The week is here. Back at it again with syllabus week and the start of the second semester. Back with friends, new teachers, new courses, and more studying and exams. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. So to make syllabus week a little bit easier, here are five tips to help you survive syllabus week.

5. Make alliances. I cannot say how crucial this is the first week of class, especially if you don't know anyone in your class. Making alliances is one of the key things you need to do during syllabus week. Not only are you making a new pal to joke around with and have fun with in class, you're gaining an ally. Whether you don't understand what in the world the teacher is saying, missing a class because you didn't feel like going, too hungover to go, you're out sick, or you need a study buddy, they're going to have your back. So it's important to make bonds with people the first week. Yeah it's may be awkward at first, but you won't regret it in the end.

4. Make a good impression on your teacher. Sure, this sounds like being a teacher's pet, but just don't give the teacher the impression that you are only there to get credit for that class, whether that's true for you or not. I've found the kids that have a sour attitude about being in the class aren't going to have a good time no matter what and your teacher isn't going to have mercy on you. However, if you build bonds with your teacher, or at least give the impression you want to be there and are willing to pay attention and speak every now and then, they're probably going to be more nice to you and have more mercy on you if they think your intentions are good. Maybe you're already the kind of student that loves meeting your teachers anyways, but if you're not, fake it till you make it.

3. Find your seat. I think this can make or break your semester and how well it's going to go. If you have a crappy seat in the back, it may be easier to snooze a little bit, but it's not going to serve you well when you can't hear what's going on if you're confused, or can't see the board as well and missed something on the notes you were taking. Also having a comfortable seat is important just because you're going to be there a long time, so you want to have the comfort to move around, not be too close to the front, and be able to have easy non-awkward access to the bathroom if needed. Also, it's important for the kind of person you are. If you like to be right up front, you're not the only one, so snag that chair while you can, assert your dominance. However, if you're like me and like to avoid being called on, but still want to pay attention, sit in the third seat back towards the middle.

2. Find your route to class. This is WAY important. Especially with the weather being so iffy, woohoo climate change, you need to be able to find your easiest route to class. Also, if you have back to back classes this is crucial, plus they could be far away from each other. It's a little nube-ish but download the campus map and try out different routes to see what will get you there faster. Sometimes it's crossing through the MUB, taking the bus, or even hustling down or up library hill. Doing this is good though because then you can discover how much time you need to get from point a to point b, determine whether you have enough time to grab a coffee, or determine how much later you can sleep in before class starts.

1. Make sure you have some killer plans to finish the week off with. Syllabus week is the start of yet another three and a half months of hard learning and us all trying to beat each other out for the best grades. Looking down the syllabus paper you're already going to be dreading some of the exams and the papers you'll have, so go out and enjoy the first weekend being back, and the last weekend before getting back on that school grind.

Hope these tips help you get through syllabus week, and good luck. May the odds be ever in your favor.