Ahh... the sweet reappearance of stressing out over school and classes. The spring semester just ended it feels like and suddenly on your last trip to Target, they already had school supplies out. Why are people always in a rush to prepare for school? Maybe it's time to get ready, it's a little over a month away! Here are 10 ways how you can get ready for the fall semester that lies ahead of you:
1. Get in a routine
Your parents used to always remind you of this when school was creeping up on you, now you definitely have to do it in college. A lot of students, including me, are stuck with 8 am's this semester. In order to really be prepared for getting up at 7 or so in the morning, you need to adjust the times that you are going to sleep at night. For instance, if you go to bed now at 12 or 12:30 am, you might want to knock that back a half hour or so each week leading up to when classes begin. And if you get up at 9:30 or 10 am in the mornings now, knock that back about 30 to 45 minutes each week leading up to classes. This can get annoying, and it might even freak your parents out because you are suddenly "adulting", but you will be so glad you prepared for your 8 am's.
2. Start packing and organizing your things.
Remember how you just threw down your stuff when you returned home for the summer? My advice to you would be to start sorting everything into categories. Chances are you did not throw any school supplies away (i.e. binders, pens, pencils,) so go through those and try to salvage as much as you can. You might even find out that you can use a lot of the things that you used last year, therefore giving you extra spending money that you would have spent on supplies! Another thing you can do is to clean your microwave, mini fridge, TV, etc. You do not want to lug stuff into your new dorm or apartment in order to find that it's all gross. Clean them so you won't waste your time doing it in the future. You can also organize what clothes you're taking with you, and which ones you aren't. You probably have clothes that you wore at school that are different from the clothes that you currently wear at home, go through those and start sorting.
3. See what books you need and buy them
Yup, we hate the prices of these things but they sure are a life saver when studying! It would be a good idea to go ahead and buy/rent them ahead of time so you can beat the "first week of classes" crowd in the bookstore. There should be a website, most likely your university's bookstore website, that has a list of the various classes offered and then the book(s) needed for that class. Make sure you pay attention to the professor who is teaching your specific class, because sometimes professors like to use different materials! Look on various "used book" websites and compare those to what your bookstore is selling/renting them for. These include: Book Renter, Amazon and many more!
4. Write your schedule out
I cannot express this one enough. Yes, you can go on your student portal and look at your schedule. Most of the time, however, they are confusing and do not give all of the information that you need to successfully get to the right class. My advice to you, which I have already done this week, is to look on the university-given schedule and write/type your schedule out in a format that is easy for you to quickly comprehend and read. You do not want to be fumbling around trying to see what it means, when you were supposed to be in your next class 3 minutes ago! I write out my schedule in columns: Day, Time, Class, Location and Instructor. Below is another example that can be downloaded off of the Office website.
5. Research your professors
No, I am not telling you to stalk your professors on Facebook! Look them up on Rate My Professors. All you have to do is search the name of your professor and choose the correct one that instructs at your college. Students sometimes post very detailed reviews on their former professors, which is good for you! This can tell you whether you want to stay in that certain class, or switch to another professor who is offering the same course. If that professor's class is your only option (due to time or required credit,) look at each one of the student reviews and see how that professor instructs, grades, and tests. This will tell you how you need to change, or modify, your learning methods. Doing this in advance will prepare you for the semester that is ahead of you in that specific class.
6. Plan out your dorm/apartment
Going along with sorting your stuff for moving back in, you need to mentally know where everything is going to go. Grab a sheet of paper and decide how you and your roommate will place your beds, desks, night stands, etc. This will help you figure out what you have room for and what you do not. On most university websites, they have the room measurements and layouts of each dorm/apartment. Look at those pictures and decide whether or not you would like to move furniture around, and if so decide where you would like each piece to go. This helps on move-in day, so you are not running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
7. Get to know your roommate
You are going to be living with him/her all year long, so you might want to start the friendship before y'all move in together. If you do not already personally know your roommate, send out a friendly Facebook message letting him/her know your name, that y'all were picked as roommates, and anything that you would like them to know about you. It is better to go ahead and talk then, instead of having an awkward first meet-up on move-in day.
8. Get an agenda
You are going to need one for classes anyway, so why not go ahead and get one a month out. You can write down important dates and meetings that you already know about. These could be advisor meetings, fun activities planned for Syllabus Week and much more.
9. Get out of denial/accept that it will happen
Classes are going to start whether you would like them to or not. By realizing that they are coming up and expecting their quick arrival, you are already one step ahead of everyone else. Have a positive outlook and attitude on the approaching semester.
10. Relax
Most importantly, enjoy the rest of your summer!
