new courses this semester, it’s likely that you’ll be needing some new textbooks. Before you do your huge Amazon order to prepare for the semester, take a look at your books from last year and decide which textbooks you still need and which ones you can get rid of. If you don’t need some of them anymore, instead of holding onto them only to clutter your room, try selling them to newer students who are taking the same courses.
As well as getting out of the way, you can make some money to buy your new textbooks with. Ensure that you get all your textbooks (whether you’re buying them or taking them out at the library) before the semester begins, so you can start the year on top of all your reading.
5. Reflect On Last Semester
Think of a new semester as a completely fresh start. Take a look back on your last semester and think about all the things you did well and all the things you didn’t do. Spending some time thinking about this will stop you from making the same mistakes again. If missing classes was your issue, print out your timetable and set reminders on your phone for each lecture.
If you were always working last minute to finish an essay, make an effort to start assignments early. Use the start of the semester to make sure you’re on track for all the goals that you want to achieve.
6. Ask Questions!
The most important part of getting ready for your next semester is knowing exactly what you will be learning, what assignments you should be doing and what classes you will be attending. If you have any questions this is the time to ask. Don’t wait until a few weeks in when it might be too late. Before the semester starts is when your professors will have the most time to be answering your e-mails or having meetings with you, so use this time carefully and don’t leave anything unanswered.
